Ecclesbourne Valley Railway

80080 will be operating the service this weekend; Saturday is heavily booked, there are rather more spaces on Sunday. It is possible to buy tickets on the day, but booking in advance is recommended.

 

Our Saturday trains were very full, only one ticket unsold out of the whole day. Gateau X sold out. 80080 will be operating for one weekend per month, definitely a hit with the photographers.

The volunteer recruitment team were inducting new recruits and the class 14 worked an extra train in the evening after the public had gone for route learning and footplate instruction.

 

“You’re gonna need a bigger cake”
c/o Jaws 1975

 

Why is 80080 only running one weekend per month?

 

Sorry to dig up a past post. Are there any pictures available of 34625 kitchen mod? A group I'm working with are considering doing their own work, but like to see what's been achieved elsewhere to gain ideas. TIA

 

No promises, but I'll see what I can do about some pictures. Meanwhile the pannier is out of service for what we hope will be minor running repairs, and therefore 80080 will work this weekend. I gather the services, especially on Saturday are already heavily booked, so advance enquiries are strongly advised.

Meanwhile the Thomas Hill works loco "Tom" has re-entered service after the p.w. dept fitted a replacement Rolls Royce power unit; if anyone has a use for a heavy duty girder sledge fitted with a large generator we are open to offers.

Looking ahead, there will be an intensive working P.W.week in the week beginning Monday 4th October 2021 to install the turnout for the new carriage siding, and other related projects. The final details have yet to be worked out: it may be that preparation work will begin on the previous weekend. The turnout switches will be North of the shed access road, the crossing will be to the South. It follows that there will be a lot of digging, and access to the shed will be disrupted while this work is going on. More information will be published on social media in due course, all offers of help will be gratefully received.

 

9466 is still receiving attention and 80080 is handling all services for the time being. Next Sunday we will have our first special event, the 2021 bus rally with vintage vehicles spaced around the car park. We ran our first Sunday lunch train this last weekend, the "Derbyshire Countryman", which was fully booked and a great success. Development of Gateau X is suspended for the moment, the catering team having come up with an enormous replica of a Jaffa Cake: covered in chocolate and very orange inside.

Down the line the PW team have relaid another two panels of track on concrete sleepers, and the Midland pattern cladding timbers for Shottle S.B. have arrived from Messrs Allen & Orr of Chesterfield. The boiler for Bagnall 2746 The Duke is waiting for transport back to Wirksworth.

 

9466 is likely to return next week, and the steam service this week will be worked by 80080, which looked absolutely marvelous cruising into Wirksworth with five coaches; I must get my own master shot from the bridge. I hear we will be getting a class 47 shortly to add to the diesel fleet.

 

Can I ask where the Brush 4’s coming from?

 

The class 47 is D1824 from Crewe.

 

Just seen the video of 40013 dropping it off at the Heritage Centre, cracking paint job on it.

 

tut, tut , big dieselitis!

 

D1842 aka 47192

 

At Consall on the Churnet Valley Railway a few years ago:

 

Anyone know if 9466 has returned to service? The EVR website has it rostered this weekend and next, but it wasn't amended previous weekends when it was stopped.

Cheers.

 

9466 was operating trains today so it should be on tomorrow.

 

D1824 is definitely the star of the show at the Diesel Gala this weekend, with the on train Full English Breakfast coming a close second. A visit to the buffet around 4 pm found only a few slices of cake surviving. One job early next week will be to get The Duke and its boiler back inside the shed for drilling and fitting of the new smokebox before handing over to the 8F crew for plumbing. Meanwhile Shottle box has had a lot of cladding fitted.

 

Feedback from the Diesel Weekends indicates that the on train full english breakfast was much appreciated at £8-00 per head and it will be repeated at the steam gala, "Steam in the Valley" on 3rd, 4th 5th September, I think I'll take a day off work.

 

I visited the Ecclesbourne on 8 August for the diesel gala, and two albums can be seen here:

Steam:

https://andrewstransport.smugmug.co...lesbourne-Valley-Railway-2021-Steam/i-4NWG2rC

If anybody can identify the LNER coaches I would be grateful.

Diesels, including a ride in the rain along the line:

https://andrewstransport.smugmug.com/BritishheritagerailwaysA/Ecclesbourne-Valley-Railway-2021/

The Wirksworth branch lasted into the 1980s to carry stone from the quarry. Here are seven photos by Les Tindall of the quarry in 1973, when it was still being worked by Holwell No 3, built by Black, Hawthorn in 1873:

https://andrewstransport.smugmug.com/LesTindalls1970sBritishtrains/Wirksworth-quarry-1973/

Andrew N