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27001 Nominated for Steam Railway Award

One of 10 nominations, and the only carriage, 27001 has been nominated for this year’s Steam Railway Award.

Originally built in 1950 to LMS diagram 2161 as a corridor third brake carriage, 27001 has been exquisitely restored as a vestibule third brake carriage with disabled access. We hope you will agree that this is a worthy candidate and encourage you to vote for the LMSCA.

Cast your vote by 28th Jan at THE STEAM RAILWAY AWARD.

Potty Training

I couldn’t resist, it should be Potable Training more of which below.

For the last few years LMSCA members have helped Peak Rail at Rowsley by ‘watering up’ the various charter trains that arrive from the main line. Given that these are much longer than the normal Peak Rail rake there is much laying out of hoses and reels to reach the far end of the train which is well out of the platform. The priority is always to get water into the kitchen car which can take from 45 minutes to over an hour depending on how much they have used on the inward journey. The charters usually stay for about two hours so it’s a rush to get water into every coach and the procedure is to give each tank 10 to 12 minutes ‘on the hose’.

However, I wonder if our services will be surplus to requirements in the future as we hear that the new TOC Saphos Trains is using potable water in all its vehicles, with a tanker of such being sent to servicing points on the journey. We don’t know if the other charter operators will follow suit, but it’s a possibility.

What of the three chaps in the photo? Well my keen photographer wife took the picture while waiting for 70013 Oliver Cromwell to leave Rowsley with the RTC Peak Forester last October, and left to right are myself, Ben Riley and Harvey Coppock – unfortunately my baggy overalls disguise my racing snake figure! We don’t usually get time to watch the loco being turned and serviced but we do get a grandstand view of the departure – and as you see have to be kept behind barbed wire to protect the public.

Incidentally when my wife first showed me the photo I said “Ah, the three amigos”, to which she replied “More like the three reprobates”, honestly, what a cheek!

Best Wishes

Dave Winter

 

Doubly Good News for 2018

It’s a doubly good start to 2018 for us as we have just finished the restoration of CCT E94630 which will become our upholstery workshop, plus after a bidding process, ownership of Medical Examination Car 10825 has been transferred to us from the Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester.

The CCT is one of three donated to us by in 2001 by Jarvis Rail, and had been kept in the goods shed at Wakefield Kirkgate for many years along with a LMS BG which was also donated – unsurprisingly they were known as ‘the Wakefield Four’. E94630 was used for storage at Peak Rail and although we were keen to restore it events overtook us, and it was left on the back-burner. Then an idea was put forward to use it as an upholstery workshop and work started in earnest, especially as much rotten steelwork had to be cut out and new steel welded in. Everything has been done to a high standard including the interior which has new LED lighting and a full electrical installation. It was wheeled out of our workshop on 30 December and is now in its new position just awaiting the access steps to be built. The video shows the rollout and some of the team involved.

The Medical Examination Car 10825 was built by the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway as a corridor third at Newton Heath in 1910. It was converted to a US continental ambulance staff car in 1917, then rebuilt by the LMS as a staff medical examination car numbered 10825 in 1923. It would have toured the LMS and London Midland Region conducting eyesight tests etc. It was eventually withdrawn in 1971 and initially preserved by the Historic Rolling Stock Group at the Severn Valley Railway, it then moved to Dinting Railway Centre in the care of The Bahamas Locomotive Society, then to the Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester in the early 1990s. A group of museum volunteers carried out a high-quality restoration, and a full repaint in early LMS livery. The then museum management wished the public to see how a carriage was constructed, and one end and a 10ft length of one side were therefore left unfinished.

10825 will be transported to the Rowsley to complete its restoration. Fortunately many drawings, including the bespoke furniture, are available, and as much as possible of its history and fabric will be preserved. It has one large central saloon and two smaller saloons one of which has longitudinal seating, while the other has transverse seating. The large saloon has no fixed seating so is a completely flexible space, it also has double doors each side. There are two toilets, one of which originally contained a stand-alone Dargue-Griffiths heating boiler, and two small changing rooms. The flexible large saloon will have appropriate seating and in conjunction with the smaller saloons will allow daily running with disabled access, dining, private parties, education and training, hospitality, and filming contracts. The disabled access provided by the double doors means we will not have to modify another of our vehicles.

So as always, plenty to keep us busy!

Happy New Year.

Dave Winter

A Perfect Day

Last Thursday I set off for my normal volunteering duties at Rowsley and was pleasantly surprised at how light the traffic was. A good and productive day was had in the carriage shed with the always welcome bit of socialising and putting the world to rights. Then off to Tideswell for some delicious fish and chips, taken to eat on the platform at Millers Dale station, where (old age does have some benefits) I recall steam days when there seemed to be a freight train through every few minutes, usually with a Fairburn tank doing the banking for the northbound ones taking their coal to the hungry Lancashire mills. Back to reality and the Peak District looked stunning with the sun casting long evening shadows as I drove home. On arrival I opened the post and found a letter from one of our supporters who lives ‘north of the border’ – and enclosed was a cheque for £500 towards our LMSCA efforts.

Makes it all seem worthwhile!

Dave Winter

PS the photo was taken at Millers Dale on 10 April 1964, shortly before Rowsley MPD closed.

Duke of Edinburgh’s Award volunteering on CCT 94630

We continue our series of 94630 updates with a guest post from Samuel, who is volunteering with the LMSCA to contribute to his achievements as part of the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award.

Hello. My name is Samuel, and I’m 15 years old. I am taking part in the Bronze Duke of Edinburgh’s award, the first level of the world’s leading youth achievement award, through the Peak District Shambles Explorer Scout group. As part of this award, you must spend three to six months volunteering. A lot of my friends decided to work at charity shops, or as young leaders for younger sections of our scout group. I decided I wanted to do something a little different, and the LMSCA seemed a great place to go. I am working on the eight doors of the covered carriage truck (CCT) †, as this will give me a chance to work on both my mechanical and woodwork skills, areas I would like to develop for the future. I hope to post regular updates on what I’ve been getting on with, as I get things done. So far, I have labelled all the doors, and have begun work on door B, removing all the wood panels from the inside of the door. By the end of my 6 months, I hope to have renovated all 8 doors to a usable condition for people getting in and out of the carriage.

94630 door
94630 door before stripping down

94630 door
94630 door before stripping down

94630 door
94630’s door after removal of planking and other fittings

† Editor’s note: Although the CCT may be more commonly known as a covered carriage truck, the LMS often referred to this type of vehicle as a covered combination truck.

Rowsley Update, Summer 2016

After the hubbub and excitement of the launch of 7828, thoughts may naturally veer towards launching into the next major project, but having the carriage shed at Rowsley vacant also offers the opportunity for some other valuable smaller projects. In the meantime 7828 has enjoyed use on dining and cream tea trains on Peak Rail, and appropriate to its era also being used during the 1940s weekend.

If it wans't for the the steel bridge this scene, of 7828 at Matlock during the 2016 1940s event, may very well be mistaken for one taken in the early 20th century
7828 at Matlock during the 2016 1940s event. If it wasn’t for the steel bridge in the background, this post-processed photo may very well be mistaken for one taken in the early 20th century. Photo © Alan Taylor

 

7828 departs Matlock Station
7828 departs Matlock Station

First into the shed after 7828’s outshopping was Peak Rail’s BR Mk2 BSO 9404 which was in for replacement of a window, minor bodywork repairs and a repaint to further protect refresh its external appearance.

BR Brake Second Open (BSO) 9404
BR Brake Second Open (BSO) 9404 in Matlock Station shortly after its repaint

Next into the shed is the one of the LMSCA’s own CCTs, 96430, which is to become a trim shop, enabling upholstery work to take place in a clean environment whilst other works can be concurrently carried out in the carriage shed.

Work on 94630 continues, with further updates to follow in the coming months

 

Official Launch of LMS 7828

On 29th March 2016, LMS Period 1 Third Open, 7828, was officially launched into service. Owned by the National Railway Museum and restored by the LMS Carriage Association, the carriage will now form part of Peak Rail’s service train.

This video covers the event, including the speeches that were given as well as views from the interior as afternoon tea is served.

 

 

 

 

LMS Carriage, 7828, Runs into Matlock

Following completion of the restoration work on LMS Period 1 Third Open, 7828, a period of running in was undertaken through the early part of March. This included the first run of an LMS carriage into Matlock station for the first time in probably over 50 years and has been captured in this short video.

The restoration of LMS 7828 in four minutes

On loan from the National Railway Museum since 2003, this LMS carriage, 7828, has been restored by a dedicated group of volunteers. The carriage was built in 1925 at Derby’s Carriage and Wagon Works on Litchurch Lane. With restoration completed in its 91st year the transformation has been remarkable.

7828 was withdrawn from passenger use in 1962, but gained a further lease of life as part of the London Midland Region mobile control train. Eventually it passed to the National Railway Museum in 1980. Restoration was then started by apprentices at Derby Carriage and Wagon works with the intention of assembling a joint LMS/LNER main line set.

Although restoration was started, the work was not completed and the coaches were stored, 7828 going to York. Other vehicles in the collection represented the LMS, so further work was of low priority. Some years later volunteers from the LMS Carriage Association became interested and 7828 was moved to Rowsley.

Many hours of research and hard work by the dedicated volunteers have culminated in the restoration of an historic carriage as part of the nation’s heritage railway collection. One in which passengers will be able to enjoy a journey back to yesteryear. This video shows the many years of work compressed down into just over 4 minutes.

(Note: The piece of music used in the video is called Coronation Scot, which was purchased by the film maker who has an amateur film maker’s music copyright license, covering mechanical copyright and the Phonographic Performance License. Amongst the criteria, it allows the use British music for public exhibition promoted for raising of funds for bona fide charitable causes of which the LMSCA is one.)

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