Jan 2014 - 33021 available for traffic - used on ECS / Engineering duties as required.
Supported the CVR in the project to make 37407 and 37424 more presentable something which benefits the whole line. Great to see the small band of volunteers get such a good result.
Supported the CVR in the project to make 37407 and 37424 more presentable something which benefits the whole line. Great to see the small band of volunteers get such a good result.
Feb 2014 - agreement reached that 33021 will stay at Cheddleton for at least a further year, fingers crossed that trips towards Endon and onto Stoke not too far away.
33021 busy on the line as is 33102, number of ECS and works trains, then a few 'thunderbird' duties at the steam gala seeing Captain Charles assist 'Wadebridge' and the S160 in getting all away at the end of a busy weekend.
Another good working day saw droplights repaired, cab fibreglass repairs and wipers attended too. Anyone wishing to get involved use the contact us page. All welcome, only requirement is to be a CVR member.
33021 busy on the line as is 33102, number of ECS and works trains, then a few 'thunderbird' duties at the steam gala seeing Captain Charles assist 'Wadebridge' and the S160 in getting all away at the end of a busy weekend.
Another good working day saw droplights repaired, cab fibreglass repairs and wipers attended too. Anyone wishing to get involved use the contact us page. All welcome, only requirement is to be a CVR member.
March 2014 and April 2014 - all quiet for Captain Charles - Available for traffic but the few service trains ran to plan with no call for his services. Sophie doing ECS moves
May 2014 - A working day on the 3rd on Captain Charles (as Sophie and the N7 were in charge of passenger services) started with attention to the worst areas on the river side at Cheddleton, as it typical on an old locomotive the scope grows and grows, as shown in this set of pictures.......
Also dealt with step-boards, drivers floor panels, and a non-draining drain hole, the edge of an engine room door and a number of other jobs which led to a working evening being required to finish what had been started !!
Constructive if rather late working evening on the 6th saw the completion of the river side (whilst at Cheddleton) of Captain Charles, rubbed down filled and repainted, a classic case of dealing with the odd paint bubble, the odd crack in the paint and the odd bit of corrosion leading to the whole side being done (see below). This side will need a light rub down and second coat in the near future. (All assistance welcome - contact via the enquiry form).
A further evening late May saw the yellow under the cab window get a second coat and an assessment of the full yellow front at the Froghall end which is next for attention. Cab windows sealed again for now.
June 2014 - Captain Charles ran a cream tea special on the 4th, running stock move duties on the 6th and again on the 10th.
Working day on the 9th. Focus on the Froghall front end - a good start to the day with the N7 on passenger duties, 33102 in the shed on planned repairs and the sun shining in the yard.
Working day on the 9th. Focus on the Froghall front end - a good start to the day with the N7 on passenger duties, 33102 in the shed on planned repairs and the sun shining in the yard.
The N7 was performing well on the extended passenger service in conjunction with the Alf Tunstall bus rally, so decision to tackle front end seemed sensible. The loco was left accessible adjacent to the shed road.
Getting stuck into the scraping off of the old paint and filler removal, planning for a full day and swift repaint in prep for the 'anything goes weekend'. The 53 years of use means a locomotive like this needs constant attention. All the way back to the original.... now would he look good in green ??
Progress being made - then the call out of the blue to rescue the service train, the N7 had a gasket leak and was declared a failure at Consall. It had sounded so good when passing just before and had a good load of passengers.
Our policy has always to present Captain Charles in the best condition to the public even if only with an initial coat of paint. But needs must on this occasion and it was a quick turnaround and off to Consall. This is what the diesels are on the line for.
Our policy has always to present Captain Charles in the best condition to the public even if only with an initial coat of paint. But needs must on this occasion and it was a quick turnaround and off to Consall. This is what the diesels are on the line for.
Bringing the N7 home to Cheddleton to be repaired, rescue complete and 33021 covered the rest of the days diagram. The N7 will be up and running in a few days and 33021 will resume the role of works train and standby locomotive away from the public operation. Although see planned running dates for anything goes weekend timetable link.
But as always 'Captain Charles' enjoyed his day out ... It also gave us a chance to check how he was running in service with a reasonable load prior to the anything goes weekend. If you looked from the Cheddleton end he didn't look to bad, but there was nothing we could do about the Froghall end in the circumstances. Now to find an evening to smarten him up before the 21st....
Its scenes like this that serve as a reminder of what a scenic line the CVR is and how a well presented locomotive shows it off at its best.
A long evening followed when a full front end repaint was completed along with checks for the 'Anything goes weekend'.
Its scenes like this that serve as a reminder of what a scenic line the CVR is and how a well presented locomotive shows it off at its best.
A long evening followed when a full front end repaint was completed along with checks for the 'Anything goes weekend'.
Anything goes gala - 33021 along with all operational locomotives went well and featured 33102, the class 104 DMU, steam locomotives N7 69621, 1827, and the launch of TKH 2944. 33021 performed without fault all weekend. A busy month with a number of service trains covered.
July 2014 33021 covered standby duties this month with two steam locos available to cover service trains
August 2014 33021 called upon to cover service trains on a couple of occasions including to help Peppa pig and her friends, usual ECS runs and shunting of stock.
September 2014 33021 on behind the scenes work, ECS runs and shunting of stock this month, called upon to assist service train at the end of the month, otherwise on standby.
October 2014 Quiet month standby and shunting at Cheddleton, some repairs carried out but available every day.
November and December 2014 33021 on behind the scenes work, ECS runs and shunting of stock to Froghall and back this month, covering for 33021 and the steam locos on the Santa specials but not booked any turns or used.
August 2014 33021 called upon to cover service trains on a couple of occasions including to help Peppa pig and her friends, usual ECS runs and shunting of stock.
September 2014 33021 on behind the scenes work, ECS runs and shunting of stock this month, called upon to assist service train at the end of the month, otherwise on standby.
October 2014 Quiet month standby and shunting at Cheddleton, some repairs carried out but available every day.
November and December 2014 33021 on behind the scenes work, ECS runs and shunting of stock to Froghall and back this month, covering for 33021 and the steam locos on the Santa specials but not booked any turns or used.
