NGRM - The Narrow Gauge Railway Museum

Friday 25 June - Working Party at North Ings

Malcolm, Tom and Chris attended.

Penelope was prepared for service at the Railway Experience Day on 3 July. Water, oil and fuel were checked and topped up as required. The buffer bars were removed for further attention at a future date and the framework given a coat of black paint. The four red panels were undercoated and then glossed in signal red.
Although the locomotive is running well a long-standing problem with the dog on the crankshaft means that the loco has to be bump started at present as the starting handle will not engage properly with the worn item on the crankshaft. Repair will mean removing the casting, supporting the engine in the meantime and sending the offending item away for specialist attention.

Indian Runner: Tom had brought the cup for collecting the overflow diesel fuel. It is fabricated from an empty Spam can: the overflow fuel can be collected in this and then used as lubrication on the drive chains. This was only one of many detail items missing from the loco as delivered. Inspection of the three cylinder top heads revealed that two out of three overflow fuel pipes were missing but the existing one was removed so that two new ones can be obtained. The top head and fan grease lubricators were re-filled and oil added to the tappets as there is no oil feed to the top of the engine.
On 3 July we plan to fill the cooling system with water, put some diesel in the fuel tank and bleed the system in preparation for starting up the engine after the recent repairs. There is much cosmetic work still to do and, no doubt, other problems will come to light, so more working parties will be needed.

Malcolm makes a start on the red undercoat

Tim on the Lister and Tom on Penelope

Penelope returns to Pear tree Junction after re-fuelling

Chris applies the signal red paint

Saturday 5 June - Progress on the Weighbridge Office

The slate roofing and chimney on the new weighbridge office at Wharf have now been completed. The Museum Trust financed the slate walls and roofing for this project and has applied for grant funding to assist with the refurbishment of the weighbridge itself which was removed from its place outside the original station building on 27 September 1964 and has been in store ever since.
See Talyllyn Revived by Alan Holmes page 102.

How many men does it take to slate a roof?

Clearing up following completion of the roofing work

Sunday 30 May - Talyllyn 3-bar Slate Wagon Refurbished

The Museum's Talyllyn Railway 3-bar slate wagon, no. 136, which has been undergoing a repaint, is now complete.

The completed wagon basks in the sunshine outside the Gunpowder Store. The number is yet to be re-applied.

Friday 21 May Working Party at North Ings

Malcolm Phillips, Ian Evans and Chris White attended on a warm day with only a light breeze. Malcolm concentrated on repairs to his steam tram loco SWIFT but helped to start PENELOPE so that Ian could drive it round the circuit a couple of times. The serious work was to complete the Deep Bronze Green gloss on the main body parts of PENELOPE: this leaves the black frames and floors and detail work in red and yellow to be done on the next visit which is provisionally arranged for Friday 25 June.

Saturday 15 May at Tywyn

Richard Evans and Chris White have completed the grey paint on the three bar slate wagon 136 in the Gunpowder Store. The black paintwork on the metal parts is the next job for attention. Restoration of the gas lamp from the front of the Wharf toilet block continues.

Friday 30 April Working Party at North Ings

Malcolm Phillips, Chris White and Mark Bostock attended. Chris and Mark got Penelope out of the shed and started the loco at the first time of trying much to their amazement. A couple of runs round the circuit confirmed that the loco was in good working order after the winter and then work was resumed to clean down and prepare all the red paintwork and replace it with green undercoat. This work was completed and the remainder of the paint in the tin was applied to some previously primed parts of Indian Runner. The new securing pin for the engine flaps which had been made at Pendre was delivered and tested to ensure it fits. The next task on Friday 21 May will be the green gloss paintwork, followed by red and black in appropriate places.

Saturday 3 April Working Party

Work to sort and store numerous items recently received took place in the Slater Room and Museum Store: this continued throughout the day and was resumed on Sunday.
Painting of the three bar slate wagon continued: the bodywork was painted on Saturday and later in the week-end the floor was treated to a coat of anti-rust primer.
The two certificates of Accredited Status were displayed.

The English and Welsh versions of our Accreditation Certificates

Painting the slate wagon outside the Gunpowder Store

The floor of the wagon was painted inside the Store: the new grid for the display of nameplates can also be seen

Good progress was made during Outdoor Week on the new building to house the weigh bridge