Monday 14th September 2020

First of all we can report that the Annual General Meeting successfully took place last Tuesday evening with the participants able to attend from the comfort of their homes using Zoom technology. The essential business was conducted without fuss in a record time of 20 minutes and the draft minutes produced before bedtime! Thanks go to all of you who attended.

Ade and Alan preparing a new dome cover jointAlan and Ade removed the dome cover from FR 20’s boiler with the assistance of Ribble Rail staff and the hi-ab. They then prepared a new joint before the dome cover was replaced and fastened down.

John Dixon drilling out steam pipe studsJohn Dixon continued and completed his work drilling out wasted or broken studs which secure the blastpipe and main steam pipe.

Caliban's valve spindlesAlan had picked up Caliban‘s valve spindles from IRS Surfacing Technologies at Burscough. They had been metal sprayed to counter corrosion and then ground back to size. From the finished job they looked brand new.

Paul Balshaw cleaning 5643's rodsThere has been more attention given to 5643 with Paul Balshaw cleaning up the rods.

Phil Bell cleaning below 5643's cab floorPhil Bell focussed his attention beneath the cab floor, which has been removed to allow access.

Fred cleaning up 5643's cab floor steelworkFred came in on Friday to clean up some of the cab floor steelwork

John Dixon with yet another job to completeKeith has given John Dixon the job of refurbishing a second-hand GWR cab seat and then creating another for Wootton Hall.

Spaced out at lunch Lunchtimes these days are a little strange with members spacing themselves out either in the mess room or the shed. Here we see John Davis, Paul Newton and Phil Bell suitably socially distanced (no, we didn’t say spaced out!).