AROUND THE SITE
The first priority during the ‘open season’ is to keep the site looking neat and tidy. Once again a big thank you to Dennis Herbert of the Elmdon Model Engineers Society (EMES) for both keeping the grass cut and strimming all the areas to which the mower cannot get. This isn’t to say our own members haven’t been involved and particular mention must be made of Ray Ward for obtaining and then applying weed killer to many of the display areas and paths. Mick Doolan has also been busy in this respect with serious tidying of the ‘brickyard’ area by the roller-shutter door to the electric vehicles hall. He has now also cleared all the vegetation threatening to block access to the staff entrance to the railway carriages.
Preparing for, and clearing up after, special event days requires many routine tasks round the site to be undertaken. The work put in by Phil Hoole and Mike Jordan in ensuring the toilets are as clean and presentable as possible with our current facilities is appreciated. Similarly Fred Withers and Phil Hoole ensure all the waste bins are emptied every week; the record breaking August Bank Holiday event generated so much rubbish that a special run to the tip was required! Routine work before events days also includes much moving of buses, sweeping of floors and background organisation which often goes unnoticed as long as things run smoothly! Thanks to all concerned.
A casual visitor to the site will probably have noticed the arrival of another Bundy clock. This is currently located in front of the tram on the main car park, the thinking being that providing a clock by the place from which our service buses depart might help timekeeping. As yet the clock does not work but the mechanism is largely complete so a winter job is to see if it can be made to work. The cast iron case also needs work including repainting. Incidentally, the Bundy clock by the café and phone box has had the clockwork mechanism removed at some time in its life and replaced by a quartz mechanism. As many people will have noticed, this works but refuses to keep good time, much to the frustration to the owner of that Bundy clock, Malcolm Keeley. For the record the third Bundy clock on site does keep good time when we remember to wind it up, the clockwork mechanism having been overhauled by Dennis Herbert some time ago.
The next thing the casual visitor may notice is some better waste bins than the dustbins that were previously in use. When British Gas moved out of their old offices at Wharf Lane in Solihull they invited charities to collect redundant furniture and fittings for free. Phil Ireland visited the offices (where he used to work) to see what was on offer and came away with four of these bins, 16 chairs for the café, 2 roller shutter door cupboards for the shop and some whiteboards for open day signs. British Gas are thanked for their generosity in making these available.
Another problem solved by the acquisition of second hand materials is the leaking roof of the gents toilet. Pete Murphy had the opportunity to acquire a substantial quantity of wood and saw the possibility of converting this into a roof over the gents. This he did with the aid of Fred Withers and others de-nailing the wood. Roofing felt was then used to make it water tight. Not only is the gents waterproof again, Pete also provided a storage area in the roof void where some strips of aluminium currently store on top of an exhibit can be put! Having done this work it was alarming to find the gents flooding on a day when it was not even raining; this was soon traced to a pipe that had come adrift and rectified.
Erection and painting of the GWR fencing continues with the latest being a stretch between the staff car park and the railway line. This is all in position with preparation for painting and red oxide application done by EMES and a start on the painting made in the last few days. Other painting has been the café window frames and the rails in to the café after repairs to a cracked weld. The steps to the carriages exhibition area are also now in red oxide thanks to the efforts of John Brogan and Malcolm Keeley, the intention being to paint the steps in GWR colours.
Two of the gantries used for restoration work have received attention. The small green one just needed a little reinforcement to make it stable one again but work on the big gantry that is kept outside was more drastic. After years of being very difficult to move it has had two better wheels put on with the result it is much more mobile. Consequently it has since been seen all over the site in places it would never have been taken in the past!
The visit to the old Midland Red Kidderminster garage reported on the back page of the last issue of “Omnibus” resulted in the Trust being offered a Leyland National – well up to four Leyland National actually! Initial reaction was ‘no way’ but some lateral thinking – from someone who is not noted for a love of Leyland Nationals – suggested we may actually have a use for the one without seats. Consequently PTT 75R (new to Western National) arrived on site, some bits of interior fitting left in place by Midland Red removed and racking fitted to convert it in to a store. This has allowed tyres and radiators previously stored in gaps between buses to be stored, giving more space to work and a better appearance to the public.
Phil Ireland
Chapel Lane, Wythall, Worcs B47 6JX
Tel : 01564 826471 e-mail us
A registered educational charity no 507191
