WYTHALL WORKS
The last time I wrote some notes on what has been happening on site, the museum’s open season was only just beginning. Now, as I write this, there is only one weekend when we are open to go and we have already had the final major event day of the year. Spending quite a bit of my time on event days at the entrance gate it is gratifying how many of our visitors comment as they leave on how the site is improving and the changes they have noticed. Much of the immediate appearance as people enter the site is, of course, due to the groundwork and mowing done by Dennis Herbert of EMES but throughout the site a much tidier appearance is being remarked on and that is a credit to all our volunteers.
The last notes recorded that Maurice Collignon had refreshed the walls of the foyer to the Electric Vehicles Hall with a new coat of paint and that subsequently extended to repainting all the external woodwork on the electric vehicle hall. This hall was also treated to a new door. Having finished building painting, Maurice then turned his attention to the platform area of the Wolverhampton Guy, SUK3 and has given that a scraping followed by a coat of paint to match the exterior. The appearance of this bus has been further enhanced by the provision of destination displays (which the blind twiddlers will be unable to alter) and the reinstatement of its original front number plate.
All the event days ran remarkably smoothly but that is not to say there is not the odd crisis to deal with behind the scenes. The discovery that the toilet drains are blocked is not what you want to hear a few days before the major August open day. Fortunately a drainage company managed to rod them clear for the event but it became obvious that all was not well. Further investigation determined there was nothing for it but to dig down to the problem; a job given to a contractor who discovered the Wythall soil is incredibly hard. A new stretch of pipe replacing a rather odd ‘T’-junction presumably put in when the Britannic sewer came across our land should solve the problem.
Electrical problems with the Bristol L5G have been mentioned in the recent past and another one (or probably the final stage of the same one) manifested itself on the August open day. An odd noise from the engine as it was about to depart on service caused the S16 to be substituted whilst the L5G was checked. The problem turned out to be the linkage to the dynamo and after removal the bus was allowed back in service, albeit with drivers having strict instruction not to stop it away from home as the batteries were not being charged. An overhaul of the dynamo and a new linkage, together with the refurbishment of the control unit mentioned previously, should ensure all is well again now.
A never-ending task is ensuring our Class VI
fleet is up to standard with annual tests and periodic inspections. Thanks to Dave Parry, John Townshend and Dick Lolley for doing the checks and to several other people for rectifying the odd-loose nut and bolt they have found. The Birmingham Guy, 2976, passed its annual test in July and was followed by the D9 in August. The latter also had to have the two-yearly tachograph re-calibration, which is required for it to do private hire work.
The lack of a proper home for the ride-on lawn mower has resulted in it being kept in public display areas which is not satisfactory. Consequently Pete Murphy gave some thought to the problem and concluded a shed of its own would be a good idea. This has now been constructed.
In my reports on the site over the last winter, mention has been made of all the vehicle movements necessary to clear the area behind the Shire Hall for a spares building and this was the reason why, for much of the season the Stratford Blue PS1 and the two spares Leyland Nationals have had to be in the public display areas. The Stratford Blue in particular did generate some interest but its prolonged presence in a prominent position was not felt to be a good idea. Fortunately the opportunity came to move it and one of the spares buses to the side of the Scania Hall in August when the two privately owned WMPTE Volvos left the site. The Stratford Blue has now been sheeted in its new position to protect it from the elements. Having sheeted one bus, the team of Paul Gray, Kevin Hill and Alex Potts got the bit between the teeth and sheeted several electric vehicles and the two D7 tow wagons to try to protect them from the elements.
Progress on the stores building behind the Shire Hall has been slower than expected, mainly due to accommodating the requirements of the building inspectors. These were resolved during the summer and immediately after the August Bank Holiday contractors arrived on site to lay a concrete slab. This work proceeded well, aided by the good weather, so the slab is finished, awaiting delivery of the ‘Blueline’ building.
For those who were not at the AGM, where this project was described in more detail, the plan is to erect a 16-foot by 96-foot ‘Blueline’ building (the modern equivalent of a Nissen hut!) behind the Shire Hall. This will enable spares stored all over the site – both inside and outside – to be accommodated and the prefab building to be removed. Once the ‘Blueline’ building is delivered it is planned to organise working parties to erect it and then to put in racking and transfer spares – assistance will be gratefully received!
Finally, turning back to the work on the vehicles, the Leyland National has now had its windows reinstated but still awaits transfers and signwriting. In most other cases it has been steady progress rather than spectacular change and you may not have noticed that the DD12 has now got is cab floor reinstated, the Southport open-top has had its cab floor and off-side front wing removed, the Harper Bros PD2 had been sign-written, various panels have been taken off and replaced on Walsall 56, Kevin’s Harper Bros/Midland Red towing wagon has had the cab and other parts refurbished, my Sheffield VRT has had the rear bustle fibreglass attended to, ………… and the West Midlands PTE Foden double-decker has arrived on site.
Phil Ireland
Chapel Lane, Wythall, Worcs B47 6JX
Tel : 01564 826471 e-mail us
A registered educational charity no 507191
