Chasewater Railway Museum Bits & Pieces 78 – Aug/Sept 1977
The Railway Preservation Society Newsletter
Chasewater News 21 – Part 1
From the Editorial
Negotiations regarding the purchase of the line are fast approaching a climax and soon we will be obliged to undertake heavy expenditure for two to three years before any benefit from the additional length of line can be gained. We therefore need every member to rally round and help the railway in any way they can. We have proved that the railway can be run successfully for 1,000 yards or so and hopefully it will be three times as successful when we are running three times the length – remember, the best is yet to come!
News from the line
The compound has been tidied up during the season, especially for the ‘Transport Scene’. Recent visits to preservation sites in West Yorkshire confirm that Chasewater has done much to shake off its ‘scrapyard’ appearance and no longer languishes at the bottom of the league table in regard to tidiness.
It is now up to all members to keep the place tidy, especially in putting kit away at the end of the day.
Lancs & Yorks No.1
Bob plans to restore ex L & Y ‘petrol pudding’ No.1 during the close season and a return to Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway colours is mooted.
The platform has been extended to include a lever frame, built with considerable ingenuity by General Manager , Derek Luker. The next task is to extend the platform down to the signal. This will be the full length needed at that end of the line. When this is done the track will be re-aligned (if necessary) and work will start on interlocking and signalling of the layout. This, coupled with completion of the new siding, should keep the ‘track gang’ well occupied until the middle of the winter period. On the locomotive side both ‘Alfred Paget’ and ‘Invicta’ continue to handle the train service with consummate ease. ‘Invicta’ now sports a uniform coat of Great Western top coat, but further external renovation is beyond our capacity at the moment, (where are you Mike?) whilst ‘Paget’ remains much as it was. ‘Invicta’ has had much maintenance done to it by Derek Cartwright and Mick Webb in between steamings to make it a more efficient unit. Bob Wormington has kept diesels Nos. 20 and 21 serviceable and improved their reliability considerably.
Hibberd No.1 Ex Pitsteel
The ex-Pitsteel Hibberd (No.1) has had a repaint by courtesy of Messrs. Bull and Patterson and the same team have given the Hudswell Clarke 0-6-0ST a further coat of paint.
Hudswell Clarke 0-6-0ST
Hawthorn Leslie ‘Asbestos’ awaits a visit by the boiler inspector. It is hoped to avoid excessive expenditure by operating the loco at reduced boiler pressure for a couple of years. Peckett 0-4-0ST ‘Lion’ has had its boiler washed out and appears to be in excellent all round condition apart from a leaky water tank. Its owner is looking into the possibility of returning it to coal burning when restoration is commenced, hopefully before the end of the year. In the meantime it has had a further coat of paint. Andrew Louch has resigned as head of the carriage and wagon department due to excessive commitments and has been succeeded by John Elsley, who has really made his presence felt by starting the long-awaited re-panelling of the LNWR Travelling Post office. Already a third of the vehicle has been re-panelled by John, aided by Derek Cartwright, and Dave Ives has removed much of the paint off the Manchester, Sheffield & Lincoln coach in preparation for a repaint. It is intended to get all the coaches in a similar external condition before doing any internal work.
Mr. J.C. James of Huyton, Liverpool has purchased a 1,000 gallon pillar tank from the Manchester Ship Canal at Pomona No. 4 Dock, Manchester. This will shortly be removed to Chasewater for erection adjacent to the platform. This will greatly ease loco watering and we are indebted to Mr. James for acquiring it. (This tank replaces the ex. GWR tank which ‘disappeared’ in 1975, only scorched grass giving a clue to where it had gone).
Museum Acquisitions
Recent acquisitions have included a GWR trespass plate, an LNWR cast iron boundary marker and several LMS concrete boundary markers which will be placed at suitable places alongside our line.
Also obtained have been several railway postcards, including two LNWR official postcards.
Perhaps the most interesting acquisition has been some Seacombe, Hoylake and Deeside paper work by courtesy of Mr. Ray Franks of Great Barr.
It is pleasing to note that following the appeal for cast iron signs to be painted, several members have come forward to offer their services. Several remain to be done, so there’s scope for anyone who fancies it.
Board Room Notes
Since its resurgence earlier in the year, the Chasewater Light Railway Company has undergone a great deal of internal change. Sales of Shares in the Company have gone extremely well, 57 shares having been sold since the turn of the year, bringing in £285. Sales are going well enough for the Company to seek to extend its capital from £2,000 to £10,000. This will be done at the AGM.
A development fund has been established into which all money raised for any development project will be paid. This will save a multiplicity of funds and will ease administration and expense. (NB: the ‘E1’ fund remains a separate entity, being a project by a specific group of members).
E1 Notes
There is much of interest to report as the Committee meeting of 18th August it was agreed, in principle, to sell the ‘E1’ locomotive to the ‘Stroudley E1 Loco Centenary Fund’ for the sum of £3,000. This is subject to ratification by the AGM of September 17th and also to the drawing up of a suitable set of terms agreeable to both sides. The real outcome of this is that the E1 will remain at Chasewater, will stand a better than evens chance of restoration to working order, and the RPS will get a cheque for £3,000 which will be a substantial deposit for the loop line.
Late News
The water tower from Manchester arrived safely from Manchester over the August Bank Holiday weekend.
‘Asbestos’ has had its ultra-sonic boiler test and needs £300 worth of welding and riveting repairs to three corners of the firebox. It now awaits a hydraulic test to ascertain the condition of the boiler tubes before repairs can proceed.
We will have access to the whole of the line soon, in all probability from 1st January, 1978, to enable essential work to be carried out. August Bank Holiday Sunday was the third best day for passenger receipts ever, over 1,000 people being carried.
The Model Railway Exhibition over the weekend of 3rd, 4th September was a roaring success, a total profit of well over £200 being made.
Chasewater News was written by Ian Patterson typed by Dorothy Ives and printed by Robert Ives through the courtesy of the Vicar of Colwich.
Chasewater Railway Museum 