Trains Today

A.No.5 steaming up this morning

Shortly after arriving at Percy Main with the first train of the day

Ran-round, ready for departure

Drivers eye view

Ashing out at the end of the day

Brake Van

After a big shunt this afternoon, the Brake Van is now in the carriage and wagon workshop so volunteers can continue with its cosmetic overhaul

Rolling Chassis

401 is now successfully a rolling chassis once again! More progress reports to follow soon

Entrance Clean Up

John and Michael giving the grass a cut and site around the main entrance to the Stephenson Railway Museum a bit of a tidy up this morning

Bank Holiday Monday

Steaming up this morning

Percy Main South headshunt, about to run round the train

John up top whilst taking water

A5 Running Today

Fireman John giving the tank a clean during morning prep

Pulling the train into the platform at the beginning of the day

Departing Percy Main with the first train of the day

Engine re-building

Throughout the day volunteers have been continuing to progress with 401. Today they had the frame jacked up to enable the springs to be fitted and lower the axleboxes into the underkeeps, which allows the springs to be fitted under no tension. The weight of the frames is then slowly lowered down onto the springs. The rear side rods have also been fitted along with the combination lever, radius rod and union link (on both sides)

Keith, George and Robin fitting the RHS centre spring

Bank Holiday Trains

A.No.5 will be hauling passenger trains out of Middle Engine Lane this Sunday and Bank Holiday Monday! Trains depart Middle Engine Lane at 11:30, 12:30. 14:00 and 15:00!

Photo (C) John Thornton

Work on 401

Photos below of volunteers working underneath 401 fitting the underkeeps today

A5 in service today

A5 steaming up this morning

Lunchtime!

Trainee Fireman Joe coupling up whilst John builds up his fire in readiness for the run back up to Middle Engine Lane

Getting ready to depart Percy Main

Trains this Sunday

Kitson built A.No.5 will be in operation hauling passenger trains this Sunday! Trains depart Middle Engine Lane at 11:30, 12:30, 14:00 & 15:00

401 Frame Lift - from the sky

The view from the sky of 401s frame lift today...

Captured with a DJI Mavic Pro

401 Frame Lift

Another milestone with No.401s overhaul has been reached today with the frames now successfully back on the wheelsets! Photos from today's lift below

Next task is to begin re-fitting the bottom end in preparation for the boiler lift, more news to follow soon

Back Field Tidy Up

Trains may not have been running today but volunteers were still in, early doors, and continuing with the mammoth task of tidying up the back field. Today included mainly sorting out a pile of sleepers and neatly (ish) stacking the good ones and throwing the bad ones into the rotten pile.

The majority of the sleepers were well intact with chairs still bolted in place, the dumper truck was used to pull most of them out

The John Deere tractor was used to clear shrubbery and dump ash in its place

Good sleepers starting to pile up

Piling up the rotten sleepers

The area to the left after clearing it of sleepers, the good sleepers are stacked up in the RHS of the photo