7 1/4 inch Steaming Pit

The Chairman's Dribble.

Newsletter June 2019.

Hello everyone, what has happened to our summer? Last year at this time we were in a heat wave, but maybe it is getting ready for The Weeting Rally, which is only 5 weeks away. what! it will soon be Christmas. Well, the track is looking good. A great job has been done on the pond but we need  to find some water still. The new lift is in place and what a lift! The old rollers on the small traverser are about to be replaced. What can I say, except a great job has been done by all of our ground crew, also we must not forget our resident gardener, cast your eyes around the plants, wonderful. We have one more meeting before Weeting. Your tickets will be ready by then, so you need to arrange to pick them up, they will not be posted unless you have sent a SAE to Steve M. Well, I better get back to my workshop and try to finish my engine ,hopefully to be ready for Weeting, so goodbye for now. DM

The Secretary's Report.

Hi to you all. Here we are, well into June, half way through the year. We are on our way in having the track in tip top condition, looking forward to The Weeting Rally  July 19th 20th and 21st 2019. We have just had The Hockwold show, a small parking problem, but we could have secured a new member so, worth all the effort. We have had already our first family running day, done and dusted. All the jobs we have started are coming to completion. We had a grand day out at Doncaster with a mini bus taking the strain, and 10 members having a buying day as never before. Midlands next in October 17th 18th 19th 20th, we will probably go on the 19th, so please let me know places are limited on the mini-bus. Weeting Rally will be upon us in no time, we still have things to do, but we will be ready. It is technically 25years this year of the inauguration of the track at Weeting, are we up for “ a bit of a do” let me know your thoughts and I will see  what we could do. We have the technology, do we have the “hands”?

We have had an invitation to visit “The East Coast Casting company in Watton on Wednesday 11th September 2019 at 3.30, for a one hour visit, if you are interested then please “ EMAIL ME” soon as please. No fee.

Also a running day has been suggested on 29th June 2019, I will email you all in due course.

I would like to take this opportunity of thanking Steve HW for the donation of a small workshop band saw to BDSME.  Thanks Steve. MW

The Track Report

Several projects to report on this time. Completion of the second 7 1/4 steaming pit; Update on the refurb of the pond; our very substantial new engine lift; the finished new digital signal light system and last but not least the Chairman’s Office.

Second 7 1/4” steaming  pit

Built next to the engine lift bay, we have had to make a new set of points to be able to insert this new steaming pit. This will enable the larger engines to be fired and closed down in a more comfortable place than having to kneel down to oil and drop the fire, you can do these things in relative comfort.  See the pictures.

Update on the Pond

We have finished the building of the frame work of the pond and have re- positioned the liner, you can see from the pictures, where the liner used to be, we are continuing to fill in round the outside of the pond, we cannot beat the soil down until we get  it filled with water, so we have been doing a bit and waiting for it to settle, but it is all in hand. We have built some steps down to the waters edge at the bottom of the pond so you will not have to bend down to put you boat in the water. We aim to grass round the sides and then erect a wire netting fence round the pond to help stop the leaves and rubbish being blown in the pond, especially when the leaves begin to fall in autumn. You can see the progress from the pictures.

The New Lift

Mike S , Mike H, and Geoff E have spent an enormous time on the very, very substantial project. Mike S and Mike H have produced this piece of kit from their own drawings and ( WHOW) if you have not seen it in the flesh then you will be gob smacked, it will lift the “Titanic”. It was built to fit in the existing pit, so there were some constraints but this will be the envy of many a model engineering club. We have had it professionally welded and painted and Geoff E and Mike H with Mike S supervising have installed it, and it looks fantastic. So please bring on your engines and you will be on the track in a flash.

We continue to work on the Summer house, Work  force A has to become work force C from time to time, most of the painting has been done, the window “glass” has been cut and all the beadings painted prior to them being installed, we have had to provide a new lock, following the previous locks key being stolen when the miscreants had an afternoon seeing what was worth taking, the key was gone, so we now have a new lock to be fitted. All is very much under control for time and this will be ready for Weeting. Below are the pictures to show our progress. 

Strumpshaw 2018 & 2019

Strumpshaw Steam Rally is a very good show. We have members who go as themselves and win, yes, win prizes. In 2018 Norman S won “THE BEST STEAM EXHIBIT” with his super traction engine. Below is his picture, well done Norman, well done indeed.

This year another member with his traction engine won.

Geoff B for “THE MOST OUTSTANDING EXHIBIT”. Well done Geoff, very well done following your 2017 ‘Dick Brown Cup’ award, very well done indeed!

Geoff B “wagon train” well done. Geoff.