This Saturday we hosted our latest freight driving course under the title of ‘The Peak of Summer’. It gave customers a rare opportunity to drive on a standard running day, which has the added excitement of trains passing at Orton Mere. Featuring our running rake of 15 wagons behind Class 45 ‘Peak’ No 45041 ‘Royal Tank Regiment’, despite the slightly damp conditions, a great time was had by all.

Even Stu and Josh were full of smiles, when they got a ride in the rear cab of the loco for the light engine run home.

The previous Saturday there was a short session at Overton. Matt got on with the last bit of signwriting on the Banana Van…

…Whilst Tim gave his Brake Van veranda rails some tlc, and Stu and Josh helped with some tidying around the site.

The session was cut short due to an important development meeting with all Overton staff around some proposed changes to the station. As part of the Overton Goods, Coal and Travelling Post Office Depot Project, the British Railway Eastern Region 1962 theme needs to be embraced across the whole site. A meeting was therefore arranged with all Overton volunteers to discuss the plans and get people onboard with the living and working museum concept, which will create an immersive experience for staff and customers alike. Some changes were also proposed for the inside of the current station building, to bring the inside in line with the external alterations and to give the internal area more of a historic railway station feel. The proposed colour scheme for the outside of the building has been approved by the NVR board with a repaint hopefully taking place before next year. Any internal alterations will be slightly longer term, but it is considered that the external repaint will create an instant impression of what the project hopes to achieve around the rest of the site, allowing potential investors to visualise the 1962 theme.