With a lack of funds available for restoration at the moment, the group has spent some time having a bit of a tidy up at Overton and making assessments of future work to be done.

On Saturday 2nd May some off the team were at Overton and took the opportunity to look over the newly arrived Shark Brake Van.The vehicle is largely complete, but will need a fair amount of woodwork. An assessment was made of the plough mechanism and Tim got very carried away winding the plough down whilst pretending to be a pirate.

It was pleasing to see that the plough operated perfectly, so a bit of lubrication was applied to keep things in good order and at the same time the couplings were oiled.

Stu then spent some time checking the axle boxes on the Shark and the LMS Brake Van next to it. All looked really good in both sets of boxes, which is another positive.

The rest of the session was spent clearing up and tidying areas of the Overton site and getting together track components in preparation for some track work later this year. Paul also did a bit of tidying in his Southern Brake Van, S55550, in preparation for a repaint in the next few months.

On Friday 15th, Tim and Mark were involved in a shunt that rerailed Pig Iron wagon B744647. The wagon had been knocked off the end of the track in the tunnel many years ago and has sat in the dirt ever since as a bufferstop. The recovery was surprisingly easy and within minutes the wagon was pulled out into the sunshine for the first time in decades!

Unfortunately the wagon had its bearings stolen before arrival at the NVR, so oak blocks were placed in the axleboxes. These blocks have deteriorated and will need to be replaced. The cost of new bearings is likely to prevent the wagon returning to traffic, but the plan is to carry out a cosmetic restoration to secure the future of this unique historic artefact.

On Saturday 16th, Paul, Jason, Mark, Tim, and Stu were at Wansford spending time repainting the wagon group and miniature railway shop.The sun came out for a while which made the job very enjoyable and Tim even treated the team to ice lollies!

Once the shop was repainted, the team took a walk down towards the tunnel to look over the Pig Iron wagon. The slight surface rust has actually preserved the structure underneath very well and a quick brush over with a gloved hand found shiney metal underneath! It’s fair to say that the wagon looks much worse than it is, but the real issue is going to be the axle boxes due to their non standard size. As said earlier, new blocks will be required, so the wagon will need to go into the yard at Wansford to be lifted and repaired before moving to Overton for a cosmetic repaint.

Don’t forget about our next driving course on Saturday 8th and Sunday 9th August. This is a rare chance to drive the Peak in charge of a freight train on a running day around the service train. For more details visit – https://nvr.org.uk/product.php/553/peak-of-summer-freight-driving-experience#jumpbook