LINCOLNSHIRE NARROW GAUGE GROUP NEWSLETTER, FEBRUARY 2006

Welcome to what I'm afraid is the last (well, almost the last) issue of this 'Newsletter'. I'm afraid that a combination of reasons, including the size of the Area Group, a lack of time on my part, and alack of contributions from other people mean that it will not be possible to carry on production. There are a number of gaps in the programme for the rest of the year and I hope to have things complete shortly: if not for the next meeting, then certainly for the April one - I will send out a final one before that meeting. I'll also be issuing some sort of personal newssheet via the internet with details of events, etc.

FORTHCOMING MEETINGS.

The next meeting is on:

February 8th 'A Trip On The Keretapi Ngeri Sabah in 1982 - The Sabah State Railway in North Borneo': Graham Lightfoot

April 12th 'Lincolnshire Potato Railways': Stewart Squires.

June 14th 'India by Rail': Mick Melbourne

August 9th TBA October 11th TBA December 12th AGM & slides of 2006

The February Meeting will be held in the upstairs room at the 'Victoria', Union Road, Lincoln, commencing at 7.30pm. For anyone needing to telephone the 'Vic', the telephone number is 01522 536048. Their postcode, if you need to search for a map from the internet is LN1 3BJ. However, at the AGM we did discuss the possibility of a change of meeting room. As those of you who were there will know we found that the room was a 'tip', full of decorator's gear. (The effect was 'cosy'). Despite being given the dates for the 2006 'season' in October these had not been entered in the diary for 2006 until I went in by chance to check something, and in fact they have booked the room for another event on April12th. (This is the same as happened last year, when a double booking also occurred. We got the room and I was abused by one of the people who had to move). As you probably know cheap, good meeting rooms are at a premium in Lincoln. One location that has been suggested is Lincoln Central Station where there are meeting rooms which are free, and would, I understand, be free. A problem with these rooms is that they are 'dry'. Another location that I know from personal use is the downstairs function room at the UNISON Club on Beaumont Fee in Lincoln. (For those who don't know the area this is a brick building on the W side of the street, at the West Parade end. The postcode is LN1 1UL). The room is warm and would meet our needs: certainly with all the extra people who'll be coming to our meetings this year. The beer range is not as good as the 'Victoria' but is adequate. At the time of writing I haven't been able to get a price for the room. Parking is a perennial problem, suffice it to say that there is a Council car park (chargeable) immediately to the rear of the building, and there is 'on street' parking available, too. Lincolnshire Aviation Society has used the location for several years: to the best of my knowledge people have generally had no problems, both with finding places and over vandalism, etc.

We discussed the future of Area Group very widely in December - basically we do need to get more members to be viable, and Dave Billmore and I will be contacting a number of people to try and get more in: hence the need for a new meeting room. Notwithstanding the above, the meeting was one of the best members slide nights we've had for some time with a great variety of slides and subjects. Unfortunately I missed some of it as when I went downstairs for a drink I was dragged into a meeting of the 'Chamber of Commerce of Lincoln' - sorry I missed your stuff, Alex.

(The mystery van I showed a picture of has been identified by Bob Telford as an LNER 10t 'Ventilated Fish Van' of 1927 vintage [Built: Doncaster: 9ft wheelbase, on 17ft 6in. chassis]. The location, which I couldn't remember is Huthwaite Green in Scugdale, a few miles East of Osmotherley. NZ 49350070 refers. Study of the 1/25000 map will reveal a long 'mineral' line running down to Potto on the old NER Picton - Battersby (Eskdale) branch - the whole area abounds with the remains of such lines). As was commented at the meeting, narrow gauge enthusiasts probably have the most 'rounded' railway knowledge of any.

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Moving on, as we must, the following report has come to me from Dave Billmore of his visit to Welshpool on 12/13th November, 2005 (It is reproduced pretty much verbatim)

After a vile journey down on Friday night in high winds, pouring rain and heavy traffic, Saturday dawned calm and clear if a bit nippy. Prepped Diema (lovely simple job, worth at least a half hour extra in bed compared to Chattenden!) and set off with the tool van and the track gang in the mess coach to Heniarth where the relay was proceeding between the crossing and the little bridge on the Llanfair side. (Does this bridge have a name by the way?) The bridge timbers had been removed, as they were rotten. The cattle grid bridge from Dollarllyn crossing (replaced 2 years ago by filling in the pit and replacing with timber cattle guards fixed to the sleepers) had been shortened, and had its steel girders refurbished and painted to replace the timbers. This was jacked up some 6" above its final position while the concrete under the steel bearing pads hardened. A temporary walkway was in place to give access to the worksite. We spent a busy day drilling sleepers and Bancing the South African rail and chairs into position with the track screws. Events were enlivened by the drill cable being caught in the drill and severed, followed not long after by the pull start cord on the Bance (www.bance.com) coming right out of its housing. Each event required a trip back to Llanfair to use the workshop and we lost about an hour in total. The hole drilling is the slowest job so losing the drill for a while held us up the most. The Bance is so quick you inevitably overtake the drillers. We got one line of rails fixed down and started to gauge the other to it before the gathering gloom caused us to pack up and return to Llanfair. Apart from a couple of heavy showers the day had been lovely, brilliant sunshine from a clear sky illuminating superb colours on the autumn leaves on the trees.

Having parked up and disposed the Diema I took a stroll down to Tan-Llan to see what was going on in there, having seen the lights on as we came past. 'Chattenden' was having her exhaust cowling fitted amongst much muttering and cursing from those involved: it was an awkward job. She has had the first coat of gloss black and is looking really good. The problem with the exhauster had been fixed by repiping and it will not be too long before she is back in action. Progress with painting relies on the weather being warm enough to get a good finish. Behind her stood the magnificent new Balloon coach 569 -the Wednesday night gang have obviously solved the problem of the roof boards (see my last report) as the roof is virtually complete. There is still a lot of detail work to do but the body frame is there and looks really great. Walking back in the dark I reached the lever frame at Tan-Llan and just beyond looked left down through the trees to where the Banwy was racing past about thirty feet below -it was nearly a full moon and the moonlight on the water looked fabulous. I simply stood and enjoyed the sight for a few minutes.

Returning to the mess room I discovered Harry, covered in soot, but looking very pleased with his days efforts as one of the team dismantling 'Earl'. She is being prepared for boiler repairs and the rear axle is out for new axle boxes to be fitted with the same clearances that 'Countess' has to improve the ride next season. All the backhead fittings are being taken off, the cab floor is up and the funnel and all the pipes in the smokebox have been stripped. Some work has been done on 'Joan' recently as her pistons were lying on the workshop floor. Evening meal at the Goat and so to bed after a very pleasant evening in good company.

Sunday was back to Heniarth with a very reduced gang, as most of the others had been down all week and had gone home late Sat or early Sun. Stopping the train short of the bridge we ran the cables out from the generator only to find the drill was about 10 feet short of the first sleeper we wanted to drill! Only one thing for it, start up the Diema again and creep closer to the bridge. Then it was a question of starting the generator. It was a bit reluctant but eventually it barked into life and we could crack on with the job. We worked steadily on gauging, drilling and Bancing until lunchtime when we had to return to Llanfair so one of our more far-flung members could depart for Birmingham airport to catch his plane to Guernsey. Those remaining had lunch and then went down the line to clear a couple of blocked culverts near the water tower and cut the ivy off the water tower uprights. This kept us busy until about 16:00 when we pottered back to the yard, put the loco to bed, and I went in search of Harry, intending to tell him it was time to pack up and depart. I found him and Tom at a critical stage in the dismantling of the expansion links from 'Earl'. Departure was delayed while the rivet heads were drilled out and the rivets punched through. A satisfying moment to bring the weekend to a close and a good run home.

Wildlife note: Not a lot to report this time: the most notable sighting was a Buzzard wheeling overhead at Heniarth, displaying his markings very clearly in the low sun. Lots of pheasants about.

I could go on about my New Years weekend - two days of superb narrow gauge entertainment - as Alex would say 'All the Best People Were There', and they were. New Years Eve (day) was 16mm, followed by a meal with friends and lots of pictures of travel in Europe - Brienzer Rothorn, etc., and New Years Day was Stockholes Farm, with superb little trains and really good conversation (on such things as the philosophy of locomotive liveries). Monday should have seen me at Papplewick but a 'bug' laid me low and so that had to wait until the end of week when everything was quiet - If you've never been to Papplewick - go - the fish are wonderful (http://www.papplewickpumpingstation.co.uk/ refers)

I had intended to mention the Patiala State Monorail Tramway, whose loco seems to be in pieces, but I came across the following whilst looking: http://irfca.org/members/ddickens/PSMTMain.html

One little, last bit from Nepal appeared in the Nepalnews on the internet recently. Despite all the problems they do seem to get some good articles: http://www.nepalnews.com.np/archive/2006/others/guestcolumn/jan/guest_columns_jan06_08.php

Making Tracks to Zanzibar: By Harris Lucas (This article has been passed to me - I hope its not copyright)

As the equatorial sun sank into the tranquil waters of Lake Victoria, the balancing rocks and kopje's of Mwanza, Tanzania's second city, took on the now familiar orange hue. Hawkers increased their frenetic attempt to make one last sale before the train departed. A diesel horn punctuated the still humid tropical air. Fruit, vegetables, sweets, meat and the ubiquitous selection of underwear passed hands with amazing speed as the last few stragglers heaved their way through the overcrowded platform and clambered aboard. This was the 6pm sleeper service from Mwanza to Dar es Salaam. Comprising a selection of British Rail carriages from the 1960s that had seen many a better day, this would be our home for the next two nights as we headed for the coastal capital of Tanzania. My partner, Katie and I, were travelling first class with all the luxury and comfort that provides: a sleeping compartment for two which was half the size of the typical UK bathroom, cockroaches, three meals a day and a restaurant car supplying cold beers, chicken and rice and little else. Hoping to arrive relatively fresh in Dar on the 23rd December, we were planning to celebrate Christmas on the island of Zanzibar, a short ferry ride away. On December 21 with a monumental effort, the lone engine slowly gained momentum as it ushered us out of Mwanza and along the lakeshore. A crate of cold beer was dragged through the carriage, as if to celebrate our departure. All of us partook in toasting our journey. Dawn brought with it Tabora, the railway junction town some 250Km south of Mwanza, where, during the night, the train from Kigoma, western Tanzania, would meet up with us, ready for the onward traverse across Tanzania. Judging from the mass of people and luggage sheltering under the station awning, it had not arrived. After contemplating the situation over a mug of hot, sweet, milky tea and a piece of bread with a smear of jam, which constituted breakfast, we went looking for answers. After much searching and conversing in pigeon Kiswahili by Katie, we found our man, who promised the Kigoma train would arrive within the hour. Midday brought welcome relief; the Kigoma train arrived, shimmering through the heat haze, sirens blaring, people and goods festooned along its length. Passengers who were one minute, deep in sleep lying out on the platform under the station awning to escape the nullifying noon day sun, suddenly awoke, grabbed their possessions and made a frantic dash to grab a seat. For us, another hour and we would be off. New passengers arrived, along with a selection of chickens which were chased into arrivals compartment and hunkered down under the lower sleeping berth, out of sight and out of mind of the chef in the restaurant the next car down.

Thoughts turned to Zanzibar, as we trundled across central Tanzania at somewhere between 30-40km per hour as the sun began to set. Dar es Salaam was still some 500km away, which we should reach tomorrow afternoon. Stops were common, as we had to wait for other trains to pass us by on the single track. At the settlement of Iringa, a seething mass of hawkers and traders descended on the train selling their wares by paraffin lamps and candles. The restaurant car was re-supplied with essentials: beer, sodas, live chickens and rice. In the next compartment, a thief stole a cell phone whilst the person was speaking. Train staff and police appeared immediately as we were herded back into our compartments like cattle, under strict instructions to lock our doors and windows. The train was searched and after two hours we departed. As we settled down for the night, Dar lay 470km away, fingers crossed, we slept.

Dawn of the 23rd brought a stifling heat that drained any ounce of energy from us. Where were we? We were moving, which was some consolation. By now, we should have been in Dar es Salaam. Instead we were somewhere in central Tanzania. Had we passed through Dodoma, the administrative capital of Tanzania? A distance marker flashed passed; 400km to Dar es Salaam, which seemed impossible. Katie had remarked she had slept really well, not surprising, we had hardly moved during the night! News filtered through the train of the night's dramas. Further down the line, a freight train had broken down, blocking the line. Our tireless engine had responded to the emergency and disappeared into the pitch-black darkness to recover the other train and to allow us to continue our journey. It was true; we had moved the grand total of 70km in roughly nine hours. Katie and I discussed our options, which were not many, in the ever-increasing temperature and sense of hopelessness. We were so far behind schedule that we might not even make Zanzibar for Christmas Day. Today was the 23rd, and although we were moving, the Gods were against us. The occasional signal bar on a cell phone hinted that Dodoma was not far away. It was 9am. One option was to disembark and fly to Dar from Dodoma. At this stage, being cooped up in a small cabin and being totally out of control of your destiny, made any suggestion seem worthy. We ground to a halt. Dodoma beckoned; we could see the city in the distance. Cell phones beeped as signal coverage was gained and lost repeatedly. What now? Once again, news travelled through the train like wildfire - our tireless engine had succumbed, we had broken down and the problem was unfixable. Another engine was being sent from Dodoma to recover us. Mentally we calculated times and distances. By midday we should be in Dodoma, and then it would be decision time. The restaurant car was deserted - the supply of beer and chicken long since exhausted, driving everyone outside to the tracks to await the arrival of relief from Dodoma. With amazing speed, the replacement Diesel arrived and latched on, reaching Dodoma finally. We needed to get to Dar, fast. No flights and the buses had already left. There was only one viable option. Like hawks circling their prey, we assessed the taxi drivers and their assorted collection of motley vehicles collected outside the railway station. Could any of these vehicles get us to Dar, let alone to the outskirts of town? "Dar?", "Dar es Salaam?" they replied, still not comprehending our request. This is like arriving at London Paddington and asking the nearest black cab to take you to Glasgow. Intense bargaining and negotiation followed, finally the deal was done and we loaded our bags and settled into the luxury of the back seat. Dar lay some 500km by road ahead. The speed was exhilarating, travelling at 140km/hr along well-maintained tar roads. We would be in Dar by 6 or 7pm: showers, a proper toilet, good food and a clean bed. We would miss the cockroaches though. The morning of Christmas Eve saw us refreshed and clambering aboard a fast ferry to Zanzibar, a two-hour ride away. The train had pulled in at Dar es Salaam at 3.00am that morning, 21 hours late. For us, this was the start of our holiday, azure seas and white sandy beaches beckoned. Seven days later, on New Years Eve, I asked Katie to marry me, and six months on we were married on the shores of Lake Victoria in Mwanza. Travelling by train in Africa is an experience, this was one to cherish.

And that, I'm sorry to say, is that …

This 'Newsletter' is the official news-sheet of the Lincolnshire Area of the Narrow Gauge Railway Society and is published by the Area Secretary, Tim Hudson, 52 Long Leys Road, Lincoln, LN1 1DR. Tel & fax: 01522 524672; e-mail: info@photrek.co.uk. Contributions are always welcome. All information contained herein is in the 'public domain', but I cannot accept responsibility for errors in source material.