March and April have been particularly successful months for the railway, with passenger numbers well up on last year. This is due to more favourable weather, spinoff from the publicity surrounding the arrival of the Hunslett locomotive from PPCS and the recent Thomas the Tank Engine weekend.
On cattle wagon T175, the final section of old cladding has been removed and a start made on rehabilitating the rusty steel framing. The balance of the timber for the wagon floor has been sanded and sealed after having been allowed to dry for an extended period in the carriage shed. The final unrefurbished door will be removed for a full overhaul in the coming weeks.
Further remedial work has been undertaken on the slump in the track caused by reconstruction of the neighbouring ice skating rink. Spot sleeper replacement, and lifting and tamping work was undertaken and will be invoiced to the developer. An area of land in the North Yard has been cleared in preparation for a proposed trolleyshed. Extensive grass cutting and a reshuffle of the bogies has improved the view for the residents of the housing development.
Box wagon K610 has received extensive work on its interior, particularly the ceiling. This is hot noisy work as it involves sanding upside down in gloomy cramped conditions, but the results to date have been very rewarding.
The Kerr Stuart Steam Locomotive has had the boiler painting completed. The locomotive has been jacked up and cribbed, ready for the wheels to be removed for refurbishment. A funding application was made in mid March for this project and an additional application is nearing completion.
The Kerr Stuarts boiler in the process of being repainted, as part of its inspection.
A member has purchased a rare Mc1 wagon (Mc 2092) from a used machinery dealer. This wagon is in sound condition although requires some refurbishment at a later date to bring it into first class order.
Painting of Katiki Station is continuing and work is continuing on rectifying a problem with the flashings.
The Thomas the Tank Engine promotion occured in mid March, with the event commencing with our two American engined diesels Tr 81 and Dsa 252 double heading before steam locomotive A67 initiated 2 train running in the afternoon. Considering the patchy weather, the visitor numbers and financial returns were quite good. All four locomotives performed faultlessly (the 4th being Ds 203), as did the carriages and wagons.
Millie (aka A67) and Dennis (aka DS203) put on a smile for their fans at the recent Thomas the Tank Engine promotion.
Several Ocean Beach members have recently contributed to the purchase of a 6 man motor trolley WW 7806 which is virtually complete and they hope to have it operational on our line in the near future.