Weekly Exhibit
A divisible train staff from the Welshpool and Llanfair Light Railway, dating from the early preservation days.
A divisible train staff from the Welshpool and Llanfair Light Railway, dating from the early preservation days.
Museum working party 3rd Sep 2026
The skies were definitely more benign this morning, with hazy sunshine greeting the team as they assembled for 'work'. Andy Sheffield, Derek Putley, Pete Thomas, Charles Benedetto, Paul Lolley, Robert Morgan and John Olsen were presented with a bag of shiny new M20 eye bolts by Steve Thorpe; these are to attach to the Heritage wagons drawgear to form part of a new unobtrusive inter-wagon safety chain system, replacing the cumbersome use of strops and shackle bolts.
Derek, Robert, Paul and David were handed the bag by John and invited to get down in the mud and fit them ….. surprisingly they agreed! Our precision engineers Andy and Pete had to slightly enlarge their rebates in the frame of the Corris Mail Waggon as the new door lugs were to the left of their predicted position and fouled the frame, just.
John introduced Charles to the arcane mysteries of preparing the soft conservation wax formulation we use of our wagons and other metal and wooden artefacts. His suggestion of adding eye of newt was firmly quashed.
Most of the wagons just needed the eyebolts screwing onto the existing bolts but on some there was insufficient thread left and the fixing nut had to be replaced by the eyebolt; this is less satisfactory than two nuts that effectively lock together but still perfectly safe. The first train of the day was waved away and we brewed our coffees in the Guards Room before being joined by Ann McCanna on the platform to sup in the sun.
Refreshed by caffeine and chocolate Hobnobs we returned to our tasks. Andy and Pete broke out the paint to cover the fresh cut wood of the frame and also to colour the new bolt heads and thick square washers to minimise their visual intrusion. Charles had dispensed the new wax and let it cool so that the jars could be capped and then stored away in the Gunpowder Store ready for use.
The rest of the team continued with the eyebolts operation but hit a snag when no. 146, the covered van was tackled. The nuts that needed to be removed only cooperated at the eastern end, the western end nut was seized. It was dosed with WD40 but still wouldn't budge and further attention with Freeall is indicated; Steve was notified of the situation, which hopefully will be resolved before the wagons next use during Heritage Weekend.
Meanwhile John had evicted three buckets of 'coal' and a large number of damp hessian sacks from inside no. 146 where some naughty soul had stashed them in the recent past without seeking permission to do so. Wagon no. 146 is not weathertight and the sacks in particular were holding water against the inside faces of the floor and wall planks, which only have a decorative, not a waterproof, paint finish; this is not conducive to the long term preservation of the bodywork! The sacks were laid out in the sun to dry and for some lucky person to then put away in their proper storage place on the railway.
With the painting done and the eyebolts attached the team gathered up the tools and put the wagon cover back over the Mail Waggon to conclude the mornings work.
Photos by John Olsen
The skies were definitely more benign this morning, with hazy sunshine greeting the team as they assembled for 'work'. Andy Sheffield, Derek Putley, Pete Thomas, Charles Benedetto, Paul Lolley, Robert Morgan and John Olsen were presented with a bag of shiny new M20 eye bolts by Steve Thorpe; these are to attach to the Heritage wagons drawgear to form part of a new unobtrusive inter-wagon safety chain system, replacing the cumbersome use of strops and shackle bolts.
Derek, Robert, Paul and David were handed the bag by John and invited to get down in the mud and fit them ….. surprisingly they agreed! Our precision engineers Andy and Pete had to slightly enlarge their rebates in the frame of the Corris Mail Waggon as the new door lugs were to the left of their predicted position and fouled the frame, just.
John introduced Charles to the arcane mysteries of preparing the soft conservation wax formulation we use of our wagons and other metal and wooden artefacts. His suggestion of adding eye of newt was firmly quashed.
Most of the wagons just needed the eyebolts screwing onto the existing bolts but on some there was insufficient thread left and the fixing nut had to be replaced by the eyebolt; this is less satisfactory than two nuts that effectively lock together but still perfectly safe. The first train of the day was waved away and we brewed our coffees in the Guards Room before being joined by Ann McCanna on the platform to sup in the sun.
Refreshed by caffeine and chocolate Hobnobs we returned to our tasks. Andy and Pete broke out the paint to cover the fresh cut wood of the frame and also to colour the new bolt heads and thick square washers to minimise their visual intrusion. Charles had dispensed the new wax and let it cool so that the jars could be capped and then stored away in the Gunpowder Store ready for use.
The rest of the team continued with the eyebolts operation but hit a snag when no. 146, the covered van was tackled. The nuts that needed to be removed only cooperated at the eastern end, the western end nut was seized. It was dosed with WD40 but still wouldn't budge and further attention with Freeall is indicated; Steve was notified of the situation, which hopefully will be resolved before the wagons next use during Heritage Weekend.
Meanwhile John had evicted three buckets of 'coal' and a large number of damp hessian sacks from inside no. 146 where some naughty soul had stashed them in the recent past without seeking permission to do so. Wagon no. 146 is not weathertight and the sacks in particular were holding water against the inside faces of the floor and wall planks, which only have a decorative, not a waterproof, paint finish; this is not conducive to the long term preservation of the bodywork! The sacks were laid out in the sun to dry and for some lucky person to then put away in their proper storage place on the railway.
With the painting done and the eyebolts attached the team gathered up the tools and put the wagon cover back over the Mail Waggon to conclude the mornings work.
Photos by John Olsen
For today's "Thursday Delve" we have quite a rare photo - this is taken on the Cantrybedd Level of Bryneglwys Slate Quarry, looking towards the Lower Mill, dating from possibly the late 1920s, early 1930s.
It is part of a collection of photographs donated to the NGRM by Stella Edridge, and it features a horsedrawn working along the Galltymoelfre Tramway - research suggests that this was a normal return working which the family used for a trip up into the Quarry.
It is part of a collection of photographs donated to the NGRM by Stella Edridge, and it features a horsedrawn working along the Galltymoelfre Tramway - research suggests that this was a normal return working which the family used for a trip up into the Quarry.
Weekly Exhibit
A ‘NOT TO BE MOVED’ board from the Lynton and Barnstaple Railway.
A ‘NOT TO BE MOVED’ board from the Lynton and Barnstaple Railway.
Museum working party 27th Aug 2026
The skies over Wharf Yard were very grey, and leaking a lot of the wet stuff this morning; there could be no work on the wagons under these conditions. Derek Putley, David Broadbent, Paul Lolley and John Olsen convened in the dry confines of the museum to attend to some other wagon conservation work.
John had noted that some display exhibits were going rusty even though they are indoors, this being due to having the vertical rising door open every day of the running season, come rain or shine, allowing moist salty air to enter and do its worst (very slowly). The Eaton tipper wagon was showing signs of this creeping rust, so the team removed its safety chocks and laid down a protective ramp to bring it out to be worked on. Derek, David and Paul brushed off the cobwebs and dust then wiped it down with white spirits before applying fresh conservation wax.
Derek did a solo wash 'n' wax on the milepost at the bottom of the stairs, as rust had been noted on this too. John took the opportunity to get an oil can from the Gunpowder Store and lubricate the rotating and tipping pivots, which made working round the tipper body somewhat easier. Then he took the wooden axlebox patterns out onto the platform to apply wood preservative to the bare wood, as these patterns were very expensive to make and we wish to keep them in good condition for future use.
Coffee time arrived, and so did David Jordan, and we were joined at table by Keith Theobald and Charles Benedetto. The Wharf seagull eyed the biscuits from its position atop the carriages, but was left in no doubt as to the consequences of any attempt at a smash and grab raid.
The rain was still coming down, though progressively lighter as time moved on, so the team returned to the museum. The Eaton tipper was restored to its display position and the safety chocks put in place before the two Davids attended to the Woolwich Arsenal Wagon metal work, dusting, wiping down with white spirit and then waxing, which involved moving the wagon back and forth to the limits of its short track to reach all parts of the wheel rims and rails.
Derek and Paul were issued with the two Dougalls on a stick to dust the locos; they get a thin layer of grime and smuts drifting through the open door every day and it soon builds up. Meanwhile John was engaged in establishing whether the long fixing bolts on ex TR no. 136, the 3 bar slate wagon, had imperial or metric threads as we wish to add safety eyebolts to the drawgear. These unobtrusive bolts will be used when the wagons are out on the line to physically link the wagons together as a back up to the drawhooks in the unlikely event of a hook becoming dislodged. It turns out the bolts are metric thread so we don't need to get special eyebolts fabricated.
By the end of the morning the rain had dried up, typical, and the museum exhibits looked that bit better for a clean up and a wax job.
Photos by John Olsen
The skies over Wharf Yard were very grey, and leaking a lot of the wet stuff this morning; there could be no work on the wagons under these conditions. Derek Putley, David Broadbent, Paul Lolley and John Olsen convened in the dry confines of the museum to attend to some other wagon conservation work.
John had noted that some display exhibits were going rusty even though they are indoors, this being due to having the vertical rising door open every day of the running season, come rain or shine, allowing moist salty air to enter and do its worst (very slowly). The Eaton tipper wagon was showing signs of this creeping rust, so the team removed its safety chocks and laid down a protective ramp to bring it out to be worked on. Derek, David and Paul brushed off the cobwebs and dust then wiped it down with white spirits before applying fresh conservation wax.
Derek did a solo wash 'n' wax on the milepost at the bottom of the stairs, as rust had been noted on this too. John took the opportunity to get an oil can from the Gunpowder Store and lubricate the rotating and tipping pivots, which made working round the tipper body somewhat easier. Then he took the wooden axlebox patterns out onto the platform to apply wood preservative to the bare wood, as these patterns were very expensive to make and we wish to keep them in good condition for future use.
Coffee time arrived, and so did David Jordan, and we were joined at table by Keith Theobald and Charles Benedetto. The Wharf seagull eyed the biscuits from its position atop the carriages, but was left in no doubt as to the consequences of any attempt at a smash and grab raid.
The rain was still coming down, though progressively lighter as time moved on, so the team returned to the museum. The Eaton tipper was restored to its display position and the safety chocks put in place before the two Davids attended to the Woolwich Arsenal Wagon metal work, dusting, wiping down with white spirit and then waxing, which involved moving the wagon back and forth to the limits of its short track to reach all parts of the wheel rims and rails.
Derek and Paul were issued with the two Dougalls on a stick to dust the locos; they get a thin layer of grime and smuts drifting through the open door every day and it soon builds up. Meanwhile John was engaged in establishing whether the long fixing bolts on ex TR no. 136, the 3 bar slate wagon, had imperial or metric threads as we wish to add safety eyebolts to the drawgear. These unobtrusive bolts will be used when the wagons are out on the line to physically link the wagons together as a back up to the drawhooks in the unlikely event of a hook becoming dislodged. It turns out the bolts are metric thread so we don't need to get special eyebolts fabricated.
By the end of the morning the rain had dried up, typical, and the museum exhibits looked that bit better for a clean up and a wax job.
Photos by John Olsen
Today's "Thursday Delve" has come out as a "Friday Firkle", because your scribe has a day off and this gives me a bit more time to write an much more extended caption.
From deep within the NGRM collection we have a selection of DS George postcards, DSG postcards will be very familiar to many of the students of Mid-Wales narrow gauge railways as Donald George was a very prolific photographer of subjects between the Mawddach and Dyfi estuaries, and his images are invaluable to researchers. All of them seem to be numbered in a consecutive series (at least those published under his own name), so number 600 is quite early.
Here we see Corris looking towards Top Corris and Cader Idris, there are a few clues as to the dating: the Corris Institute hasn't yet been built, unless it is hiding (so pre-1911), Corris signalbox hasn't yet been rebuilt (the Machynlleth end windows are not yet full box-width), but the 1890s stable block has been built! The Hughes Memorial is also visible. An Up train is approaching the Up Distant for Corris; and that train is made up of four bogie carriages with one of the clerestory vehicles bringing up the rear, rather than the usual Corris brake van.
One of the joys of being a Trustee of the NGRM is being able to contribute positively towards research as well as collaborating, and this image (together with a different printing of the same number, kindly loaned by James Waterfield) will feature in a forthcoming "Narrow Gauge and Industrial Railway Modelling Review" co-written by Dan Quine and me (MRFS) where we critically examine the growth and development of Corris station over the years using images within the NGRM collection and others courtesy of Sue Whitehouse and the late Sara Eade.
From deep within the NGRM collection we have a selection of DS George postcards, DSG postcards will be very familiar to many of the students of Mid-Wales narrow gauge railways as Donald George was a very prolific photographer of subjects between the Mawddach and Dyfi estuaries, and his images are invaluable to researchers. All of them seem to be numbered in a consecutive series (at least those published under his own name), so number 600 is quite early.
Here we see Corris looking towards Top Corris and Cader Idris, there are a few clues as to the dating: the Corris Institute hasn't yet been built, unless it is hiding (so pre-1911), Corris signalbox hasn't yet been rebuilt (the Machynlleth end windows are not yet full box-width), but the 1890s stable block has been built! The Hughes Memorial is also visible. An Up train is approaching the Up Distant for Corris; and that train is made up of four bogie carriages with one of the clerestory vehicles bringing up the rear, rather than the usual Corris brake van.
One of the joys of being a Trustee of the NGRM is being able to contribute positively towards research as well as collaborating, and this image (together with a different printing of the same number, kindly loaned by James Waterfield) will feature in a forthcoming "Narrow Gauge and Industrial Railway Modelling Review" co-written by Dan Quine and me (MRFS) where we critically examine the growth and development of Corris station over the years using images within the NGRM collection and others courtesy of Sue Whitehouse and the late Sara Eade.