The more observant of you may have noticed that since Christmas, whilst website updates have become more frequent thanks to Claire’s diligent work taking pictures in the workshop, pestering me for the write-ups then trying to decipher my scribbled words and sending out update emails to those of you on the mailing list, the news page has remained obstinately stuck at January. I can only claim the usual excuse – limited hours in the day – so have got up early this morning in an attempt to get you all up to date with goings-on at Station Road Steam.

Manufacture of Staffords has been taking much of our time since the London Model Engineer Show back in January, after 18 months of prototyping and development work the engine has now moved firmly into mainstream production. It’s been interesting seeing customers' engines completed, the different options and colour schemes picked and the singularly satisfying job of screwing on the works plates once an engine has been steam-tested and cleaned ready for delivery. 

In the last month we’ve had a couple of real landmarks – last week three engines all ready for delivery in the same week (although the owner of one has very graciously lent his engine to us for Harrogate Show next week, so it won’t actually be delivered for a couple of weeks) and the week before saw the first time we received orders for two engines on the same day.  

Latest engines off the production line

We now have various options available for the engines, including vacuum brake equipment, different colour schemes (including hand-lining and signwriting of the tank if required) and fittings for compressed air start. A driving truck is on the drawing board and will be available in time for delivery with the next batch of engines.

Our demonstrator engine is always available if you’re interested in having a closer look, we have a scheme to lend the engine to interested clubs or societies who may be considering purchase as a club locomotive.

Friend James is a talented and highly productive engineer, as much at home working in wood as metal, useful for the pattern-making that his large and normally one-off projects require. Jayne and her mother visit him regularly, he rebuilt a windmill some years ago and produces excellent flour which they both use for their breadmaking - they know him as “James the Miller”  - and bring me back news of what’s going on in his workshop. Rather less frequently I get to get over there and invariably come away inspired.

A couple of years ago, when our new CNC lathe arrived, I mentioned the new acquisition to him. At the time he had just started building a full-sized replica of the 15 inch gauge Heywood locomotive “Effie” (which he assured me would go round the sort of radius curves I have on the railway here – it was touch and go for a couple of weeks whether to regauge from 7 ¼ to 15 inch gauge, however whilst “Effie” would just fit under the engine shed door it would have been too big for the then newly-constructed tunnel). One of the smaller components required was a set of handrail knobs – the originals were a rather beautiful shape, a cross-drilled ball end on a taper shank ending in a flange with a ½ inch Whitworth stud fastening it to the boiler. “No problem” I said, “leave them to me”...

I went home full of enthusiasm, wrote the program and knocked out a couple of test-pieces in aluminium to prove the setup (the real things to be in stainless steel), emailing a picture back to the builder for approval. “Spot on” he said, followed by words he later must surely have regretted: “no hurry, I’ve only just got the frames cut out, next job will be turning the wheels.”. And thus are projects condemned to back-burners the world over...

Every now and again Jayne would go over to see James, usually bringing back some of his excellent home-made cakes, along with a gentle enquiry as to progress, I would wince and promise to find some time to get them done. And time passed.  

   
The workshop in April - handrail knobs and a new Burrell water pump rod

Finally, a couple of weeks ago I had word that “Effie” was going to the Cleethorpes Coast Railway Gala this weekend – not finished, but well-advanced – and would there be any chance of putting the handrails on? Finally shamed into action, given that a man in his spare time had built a complete locomotive in the time I had been procrastinating, we finally got them done last week (you notice “I” has become “we” – if not for the sainted Geoff in the workshop, I’d have had to send James a couple of lengths of rope to sling down the sides of the engine in lieu of a polished handrail). Within 24 hours of them coming off the lathe they were polished and on the engine, Jayne and I went up to Cleethorpes yesterday and saw the engine standing outside the shed, resplendent in the sunshine - I can't wait to see it finished, expected to be sometime next year.

We got a 15 inch gauge engine in a couple of weeks ago - the largest locomotive to date, weighing in at about four tons. We used our usual crane people, who are highly experienced at getting large, expensive engines in and out of tight situations (the last time they did a job, it was getting a 10 1/4 inch gauge Atlantic out of a cellar which was an interesting morning out for Geoff and me) - apart from a brief delay near Manchester while they had to get a ruptured air hose replaced, the day went smoothly enough, Jayne and I hot-footing it back in the car across the Pennines (even finding time to collect a 5 inch gauge Black 5 on the way which I'd bought some weeks before) arriving back at the workshop about twenty minutes in front of the truck.

More pictures

The engine was packed away that night, next day it was out again in preparation for its ten year inspection and hydraulic test which we did a couple of days later when the boiler inspector called on his monthly visit.

5th May 2010

News Archive

January 2010 - Midlands Model Engineer Exhibition, Fire at the local gas depot, blown fusible plug
August 2009 - Steve joins us, Stafford running at EMR, Windmill Farm Railway, Dogdyke Pumping Station 
April 2009 - The new engine "Stafford", Alexandra Palace Show, a backyard foundry
December 2008 - Self-storage, annealing copper, Tinkerbell stone train in the snow
November 2008 - Rutland Railway Museum, Caradoc converted to a VBT locomotive, LittleLEC
August 2008 - Harrogate Show pictures, Martin's new engine shed, lethal steam seat warmer
March 2008 - New machining centre, solid modelling software, fixing the roof
December 2007- new lathe delivered, 7 1/4 inch progress in Dumfries, visting an interesting engineer 
 September 2007 - Holiday in North Wales, new machinery for the workshop
June 2007 - Station Road Steam at Harrogate Show, herd of Tinkerbells, Martin's railway
March 2007 - Building a garden railway competition, A Workshop in Herefordshire
January 2007 - Miniature lathes and photography, Midlands Exhibition, Churnet Valley Railway, testing small boilers
October 2006 - Updates on part-built and projects
July 2006 - Evergreens Miniature Railway, local 10 1/4 line, collecting the Pacific from Cleethorpes
April 2006 - Progress in the workshop, visit to the National Railway Museum, visit to Woody Bay
January 2006 - Moving to new units, grit-blasting my hands, shiny Romulus
October 2005 - Stamford SME, Sam starts the restoration of "Pendle Witch", Casterton Working Weekend
August 2005 - New workshop, Thurston Pacific back from Cleethorpes
May 2005 - Berkely Light Railway, dodgy boiler certificates, full-size ploughing engines at auction
January 2005 - digging
October 2004 - initial planning for the garden railway
July 2004 - Fowler ploughing engines in Yorkshire
May 2004 - Moving the workshop, a 9 1/2 inch gauge garden railway
Apr 2004 - Holiday in Shropshire & The Severn Valley Railway, LNER liveried Black 5
Feb 2004 - Refacing a Tangye slide valve, new acquisition 10 ton Aveling roller
2004 - 12 1/4 inch gauge Pacific