NVR TPO UPDATE by Brian White

Things have not changed significantly with regard to the manner in which restoration and maintenance work is being carried out but development of the entire TPO project is moving forward steadily.

M30272M has 'stuttered' with regard to the roof, a fundamental component around which the rest of the project is being held up. It was always known that the roof was going to be one of the most difficult parts of the project following the very early advice of Pete Silver that, "if it is not replaced perfectly by aligning the roof hoops precisely, it will look appalling."

From the time the roof was constructed by those old boys at Wolverton, shims, chiselled slots in the cant-rail and matchsticks all suggested that they too had their difficulties getting things lined-up.

However, Jon Cooper in conjunction with Dave Anderson, Phil Marshall and Laurie Martin were at pains to ensure that when the repaired roof hoops were replaced they were perfectly aligned. Sadly, Jon left Nene Valley Railway to find employment out of the area, leaving the three to finish their task alone. Undaunted, they set about the task and have succeeded in getting the roof on – no mean feat as anyone who understands anything about the subject will appreciate.

Now the trio have tackled an even more difficult task it would seem, by replacing the guttering strips. It all looks so simple – it isn't. Once again the 'Old Master' from Didcot, Pete Silver, has been consulted and is due to return to Wansford to lend a hand. This TPO coach is in safe hands and is well on to reaching the home straight.

Meanwhile, the Mk1 rake has to be worked on and is beset with problems of its own. Resources have to be spread thinly and the huge responsibility of maintaining and developing this vital operational four vehicle set has fallen to Peter 'Wood Monkey' Jackson and Paul Bricklebank better known to us all as 'Bottle-bank'. These two young men have been with us since they were boys and Peter's chosen trade as a carpenter is proving extremely useful as he grows in experience. Paul has become something of a dab hand in the area of train braking and has managed with help from an experienced fitter to get the rake vacuum fitted thus making it dual braked, already possessing air brakes.

Peter has almost completed the task of fitting the apparatus carriage with a complete and fully functional net with the appearance of a well-used and lovingly maintained piece of rolling stock. In the meantime he is casting his eyes around for the next task – and there are plenty of them. Together, he and Paul are about to turn their attention to the BPOT to carry out remedial work on this sorely abused carriage.

While all this is going they are caring for the Yarwell lineside apparatus, doing blacksmithing work on the leather pouches, helping prepare displays for the inside of the POT and a myriad of other tasks to keep the service running.

Two other young men, Joel Fletcher-Hawkins and Daniel Todd, have assisted the M30272M team as well as caring for the Sutton Cross lineside apparatus.

Running sheets have been brought up to date, TPO grade cards have been prepared, defining clearly the duties that each is adjudged able to perform.

Since the "uprooting" incident and the remedial action that followed, occurrences of a dangerous nature have fortunately been few. It is with deep sadness that it has been learned precisely who it was that drew the Railway Inspector's to the above-mentioned incident. Why this was done is beyond comprehension and does the informant no great credit.

However, there has been an incident of late that everyone indulging in apparatus exchanges would do well to learn from. This was an extremely common occurrence in the working days of the apparatus but nowadays due to daylight working and having nothing else to occupy their minds, heritage railway staff are at little risk but not totally devoid of such danger. What happened on the day in question is this. The man responsible for calling the "mark" and lowering the lead traductor was also mindful that he had a trainee to keep an eye on. He narrowly missed the "mark", shouted to his colleagues and delayed in putting out his own pouch. The consequence of this delay was that the pouch body struck the ground net strop instead of the drop strap. This projected the pouch up into the air and propelled it forward some 20 yards. Had that occurred at 50 mph upwards, instead of 15 mph, and anyone had stood in the way, it could have killed them or at best injured them severely. This whole episode was recorded by the redoubtable 'Bottlebank' and for the information of our silly critics, a copy is in the hands of HM Railway Inspector.

At the forthcoming Rail/Mail event on 4th & 5th July, the standard rail ticket for an adult will be £12. Ex-TPO staff have been invited at £9 per head but they must pre-book and it is hoped that there will be a sizeable reunion of TPO men. The Post Office in-house paper "The Courier" has given the offer a magnificent coverage.

The "Night Mail" museum project is going well but is having to go through the painfully drawn-out stages of planning and all that involves including archaeological, botanical, tree, reptile and bat surveys. It has already been discovered that Ferry Meadows has seen some very old settlements long before railways were thought of. A powerpoint presentation has been assembled and will target specific audiences in the first instance before going the rounds of general public meetings. A special weekend to officially launch the entire project will take place in the Spring of 2010.

Serious fundraising is already underway and has to be a source of funding to not only fund the "Night Mail" project but the important funding of restoration work.