Live Steam Information
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Live Steam Information |
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In early 2010 I attended Galston Valley Railway a few times to assist on special maintenance days. This 5" gauge railway is owned and operated by Hornsby Model Engineers. Their busy days are Wednesday and Sunday and since I'm busy on both these days I've never felt I could get involved. However, there are two Saturdays per month where I can help so last year I became a member and am slowly learning about model engineering and the operation of such a railway and the effort required especially for public days.
One lucky break for me is that a member bought a loco (3602) from Victoria in late 2010 and I've been able to assist with preparation of this loco on the private running days so far. Normally it would be very difficult for an outsider like myself to get involved in this way. Now (Aug 2011) the loco owner has his steam ticket and can haul passenger trains on public days. This is a great development for both the owner and the club.
Model engineering is very difficult and expensive in many ways and the chance of me ever making anything is pretty remote. Getting involved in repairs and other maintenance issues is a great education. I'll leave the serious work to people who know what they're doing. The great thing here is that anybody who's interested can get involved and worry about complications like expertise later.
My first report here covers the dismantling and cleaning of a feedwater pump. These pumps have a hard life and this one seized recently. The report provides a glimpse of the internals of this pump and the complexity of this miniature marvel.