Our   running   season   officially   ended   on   25th   October,   though by    special    request,    we    did    host    a    party    in    November.    We would    not    normally    host    parties    beyond    the    end    of    our running   season,   not   least   because   the   weather   is   often   less kind,   but   everything   worked   out   just   fine   on   this   occasion. Our   next   running   season   is   scheduled   to   begin   on   3rd   April 2016, weather permitting. We   carried   a   total   of   1709   passengers   at   our   track   site   during the   year   (excluding   parties)   compared   to   1647   in   the   previous year   and   1738   the   year   before   that.   So,   a   pleasing   result   I would   say.   During   the   season   we   also   arranged   15   children’s parties,   this   compares   to   11   the   previous   year   and   5   in   2013.   I would   not   like   to   hold   any   more   than   we   did   in   the   current year    as    we    do    not    have    the    manpower    to    spread    the workload.   I   am   pleased   to   report   that   all   the   parties   went   off without   incident   and   I   would   like   to   thank   all   concerned   for their vigilance. Towards   the   end   of   the   year   there   were   reports   that   our   petrol locomotive,    Green    Dragon,    had    lost    some    power.    It    was having   difficulty   pulling   a   load   up   our   steep   gradient.   Since we    had    a    children's    party    coming    up,    a    week    later,    we decided   not   to   try   and   diagnose   the   problem   but   to   change the   petrol   engine   for   a   new   identical   one   we   had   on   the   shelf. This   was   done   and   we   have   had   no   power   problems   since   the change   over,   but   the   engine   has   not   had   extensive   testing   as the   repair   was   done   only   a   few   days   before   the   seasons   last run.   Only   when   the   engine   change   was   almost   completed   did we    notice    that    an    angle    iron    bracket,    that    supported    a quadrant   which   turned   the   throttle   cable   through   90   degrees, had   come   loose   and   was   flexing   and   possibly   not   allowing   the throttle   to   open   fully.   This   is   pure   conjecture   but   a   possibility none the less. Whilst   on   the   subject   of   locomotive   problems   we   discovered that   our   Wren   loco   was   using   a   considerable   amount   of   coal when    running    in    full    gear,    in    fact    significantly    more    than drivers   could   remember   it   doing   in   the   past.   When   setting   off from    our    raised    track    station    with    a    full    load,    a    freshly charged   fire   would   normally   allow   three   laps   to   be   completed before   the   fire   needed   refilling.   When   the   problem   reared   its head    we    had    to    refill    the    fire    before    half    a    lap    had    been completed.     The     chimney     exhaust     note     was     very     fierce resulting   in   unburnt,   but   shattered,   coal   being   pulled   off   the fire.   We   were   able   to   continue   using   the   loco   throughout   the season   by   running   notched   up,   including   setting   off   notched up,   and   this   allowed   us   to   fire   at   the   rate   we   were   accustomed to.   Over   time   the   various   parts   of   the   valve   gear   have   worn and    the    accumulated    wear    has    resulted,    presumably,    in excessive   valve   movement,   such   that   steam   is   being   admitted to   the   cylinder   for   virtually   the   whole   stroke.   At   least   that   is what   we   think   is   happening   and   we   shall   over   the   next   few months    remake    and    rebush    the    affected    parts.    Running notched   up   of   course   brings   the   valve   events   to   something like what the correct full gear should be if there was no wear. In   my   previous   report   I   mentioned   that   one   outside   event   was still    outstanding.    That    event    was    the    Dickensian    themed event   in   Rotherham   town   centre.   We   like   to   attend   this   event as   Rotherham   is   our   home   town,   our   portable   track   is   easy   to set   up,   the   local   authority   personnel   are   very   accommodating and    it’s    a    good    way    to    advertise    ourselves    to    the    local community.   All   our   equipment   had   been   loaded   onto   trailers a   few   days   earlier   and   we   were   good   to   go.   On   the   morning   of the   event   we   got   word   that   the   event   was   being   cancelled   on safety   grounds   due   to   severe   gales.   Luckily   we   got   the   news before   anyone   had   actually   set   off   -   and   if   the   truth   be   known I   for   one   was   pleased   because   it   was   a   really   wet   and   windy day.    We    would    not    have    got    any    passengers    in    those conditions anyway. Dr.Paul   has   been   rebuilding   his   Wren   for   over   a   year   now   but finally   the   rebuild   is   complete   and   a   fine   looking   loco   it   is   in its   new   green   livery   (see   photo).   The   boiler   was   hydraulically tested   before   it   was   put   back   in   the   frames   and   so   all   that remains   to   be   done   is   a   steam   test.   I   should   mention   that Geoff   Symms   and   Les   Davies   have   helped   in   this   rebuild   for most   of   the   time   it   has   taken.   Geoff   in   particular   overseeing much of the painting work. The   seat   covering   of   most   of   our   rolling   stock   is   starting   to   get a   little   (but   only   a   little)   tatty,   so   over   the   close   season   we   will replace    it.   Arthur    Hague    has    started    this    job    but    I'm    sure others   will   join   him   in   the   coming   weeks.   There   are   eight coaches   involved,   four   ground   level   coaches   and   four   from the raised track. We   have   two   new   members   to   welcome,   Ken   Brown   and   Stan Glover.   I   hope   we   will   see   them   at   the   track   as   often   as   their personal      circumstances      will      allow.      We      have      already hydraulically   tested   Ken's   traction   engine   boiler   which   is   of steel   construction   but   the   noteworthy   aspect   of   this   boiler   is that   the   firebox   stays   are   of   the   threaded   and   nutted   variety which many would consider to be outdated. You   may   recall   that   when   discussing   the   progress   of   our   new diesel    hydraulic    loco    I    have    in    the    past    mentioned    the possibility   of   the   loco   running   away   on   the   downhill   gradient that   is   a   feature   of   our   track.   In   that   regard   I   have   mentioned that   over   centre   valves   may   need   to   be   fitted   to   ensure   that this   could   not   happen.   In   tests   it   did   in   fact   prove   to   be   the case   that   the   loco   would   gain   speed   when   going   downhill regardless   of   the   position   of   the   control   lever.   A   few   weeks ago   we   fitted   two   OCV's,   one   on   the   hydraulic   motor   of   each bogey.   This   was   not   without   its   problems   but   eventually   we got   them   to   work   and   they   do   the   job   they   are   designed   to   do. The   loco   can   be   brought   to   a   complete   standstill   by   use   of   the control   lever   alone   on   the   steepest   downhill   gradient   and   the loco   can   be   brought   to   a   standstill   on   the   up   gradient   without it   rolling   backwards   i.e.   with   the   control   lever   in   neutral.   The only    problem    is    the    maximum    speed    of    the    loco    is    much reduced    and    the    engine    will    not    rev    when    under    load. Remember   this   is   a   20hp   (or   there   a   bouts)   engine   compared to   our   existing   petrol   loco   which   is   6.5hp.   With   the   control lever   in   neutral,   the   engine   revs   as   designed   to   give   a   flow rate   of   80   litres/minute   -   the   designed   flow   rate   -      hydraulic fluid   flows   from   the   pump   through   the   flowmeter   and   via   the control   block   back   to   tank.   But   as   soon   as   the   control   lever   is moved   and   hydraulic   fluid   is   being   sent   to   the   motors   the flow    rate    drops    to    less    than    60    litres/minute    with    the maximum     speed     being     proportionally     reduced.     At     this moment   the   solution   is   not   clear   but   we   are   working   with people   who   have   a   better   understanding   of   these   things   than we   have   and   with   so   much   effort   having   already   gone   into the project we will do whatever we have to do. On   a   brighter   note   the   brake   bands   have   now   been   fitted   to the   brake   drums   on   the   new   hydraulic   loco   and   the   design and   outline   of   the   nose   ends   of   the   type   37   diesel   have   been drawn up with a view to their manufacture in due course. I   did   say   in   my   last   report   that   if   anyone   wished   to   contribute to    the    newsletter    on    any    matter    that    members    may    be interested   in,   the   editor   would   be   pleased   to   include   such articles in a future edition. It   only   remains   for   me   to   wish   everyone   a   happy   new   year and thank members for their support in the past year. Dennis Meares Chairman