Report Tuesday 1st April 2008 What a difference a day makes, what a difference a week makes. The view on the right shows members struggling against biting cold winds and a fall of snow on Easter Sunday. A week later 30th March  warm sunshine for Brian Thorpe who was giving a us a helping hand before journeying to Belgium later that day.
Work continued on the steam locomotive Remus, the odd set back I am afraid which might slightly delay its reappearance into service for a week or so.     

Above: Our junior member Will helps set up one of the two model displays in the warm sunshine. The layouts that our junior members set up are always very popular with the younger visitors. 

Above: A start has been made today to repaint the steam locomotive "Remus" blue. The above right photograph shows "Remus" in its former Burgundy colour with David wearing one of his blue shirts and matching blue overhauls. As David wears such a lot of blue clothing it was thought appropriate to match the colour of the locomotive to David's clothing . Click on the picture above left to see more details of when "Remus" was originally painted blue.   Please note the day this report was made 1st April 

Report Monday 7th April 2008. Back to cold weather for our operating day on Sunday 6th April as yet more snow showers greeted many parts of the UK. We were lucky that the area of snow that moved down from Scotland in the early hours travelled down the west side of the country and curved into the Midlands, London and Brighton. Until about 2 pm we basked in warm(ish) sunshine until a batch of mainly light snow showers moved in from the Yorkshire Moors. Non of the snow settled even the heavier period of snow that chased us out of the park as we finally locked the park gates at 5 pm.
Even so it was bitterly cold in cold North East wind  so the return into service of the steam locomotive "Remus" was welcomed by the drivers of the train service. 

Above Left: Still sporting its Burgundy livery (not as shown on our 1st April report) Remus is having its final preparation for its steam trials as some young visitors watch on in the bright sunshine.
Right: "Remus" keeping David warm with the last passengers of the day brave the cold wind and the first of the late afternoon snow showers approach the park.

Below Left: Earlier Stephen Baines takes out mid day train around the outer circuit whilst to the right warm cups of tea, coffee and soup are very popular with the visitors as you see well wrapped up against the cold NE wind. Last year on the same Sunday in 2007 the temperature was in the low 60's Fahrenheit ( 15--16 degrees Centigrade)

Does anyone remember Dapple Down Farm on Channel 5 I think it was, where the children were asked to count the various animals or the eggs the chicken laid? Here is a challenge to "count them" the number of young chicks with their mum . Even with bitter cold weather of recent, nature and good parenting has given an helping hand to this family. 

Sunday 27th April 2008 Not only were the ducks enjoying the better weather well up until a thunderstorm with a great deal of lightning and hail at 6 pm. Fortunately for us we had packed up and shut the park gates an earlier.
Thanks to Keith our drives were sitting more comfortably with the new seat fitted to the driving trucks. The warmer weather brought out many visitors into the park as a result more passengers were carried. A good turn out of staff too enabling the train service to be operated that had been previously cancelled. Thank you to these members.  Our next operating days are for the May Day Weekend or as some prefer to call it Early Spring Bank Holiday on Sunday and Monday

The top left photograph* is our challenge of the week for our members to spot the difference between this photograph and the one that will feature in this weeks e-mail news. The middle some training for our junior members, whilst to the right upper* this view shows  Stuart clearing sitting much more comfortable in the new seat, better for the posture I am told. Lower right* The same train departs from Thorne Central Station.          * Photographs by our junior member James.

Going, Going soon to be gone? Not the trams but the two cooling towers that for so long have been a land mark as you approach Sheffield/Meadowhall from the Doncaster direction. The 70 year old cooling towers have been disused since the mid-60's just a short while after Sheffield lost its first tram system that closed in 1960. Driving to the Thorne from the North and East along the M18 to visit our railway, once you could tell you were not too far away from Thorne when you saw the two winding towers of the former Thorne Colliery. These were finally demolished after attempts to get them listed as a historical attraction, a similar fate awaits the two cooling towers according to local TV news. The contractors signs clearly now state "Demolition Site.     

I have received the photographs from our member Martin Brisby of an event held by the Rugby Model Engineering Society on Sunday 20th April 2008 for the start of their operating season. Martin now lives in Rugby and takes an active part in the Rugby M.E.S. Click on the logo above to visit their website.