Breaking News: Planning Permission GRANTED

We are excited to announce that planning permission has been granted by the London Borough of Bexley for "the installation of a Narrow Gauge Railway and modifications to an existing building for use as depot facilities for the railway".
Ref no. 16/02241/FUL

Ahead of us we have a major fundraising challenge to cover the purchase of track materials including 1400 metres of rail, 600 timber sleepers, drive screws, fishplates, and the track bed preparation and ballast, before the track laying can commence.

We need to recruit able volunteers for the exciting and challenging task of constructing a new build 18 inch narrow gauge railway, so close to the track of the iconic Royal Arsenal Railway.

Railway volunteers are at Crossness Engines Trust in Abbey Wood, South East London, on Tuesdays and Fridays.  Come and see us.

Come See Us on Sunday 30 April!

Take a closer look at the restoration of WOOLWICH, the last remaining locomotive of her class from the original Royal Arsenal Railway.

Explore in detail all of the necessary steps to take apart, restore and put her back together again - and hear our plans for the future!

11am to 4pm at the Crossness Engines Trust.  All welcome, and full details below...

HARD GRAFT and a DISCOVERY

It's been so long since the last update that no-one would blame the hundreds of thousands (yes, really!) who've been reading this blog for thinking that we've given up. Far from it, but we were asked to not to publicise the important development that forms much of this content. This update revolves around patience and we thank you for your patience with us. This might prove to be one of the most important updates we've given, for whilst it doesn't say that we're opening a railway, a very considerable amount of previously unmentioned work has been done towards building one. All can now be revealed, so do read on...

WOOLWICH
We admit it, we need more money, and the next few months will see strenuous efforts to raise it. Just over a year ago we submitted an application to the UK's Heritage Lottery Fund which is how the restoration of many British locomotives is financed. Whilst our application was deemed to be an excellent example of its kind we couldn't meet some of the conditions that the Lottery laid down and nor could we today. Despite that disappointment we've completed, in terms of time, about 70%, perhaps 75%, of the work to restore this historic locomotive to as-new condition. About GBP50,000 is now required to conduct the work that we can't do ourselves. Such things as boiler repairs and replacement water tanks come to mind. Now we could reduce our specifications and get this work done cheaply. Yet typically, a quick job on her boiler would get her running again for a while, but a quality job could see the boiler's life extended by as much as 40 years. We've chosen to be patient and take the quality, long-term option. WOOLWICH is too important a machine to be the subject of second-rate work.

Some tasks, mainly painting, have been done in the past year and as the photographs show the entire loco is now in an excellent state of conservation. Our visitors aren't generally railway experts and most never realise they're looking at a steam locomotive, let alone the very last of the Royal Arsenal's many dozens of narrow gauge machines. Our late July open day saw a wider realisation though thanks to a Gentleman who brought along his wonderful models of WOOLWICH and ARQUEBUS, one of the Arsenal's earlier locomotives. As far as any of us are aware these are the first scale models of Arsenal 18 inch gauge machines ever made. They sat on the real thing's mainframes and were a joy to behold. It's hoped that these models will return to Crossness in 2015 - in steam!

So, not a great deal to say about 'Woolwich' but even if she was in working order she'd need a railway to run on and...

A NEW RAILWAY?
Our site is located the width of a fence from The Royal Arsenal within one of the largest sewage treatment works in the World. Crossness Sewage Treatment Works purifies almost all of South London's liquid effluent at the rate of some 14 tons per second. It's not possible to allow general public access through such a strategic and vital plant and thus the very limited number of open days we can have. For some years Thames Water and the Crossness Engines Trust have been striving to find a method of allowing the life-blood of paying visitors into the preserved pumping station on a more frequent basis. Railways hold the key. (Of course!)

The first parts of the Sewage Works were constructed between 1860 and 1865 and to build them the contractors, Lucas & Aird, built a two and a half mile long standard gauge railway across the marshes from Plumstead. Remarkably the course of their railway remains all but unimpeded today. That line would come to delineate the Southern boundary of The Royal Arsenal as the great military factory extended Eastwards from the mid 1890s reaching Crossness in 1903.

In late 2011 Thames Water and the Crossness Engines Trust entered discussions about using that former railway's course as an independent access route to the magnificent 1860s pumping station. A substantial, surfaced, footpath is now complete and it is designed to allow construction of a narrow gauge railway alongside. Whether that will happen depends on Thames Water's permission. Detailed proposals are being drawn-up at the time of writing and should the go-ahead be given an application for planning permission will be made. As there are no properties within sight of the proposed line, yet alone close-by, objections are considered unlikely.

This modest line of 700 yards wouldn't open rapidly, probably no earlier than 2016. Thanks to some splendid donations of Permanent Way materials we have an additional incentive. A large amount of superb 80lb per yard rail has been delivered and there's more to follow, hopefully enough to complete the line.

Speaking of rail, the large number of photographs accompanying this update include the remarkable discovery of a surviving section of the RAR. All was thought to be lost so a thrilling time was had surveying it. Some came away with prizes for doing so, pocketfuls of genuine RAR loco coal!

The image above of WOOLWICH, the Powder Wagon that's been preserved, and the cranes of the Arsenal's Cross Ness explosives handling pier depict what would have been seen at this time of year in the late 1930s.

PHOTOGRAPHS
Please do look at the photos that come with this update, their captions add a great deal of important detail and are best read in order. The first are of WOOLWICH and the lovely models that came to see her. After that there are maps, plans, and photos, concerning the hoped-for new railway and a picture really does speak a thousand words here. Finally there are some intriguing glimpses of those remnants of the RAR that haven't seen a train in half a Century. DO HAVE A LOOK!
Album 1: Woolwich, Large and Small
Album 2: A New Line for Woolwich?
Album 3: Look What We Found - Original Track!

THE POWDER WAGON: A YouTube Sensation

Don't just read our words for it - see the action unfold as the powder wagon  arrives at Crossness!  

...And don't forget to take a look at the photo album, complete with captions.  Loco and wagon - reunited once again!

NEWSFLASH: New Arrival at Crossness!

Welcome to a special update. A Century old, and very historic item of Royal Arsenal Railway rolling stock has arrived at Crossness!

The importance of the Royal Arsenal Railway cannot be understated. Until the First World War the security of the UK and the British Empire was totally dependent on the Arsenal, and the Arsenal was totally dependent on its railway system. Many of the magazines, to their last days in the 1960s, never had any road access, only rail. To transport munitions to those magazines the RAR developed a specialist wagon and eventually there would be just over 1,000 of them.

...Now, only one remains.

The Powder Wagons.
Perhaps remembering centuries of gunpowder usage these bogie vans were always known as 'Powder Wagons'. The basic design dated back to the beginning of the Arsenal's narrow gauge in the early 1870s. By 1898 a shallow bodied version five planks high was in widespread usage each carrying up to five tons. From that time the bodies were extended upwards to seven planks in height with an increase in capacity to seven tons. Some of the wagons were built in the Arsenal but most came from the outside manufacturers of Oldbury Railway Carriage and wagon Co. Ltd, Cravens Ltd, and Dick Kerr Ltd. The subject of this update is a late version having been built by Cravens in 1913. The lower five plank versions were also extensively used at the Waltham Abbey Royal Gunpowder Mills.

Withdrawal and preservation.
Arsenal railway operation ceased in 1971, one Powder Wagon being kept for possible preservation. By the mid 1980s it was becoming clear to the Arsenal's staff that closure was looming and that the Ministry of Defence had little intention of preserving anything from the site which had defended the Nation for four and a half Centuries. Concerned employees formed the Royal Arsenal Woolwich Historical Society (RAWHS) and set about ensuring the preservation of some two shipping container loads of artefacts and records, they also saved the last Powder Wagon.

In 1989 the wagon was sent for display at the former North Woolwich Old Station railway museum. Unfortunately, by the mid 2000s it had become apparent that this museum was likely to close. The Royal Arsenal site was by this time being re-developed by Berkeley Homes and their work had included provision of the new Greenwich Heritage Centre. The Heritage Centre contains many artefacts from the RAWHS collection and it was agreed that the Powder Wagon should be placed in the care of Greenwich Council and displayed outside the building.

Various proposals emerged for restoration including the building of a glass box around the old vehicle. Sadly no money could ever be found and the wagon began to deteriorate. By 2012 the condition of the wagon was causing concern and it was suggested that it move to Crossness pumping station where we're restoring 'Woolwich' the last RAR narrow gauge steam locomotive. Such a proposal would secure the Powder Wagon's long term future but required expenditure on transport, money which no one had.

A dramatic rescue.
Removal attained a now or never state of urgency during the bad winter of 2012/3 when many fixing bolts sheared through corrosion in the salty riverside air and the near continuous precipitation noticeably increased its toll on the woodwork. The day was saved by the good offices of Tamesis, the firm which is rebuilding Crossness Sewage Treatment Works. They very generously supplied specialist equipment and staff and were thus instrumental in saving the last of the 1,000 Powder Wagons.

Our thanks go to...
We'd like to thank Malcolm Farance for arranging the transport, Dave Evans for overseeing the loading, Paul Tomlin for conducting the loading and overseeing the offloading, and Ben Martin for operating the fork lift vehicle. We'd also like to thank Tracy Stringfellow of the Greenwich Heritage Centre for her understanding on the day, Berkeley Homes for allowing access at short notice and providing staff to keep an eye on events. Finally, our thanks to the Royal Arsenal Woolwich Historical Society for entrusting the welfare of their historic wagon to us, an appreciated vote of confidence.

Pictures speak a thousand words particularly when they are captioned, so please do look at the photographs!

As always, if you'd like to make sure of knowing about what we're doing just enter your e-mail address in the box to the upper right of this page. Also, if you'd like to see 'Woolwich' and the Powder Wagon, do come to one of our open days:

• Sunday 28th July
• Sunday 1st September
• Sunday 13th October

You'd be most welcome!

MAINFRAMES: An Ongoing Saga

You might have noticed that there weren't any updates to this blog in early 2013. Why? Because, as said in the last update, who want's to read a continuous story of paint removal? It certainly isn't very interesting, and that's putting it mildly...

Paint-scraping: Is there a faster way?
Woolwich's mainframes were coated with up to 14 layers of thickly applied red paint. Those lucky enough to be involved in locomotive restoration will know that this has to be removed so that the 'frames can be checked for defects. They'll also know that today's standard methods of stripping mainframes are shot blasting and needle gunning. In September 2012 a local firm indicated that they'd be prepared to shot blast the 'frames at no cost. As we operate on a shoestring that offer was irresistible and the mainframes were delivered to them. Five months later nothing had happened so we reluctantly concluded that we'd have to bring them back and do the job ourselves.

And if you want something done...
Whilst we have superb workshop facilities our supply of certain staples, such as compressed air and power tools, is limited. Also, most volunteers are only able to visit once per week. Consequently much of the stripping has been done by hand, a days work hasn't appeared to result in much progress, and it's been a slow job. It was disappointing if understandable to receive such comments as "You haven't got very far, have you" from visitors at mid-June's open day.

Was it faster?  No.  But we're almost there...
Thankfully we are now just two or three weeks from the end of the process [- you now have that in writing!] and in part two of this 'Saga of the Mainframes' you'll see them over 99.9% down to bare metal and painted. Painting is the turning point of the restoration. Until now 'Woolwich' has looked worse and worse as each week passed. She'll now start to look better and better.

When money and tools are in short supply every locomotive restoration goes through this difficult period of little apparent progress despite diligent work. Yet, thanks to being first, the UK has a well deserved reputation and tradition of producing the finest restorations in the world. That's thanks to patience, resilience, and resolution. We've taken the responsibility of restoring a particularly historic machine and realise that we'll be judged by the quality and qualities of those who went before us.

Don't take our word for it - check out the photos!
Please do look at the photographs, they and their captions tell so much more about this unique locomotive's journey back to steam, and the condition her makers splendid reputation depended on. The next update will be 'Mainframes Part Two' in less than four weeks but there's a chance that a new arrival might appear at Crossness before then. If so, there'll be a special update, so watch this space!

To make sure of knowing about what's happening here just enter your e-mail address in the box to the upper right of this page. Also, if you'd like to see 'Woolwich' in person, 2013 will see open days at Crossness on 28th July, 1st September and 13th October.  You are most welcome.

Meanwhile, do look at this instalment's photographs!

THE BOILER: An Old 'Un but a Good 'Un

At last, an update in the annals of our restoration of 'Woolwich'. And why the delay? It's because we've all been busy on the very repetitive task of stripping every last granule of dirt, grease, paint, and rust off all the locomotive's components. Rather than fill this blog with endless descriptions of grinding and scraping we'll show the whole process in one major update next time. Amazingly that next update is almost complete!

Ah, the boiler!
Meanwhile, we must say something about one job we can't do, the boiler, and everything this time is devoted to just that. In 1954 the authorities decided that the Royal Arsenal Railway deserved some investment. The result was new diesel locomotives and a very thorough overhaul for a handful of steam locos, the others being disposed of. 'Woolwich' was the lucky narrow gauge candidate and her overhaul included the provision of the boiler she has carried ever since.

Her new boiler was made in the Arsenal and demonstrates superb workmanship. Perhaps the boiler makers knew it might be their final example for the last of the photographs that come with this update shows that the Arsenal was keen to record its pride in the job. Over the years corrosion has taken a minor toll but the boiler remains very sound and given some repairs still has decades of life before it.

Boiler repair is strictly governed and is a part of Woolwich's restoration that we couldn't contemplate doing ourselves. We will need financial assistance for this specialist work and with that in mind we called in an expert inspector to assess the boilers condition. Armed with his inspection report we now have a series of quotes and will seek funding in the very near future.

Photos, emails and open days
Pictures speak a thousand words, so rather than describe our preparations for the inspection here we have some juicy captions for you to read, so please do look at the photographs! 

If you'd like to make sure of knowing about what we're doing just enter your e-mail address in the box on the upper right of this page.  Also, if you'd like to see "Woolwich', come to one of our open days:

- Sunday 23rd June
- Sunday 28th July
- Sunday 1st September
- Sunday 13th October

You'd be most welcome!

Remember This, WOOLWICH?

This is Bicton Woodland Railway, where Woolwich took tourists for a ride after being retired from duty at the Royal Arsenal.  Read about Woolwich's varied career here and more about the railway itself here.

The disassembly continues: Bearings, Axles and Wheels.

Having removed the wheelsets from the frames, it's time to have a look at the state of the bearings, axles, and wheels.  Hold your breath!

The axleboxes are in two parts, both iron castings. The upper section holds the brass bearing and the lower, two fabric wipers that apply lubrication to the axle and retain any grit particles. Avonside had a simple and elegant method of securing the castings together: two steel pins (with a slight interference fit) pass through them and they are easily tapped out. 

We separated the axleboxes with some trepidation as we'd already found notable scoring on the valve gear's brass bearings, which means they will have to be re-made. We needn't have worried - both the axles and their bearings are in excellent condition and require very little work to bring them into first class condition. Unlike most British lines, The Royal Arsenal Railway had an abhorrence of whitemetal in bearings and none is present in 'Woolwich' although the 'slippers' on the sides of the axles boxes are whitemetal. These look good, but at the time of writing haven't been measured to ascertain whether replacement is required.

Whilst the bearing's condition is heartening, the rear right hand axlebox castings had a nasty surprise for us. We noticed that the securing pins were missing from one side yet the lower section was stuck fast in the upper. After much elbow grease it was discovered that the upper casting had been badly damaged, perhaps by dropping it during an overhaul. The missing metal had been replaced by stainless steel weld metal, built up to approximately the correct shape and then roughly filed down. The lower casting had then been forced into the other to give a very tight fit. This is probably the worst damage we've encountered and as you'll see, repairs are now underway.

Take a glance at our close-up photos of all the parts cleaned up.

Removal Day.

The renovation of Woolwich goes on relentlessly and this update marks one year of our labours.  Will it end? Yes it will, in 2013, when we'll see the fruits of our labours.  For now, it's time to lift the mainframes to allow the wheels and axle-boxes to be withdrawn. The frames are in really very good condition. They are straight and the only corrosion is surface rust on a stiffening plate beneath the smokebox.

Rather than bring in a crane we decided to do the job 'in house' using lifting gantries with blocks and tackle. Once all the equipment had been checked for safety a larger than usual group assembled to remove the last components from the frames in the morning and conduct the lift in the afternoon.

The frames were lifted twice; firstly just the front end to remove the brake rodding and secondly to withdraw the wheelsets. A curious feature of the locos design is that it's impossible to dismantle the brake rods without removing their entire assembly. Removing said assembly is equally impossible unless Woolwich is either over an inspection pit or raised. No wonder the accident damage they've incurred has never been repaired.

Peter Letchford and Richard Seager took charge of the lift as both have a great deal of relevant professional experience. Not surprisingly they did a great job, with the heavy frames so perfectly suspended that a ball bearing would not roll if placed on them. The wheelsets didn't bind at all and once they'd rolled out the operation was completed by gently lowering the mainframes onto wooden blocks.

A most useful day's work that introduced the gantries to our arsenal of equipment. Many thanks to Kew Bridge Steam Museum for supplying them to Crossness. 

Now take a look at the photos!

WOOLWICH's Coat of Many Colours.

After the boiler was lifted we concentrated on stripping the mainframes. One of the locomotive's previous owners, the Bicton Woodland Railway, has a distinctive livery of blue and bright red. They must be very proud of that livery as we found 14 coats of red!

A small milestone was passed when John Mitchell, Tony Banks, and Gerry Evans finished removing the paint and filth from the boiler cleading. This is the first part of the locomotive to be made ready for paint. That new paint will not be either red or blue, rather the Royal Arsenal's dignified Light Brunswick Green. A tiny patch survived for us to confirm the exact colour and this was further confirmed by the gentleman who had been in charge of the Arsenal's paint stores when she had an extensive overhaul in 1954. As this blog continues you'll see less and less red and no blue at all. The only red on the outside of Woolwich will be her fly-cranks.

Stripping the frames means removing Woolwich's unique buffing arrangement. Both buffers are dumb (solid blocks of wood) but are mounted on a sprung 'Buffing Plate'. This is a remarkably flexible arrangement, very useful for trains that have to traverse sharp curves. Peter Letchford and his chums from the Gravesend and District Model Engineering Society took removal of the buffing plates in hand and quickly found more than they'd bargained for. They discovered that Woolwich has had a heavy collision at some time and both front and rear plates were buckled inwards. That left them extremely difficult to remove as the inward force had caused the guide rods which locate in the main buffer beam to splay outwards. As a result they jarred with their locating holes when it was attempted to pull them out. A great deal of hard work and brute force had to be brought into play. Our photo album speaks a thousand words about this!

Richard Seager brought his practical locomotive experience to bear on the valve gear, which he stripped down rapidly. A discussion of her valve gear on an online forum led to a visit by a senior member of the Institute of Mechanical Engineers, Joe Cliffe. He's one of a handful of men who knew and worked with the great locomotive designer Sir William Stanier. He's not the first eminent engineer to visit 'Woolwich'. Proof that we're not the only people to know that she's a very special engine?

Expect to see many more updates over the next few weeks!  In the meantime, take a look at our progress in pictures.

The Ever-Shrinking WOOLWICH: boiler removal

To remove the boiler, we had to call on a little help from our neighbours and their heavy lifting gear.  It took three separate lifts to move the boiler to where we wanted it.

The bulky boiler lifted by crane.  The 'firebox' end of the boiler was the heavier end by far; you can see it tilting slightly in the picture on the left.

The boiler was placed safely on the ground, and preparations were made for the second lift.  The boiler has to be positioned on its' side to allow the team access to work on it.  Rolling the very heavy boiler onto its' side is a very delicate operation, as any knocks and bumps could damage the structure.    As seen on the right, small baulks were positioned next to the boiler to control the movement.

The third and final lift moved the boiler from the floor to a waiting trolley.  Again, you can see on the left just how much heavier the 'firebox' end of the boiler is!

We can all relax once it's safely on the trolley.  Of course, it's opened up an even bigger list of jobs to do, such as removing the ash pan / lower firebox, and the injectors.

Here's the first clear view we had of what was waiting for us under the boiler:

Watch the boiler lift from start to finish on our photo album.

Keeping RECRUITS busy.

Ian and Richard S take a breather

We all had a bit of a rest over Christmas and the new year but in January, work got going again with a vengeance and we've been joined by new volunteers Richard Dean and Richard Seager.

Lifting Woolwich's boiler is imminent and Richard Seager has conducted an initial ultrasonic test. The results are heartening for now but show that operating pressure may have to be reduced unless heavy platework repairs are conducted. Reduced pressure is no problem, and the boiler's remarkable considering that it started life 96 ago!

Richard D and the offending cab roof

Richard Dean spent a sweaty day chiselling the bitumastic paint off Woolwich's cab roof, his first day's work at Crossness. It was originally painted gloss black and it will be again. The two circular plates on the roof are for filling the fuel tanks from above. They were never used but we'll ensure they're kept intact. There's still a lot of the horrible bitumastic to strip, a filthy job.


John Mitchell has been soldiering away at the seemingly endless task of cleaning the encrustation from the cleading.  This requires immense patience, which John seems to have plenty of.  Scraping paint by hand is time consuming but ultimately rewarding.    

Incognito John with project in hand

Exposing the BOILER

Removing oil tanks

We got to a stage where the oil tanks had to be moved.  Although now held on with just two bolts, they were very heavy, requiring some mechanical assistance.

We were then at a stage where we could get to the cleading - the proper name for the cladding around the boiler.  Woolwich's galvanised steel cleading is thankfully in good condition, which means that it can be reused.  Once the remaining rivets had been removed, the cleading had to be gently detached and lifted away from the boiler.

The last of the insulation

Under the cleading, the insulation is made from aluminium-backed glass fibre.  It's all that stands in the way between us and the boiler, and we're desperate to see it.  The condition of the boiler is critical to the restoration of Woolwich.    


View the full story in glorious detail here.

See YOU on Sunday

Are you interested in the restoration and future operation of the Royal Arsenal narrow gauge railway?  We're holding a railway 'meet' for all current and prospective volunteers, and you're invited.

Come to Crossness Engines Trust on Sunday 26 February to find out more;  there will be two illustrated talks, the first on 18 inch gauge railways, the second on the extensive system operated by Woolwich Arsenal.  

Our equipment is currently on long term loan from The Royal Gunpowder Mills at Waltham Abbey, however the locomotive Woolwich once used to call the Arsenal home. 

Admission is free and access is available from 11am to 3pm.

When there's a Wall there's a Way.

Check out the web album for more photos

Removing the offside tank was simple enough.  However, the nearside tank is tricky as the locomotive is standing next to the wall.  There's certainly not enough space to squeeze a forklift in the gap, so a home made section of track was used to roll Woolwich past the meddlesome internal wall (this method was at the time deemed preferential to demolishing the wall).

The last time we shifted the 8.5 ton* loco, it required the use of a JCB digger.  This time around, we enlisted an ex-Royal Navy truck to do the towing.  We're lucky that the floor of the engine room is perfectly level.

The time came to remove the offside tank.  Most of the securing bolts had already been removed, so only a couple were left to undo before the lifting began.

The forklift truck was good at this as it had practised on the other tank - it lifted off quite smoothly.  The ex-navy truck was once again summoned to push Woolwich back to bed.

If this operation is difficult to imagine, take a look at our online photo album for 11 photos of the tank removal in glorious technicolour.

If shifting a loco is challenging, the volunteers can rest safe in the knowledge that one day she'll be able to roll out of here under her own steam.

* None of us are 'metricated'!

Taking apart the Jigsaw Puzzle

After the successful removal of the cab, we had another challenge for our forklift drivers.  We had more parts of Woolwich to remove to get even closer to the boiler.

The offside and nearside tanks flank the cylindrical boiler that runs horizontal through the loco.  Removing one of these tanks is necessary at this stage to assess the condition of many working parts.

View all the photos!  Find the link at the bottom of this post!

Unsurprisingly, these original tanks are rusty and currently incapable of holding water.  To restore the loco to full running order, we can either replace or restore the tanks.  The cheapest option is a replacement, but we'll re-use the original castings still fit for purpose.

Unseen parts are exposed as the tank is lifted away:  the footplate is in very good condition, and at a glance the balanced wheels might be in a reasonable condition as well.

Now we are able to get the boiler properly inspected, and we'll start to have an indication of the true scale of this unique restoration project.  Woolwich is 96 years old and has been in the elements for most of her life.

This completely changes the external shape of the loco.  Return visitors to Crossness Engines on Open House Day (Sunday 18 September) could have assumed they were looking at a different loco!

View the process in pictures here.

Off with her Cab!

To get access to the boiler, first the cab has to be removed. The cab is bolted and riveted to the tanks. The condition of the boiler has to be inspected and issued with a safety certificate before it can be used.

Although this is labour intensive, it's quite straight forward, barring a few rusty fixings. The cab was not particularly heavy, but it was a delicate manoeuvre requiring sensitive control of the forklift.

The preparatory work - unbolting and dismantling - took the most time.

Many hours of work have gone in so far, but this is the first time that the Woolwich has been visibly altered.

The next job is the removal of the offside side tank - so watch this space!

View the stage-by-stage process on our online album.  

Rewind.

As we begin to strip down and rebuild a loco, let's cast our minds back to where it all started.  Take a look at some of the research and new graphics we have on display on our open days.

Scroll to the bottom of the Royal Arsenal Railway page and check out our map of the entire RA railway system.

....And there's a few colourful images and information at the end of the About the loco page

Obstinate Nuts.

Here's how we deal with the rusted nuts on the cab of Woolwich.  The loco is undergoing preparation work for the removal of the cab and the right-hand tank this week - the cab extension added by Bicton Railway is still in place.