The Hastings Truck

I am very happy to announce that we have agreed a price with the Hastings group and will be buying their ex Lisbon truck,complete with the wheels and motors.Watch this space for more details!

25th Pictures

25th July

Out again at 53 today. Finished roof on 225, painted the top and the sides and measured more of 53 inside. John the farmer has landlord problems,he is on a tidy mission, so I have painted up 225 to blend in with the country, almost the original colour!

Rail hunt.

Hunt for the rail.

Out at a Brighton park today, looking for the buried tram rail.We were joined by two members of the Brighton metal detecting group.We scanned the ground in the area, where track was supposed to be buried, but alas, no result! Peter gallant will do a 5th degree on his informant, in the meanwhile, no luck.Big thanks to the detector boys who helped us do a big search.

Pictures form the 21st of July.

Sat July the 21st 2012.

Three of us out at 53 today, with a guest Darren, who has worked at Crich. We discussed the possible truck, the cost of repairing the motors, as well as controllers and electrics. Darren will also wrestle with the trailer chassis still under 53, as that is in the way! We mostly spent time on 225, I repaired the roof, Brian and Malcolm worked on the sides of 225. We saw the farmer who is getting hassle about the state of 225, so we will paint it green to blend in. One of our members is sorting out shed materials, so 53 will have a snug workshop, and the hunt is on for the buried tram track, more later..

The truck and the Hastings site.

Visit to Hastings

Out to Robertsbridge today, to see the Hastings boys, who plied me with tea, though I refused the biscuits! They are preparing to move, due to the expansion of the Kent and East Sussex line, and have a month left. It was sad to compare the site to our last visit, the area is much smaller and the tram display has almost gone. They are moving out to a garden centre, but they need a boost in membership and help from their council. It would be a very sad thing to let these trams go, but they will need a lot of work.They have offered us their truck , so we are considering, see pictures. Let us hope things improve, we are all part of the same cause. I will have to cancel our slot at the Ringmer steam fair as no one has come forward to help. We will lose money because of this, and I find it very sad and frustrating when I am doing my best to make this happen, as are others, yet some of our members offer nothing.In the last two weeks, I have been up to Crich, given a lecture on 53, e-mailed people and have even arranged a search for hidden tram track. I can't do anymore, and I shouldn't have to. We have a great committee, some sterling helpers and behind the scenes contributors. As I said in the last newsletter, we all need to do something, and you will get more out of your membership, so consider this.

17th of July photos

17th of July

Out at 53 today. Inspected 225 on the roof, and discovered leaks due to plastic sheeting ripped in half! tacked it back down, but will have to cover some areas in another layer. Also did a bit of priming and de-rusting on 225 and discovered that the angle grinder is great for cutting through rust, QUICKLY! Finally took measurements inside 53 and photos for Ian Gledhill, who will draw up CAD plans for 53. We have exterior plans, but we also need inside information.

More Crich Pictures

Talk for the TLRS

I was made very welcome at the Southwick Branch of the TLRS meeting last night. I did a presentation on 53, with a short history of the brighton tram system. I don't think any fell asleep, and it seemed to go down well. I picked another plan up of a Bton E class, and Nick Kelly says that Hastings have still not sold their truck yet, so I will investigate. WE STILL DO NOT HAVE ANY ONE TO MAN THE STALL FOR THE 28TH AND 28TH OF JULY.PLEASE CAN YOU HELP, OTHERWISE WE LOSE MONEY.

July the 6th

Malcolm and myself managed in the rain to cut through the last bolt,and remove the front trailer. I tried some more painting underneath, but to mis-quote Enoch Powell, the rivers of mud made it a slippery and unpleasant experience. New member Peter Gallant came along, and not only bought two t-shirts, but had a tale of buried tram track in a Brighton park that should still be there. More later......

A rainy day in July, but off comes the front trailer.

More Crich pictures.

Some moments from Crich.

Crich Visit

Just a quick blog,we are back from Crich, and I will give a more detailed account later. Suffice to say, we were treated right proper, and were given a lot of advice by the staff, who were fantastic,we also saw lots of trams inside and under, and we learnt a lot.We are very grateful for such a packed visit, and to be given that most valuable asset, someone's time!