(A very warm welcome back to Jon who has been away for a few months. Mc)
We hosted a team building day today for a train planning team working for a well known train operating company.
They were all given a chance to 'get their hand on the handle' at some time during the many trips undertaken between WN and MD.
One train was hauled by the Warship driven by Neil McCannon with Darren Hill as secondman and with the 20 ton BR brake van in tow and ably guarded by Robin Fisher, and the other train was formed of the Hymek driven by Mike Harris and seconded by Matt Cambourne with Angie Scutt doing the honours in the Toad brake van.
Obviously cab space is limited so the remainder of the groups travelled in the very warm confines of the brake van which had their fires made and going since 7am in the morning!
In the afternoon session rides in the Sentinel shunter driven by Graham Perry were given in the south yard at WN.
At the end of the day the participants all praised the DEPG and the WSR for organising the event
While some DEPG members were busy with the course participants, other group members were trying to keep warm and perform their allotted tasks in and around the depot at Williton.
In a rather warm area of the shed which was surrounded by 4 space heaters, Leroy was busy adding another coat of special heat silver resistant paint to the engine manifolds.
The steelwork that was been made up into a stand also received another coat of paint, this time Red Oxide to protect it from the elements.
During a lull in the shunting operations and trying to warm up a bit, JT went to the Swindon shed to take some different pictures of the 'new' class 14 loco.
