News

This Midland Railway sign had lain unloved for many years in the undergrowth at Rocks by Rail. It is now on display for visitors to admire at the quarry junction.
It is a cast iron boundary marker as described here. Back in the 1800’s the Rocks by Rail track was operated by the Midland Railway as the Ashwell Branch shown by this 1884 ordnance survey mapping.

John has done a sterling job refurbishing the Museum’s 3 plank wagon. Sporting a shiny new grey and black livery and number B457008 it is ready for service carrying the coal for our steam locomotive.

In preparation for the addition of vacuum braking, 1382 vacuum hoses have been installed. It is hoped to complete this work by the end of the year. It requires the refurbishing of the exhauster, fabrication of manifolds, addition of a driver brake, piping, valves and belt drive from the generator.
Some of 1382’s paintwork is also being refreshed over the next few weeks.

The Ruston Bucyrus face shovel and dragline have been dormant over winter in the quarry. Rob has been cleaning both, getting rid of green algae whilst Martyn has been reviving the batteries ready for starting again. Just some greasing and oiling to do and they will be ready for action.

Whilst we are in quarry it’s worth mentioning that the Sundew cab is having it’s interior paintwork redone. Pam has been busy with the paintbrush – only the outside to complete now eh Pam?!!

In the 15th February news update we mentioned the West siding was now clear of overgrowth. With the wagons temporarily parked on the main track, the stored pointwork could also be collected and moved to the rail storage area. It was challenging to load the rails onto the Wickham trolley but Eric, Derek, Trevor and John managed it with ease and a little help from Sentinel loco Betty.

With the log pile now cleared, work continues with clearing the overgrowth at the rear of the Woolsthorpe. Richard, Martyn and Gary made good inroads into the “jungle” with the help of Harriet the JCB. They found some interesting goodies such as pointwork chairs and other metalwork long buried by overgrowth.

As part of the clearing onsite, a number of relics long hidden away in the undergrowth are being displayed on plinths in the car park for our visitors to investigate. The first artifact is now in place seen here with Geoff (welcome back), Ian and supervisor Jim. More artifacts will be added over the season.

Last year we were donated several hundred purple crocus bulbs from Derek’s brother-in-law, to raise awareness of the Rotary Club End Polio Campaign. Heather planted these around the Museum site last November. As spring approaches they add colour to the site. Here we see the display at the Museum entrance.

The pile of wood by the north end of the Woolsthorpe has now been sorted and cleared. The hedge has had a trim as can be seen in the picture. Further hedge tidying is planned at the back of the Sundew cafe. The access from the Woolsthorpe has also been moved to make machinery movements easier.

Volunteers have done a great job with the renovation of the Museum’s JCB and the body is now sporting a new coat of yellow paint. Here it can be seen helping with the wood pile clearing. Since the picture was taken the jib has had a first undercoat and it too will soon be yellow again.

As part of our trackside works, the West siding has now been cleared of overgrowth making access to the stored wagons easier and much safer. For the clearing work, wagons were temporarily moved to the main line. Stored pointwork has also been collected and moved to the rail storage area.

The West siding clearance highlighted the state of two of the Museum’s very old wooden 6 plank wagons that came from Stanton Ironworks. One had collapsed brake gear, the wooden structural timbers having long rotted away. Seen here is the remains of the wagon for dismantling. Note the novel strapping assembly to maintain the wheels in place!! A second wagon is being assessed to see if it can be restored back to running condition.

The Museum’s 3 plank wagon has had a major facelift thanks to John one of our regular volunteers. Sporting all new timberwork, a smart grey and black paint job and refurbished leaf springs it’s almost ready to roll. There’s just the identification lettering to add and this wagon will be back in service carrying the coal for our steam locomotive.

Over the last few years the quarry track has become overgrown and dark.Our volunteers have made a start on cutting back the overgrown areas to provide our visitors with a better view of what’s going on.

Spindly bushes and bramble are being removed but stronger trees, especially those that provide berries for wildlife in the winter, are being kept.

October 17th 2023 was the 80th anniversary of the completion of the “Death Railway”. Rocks by Rail Museum held a commemorative event to remember all allied prisoners of war who worked, suffered and died on this railway.

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The first part is on our website.
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