More progress took place on steam engine No. 90 on Saturday 22nd November. This was thanks to a delegation of three Munster-based members. The trio made a journey of biblical proportions from just to get to Downpatrick for a day’s labour.
Alex, Cathal, and Shane made the journey up from Cork. They were rewarded with an afternoon of crawling around underneath 90 removing vacuum pipes and brake gear. This work is essential as it removes fixed connections around the boiler and firebox. This means we’re now one step closer to sending the boiler away for overhaul.
Cathal and Shane were up top dismantling (supported by DCDR regular volunteer Aaron. Alex and Morgan were down in the pit building up the supports to drop the ash pan. They carted over 28 heavy timber blocks from the loco yard. Then, Alex and Morgan carefully stacked them beneath the loco. This was to create a support structure that will take the weight of the heavy ash pan when it is disconnected from the loco.
Alex, Cathal and Shane also helped to clear up the remains of the Halloween decorations from Inch Abbey. As thanks, they received an reward in the form of cab rides in diesel loco 124.
A determined effort
A huge thanks to the determined trio of Munster supporters for travelling all this way to help out. Their efforts meant that steam loco and clear-up work could make progress while our regular volunteers could crack on with high-priority Christmas prep and permanent way tasks.
Volunteers come to our railway from as far away as Dublin, Cork, Meath, Antrim, and Derry/Londonderry; we’re extremely proud that our shared railway heritage is bringing people together from both sides of the Irish border. As our Cork members have demonstrated, nobody on the island of Ireland can say that they live too far away to volunteer with us!
Interested in volunteering? Find out more here.
