Below: The LNER/BR derived well-wagon has been cleaned, primed and painted and tomorrow should take up its new role as part of the ice rink infrastructure. As ever I will post images here…

Below: It’s back! NER Clerestory coach No.3071 (which carries the incorrect number 818) returned this afternoon after its spell of absence. It was first loaned to Tanfield around five years ago when there seemed little hope of it being required at Rowley – how times change! It has visited the Tanfield, NYMR and Kirby Stephen in the time it has been away but will now be put into store to enable a report on what is required to return it to passenger use to be prepared and costed. There is a fair bit of woodwork requiring attention, interior roof panels need replacing and repainting, the coach needs a deep clean (it smells damp) and of course a full repaint is required. Mechanically it has been investigated at the NYMR and we have a list of jobs to do based on this. For this reason the GER Saloon will be kept on hire for 2012, hopefully to be joined at some point by the DoS saloon. We can then look in detail at 3071 and carrying out the required overhaul to bring this superb coach back into passenger use. It has double the seating capacity of GER 5 which may be appreciated by crews during busy periods!