Clocking up the restoration hours at ‘Workshop X’

THE astonishing achievements of the all-volunteer, mostly retired, team at ‘Workshop X’ in north Derbyshire were emphasised by publication in late December of people-hour figures compiled by de facto team leader, Martyn Ashworth.

Members of the team are currently maintaining two of the locos they restored, War Office Locomotive Trust’s ex-WDLR Hunslet 4-6-0T HE 1215/1916

No. 303 and Martyn’ Ashworth’s Avonside 0-4-0T Ogwen (both at Apedale Valley Light Railway), restoring Baldwin 10-12-D 4-6-0T WDLR No. 779 (BLW 44657/1916) to steam and undertaking cosmetic restoration of 3ft gauge Hudswell Clarke 0-4-0ST 573/1900 Handy Man (both for Statfold Narrow Gauge Museum Trust), building a near-replica of Hunslet 0-6-4T Single-Fairlie Gowrie (The Gowrie Locomotive Trust) and restoring an ex-LNWR slate wagon for the Moseley Railway Trust (MRT).

The team is also assisting Matt Dolby’s restoration of 2ft gauge 0-10-0T Orenstein & Koppel with Luttermöller articulation and helping, when required, Simon Hudson and his Steam Workshop team who are restoring 2ft gauge ‘Yepla’ class Fowler 0-4-2T (16341/1924) Tully Sugar Mill

No. 5, both being in the same workshop.

Team members are usually at the private workshop on two days of the week with the total time spent so far on each project being: Baldwin No. 779 1,990 person hours (over 74 days), Handy Man 1,236 hours (40 days), Gowrie 4,236 hours (102 days), MRT slate wagons (including a completed ex-GWR wagon) 1,694 hours (64 days), Luttermöller

857 hours (40 days). Figures for Tully Sugar Mill No. 5 (The Steam Workshop) are logged as 1,608 hours over 61 days.

Martyn Ashworth has also acquired an ex-Penrhyn slate quarry wagon built by De Winton dating from 1879 on which work has yet to start.