Members Monthly Bulletin, January 2021

Call for volunteer help

We have a pressing need for volunteer help on back-office tasks. In addition to work related to safety documentation, we urgently need help on stock control and recording for our on-line and other merchandise sales. Technical / engineering knowledge is not essential. Computer literacy and a readiness to work flexibly from home will be necessary.  If you are interested, please contact us via office@lms-patriot.org.uk, our temporary office number 07801 945689, or the contact form on our website under Support Us/Volunteering.  We will then follow up with you to see how best you could help. 

General 

Engineering has continued in January in the latest lockdown.  Our own management and board meetings have carried on via Zoom and will for the foreseeable future. 

At West Shed, further progress has been made on machining of Tail Rod Bushes and Expansion Link Bushes. Lubrication pipework has been completed as far as the axleboxes and horn guides. The Driving wheel weld repairs have been carried out and safety documentation requirements have been now agreed in detail with Ricardo. The wheels now have to be pressed back on to the axles:  but we await delivery of new axle material from South Africa to complete the trailing wheel set.Following the commissioning of a new press in January at West Shed, materials have been ordered to allow work to start on the motion rods.  

The design overview for the modified bogie has been submitted to Ricardo for approval. Some pattern work is in progress and preparations for drawing production is under way.  Work continues at Leaky Finders and we are close to completing the tender frames. At HBSS, work will shortly recommence on the boiler - tooling the stays and fitting the boiler slides being the tasks in hand.

 Warrior Magazine Contributions

Production is about to start on Warrior 48 and as usual we’re inviting you to send your contributions. With the current 'lockdown' I'm sure many of us have been indulging ourselves in collections of railway magazines and books. So did any of these bring back memories of your own railway experiences? Please feel free to send them to us and if you have photos to accompany your stories then all the better. Your story doesn't have to be Patriot-related, good if it is, but anything that you think will be of interest to the rest of our membership.

You can still send correspondence to our main office at The Hub, 17 Eastgate Street, Stafford ST16 2LZ as we will be making collections from there on a weekly basis, but please still use our temporary office telephone number: 07801 945689. If you intend to submit photographic or written contributions please send them directly to the editor: Peter Sikes, 12 Holmdale Road, Syston, Leicester LE7 2JN. 

Finance 

Funds received in the quarter to 31^st December amounted to £124,000. Even without the short term loan provided by a member in December, income was virtually on target with our budget forecast for the year to date.

Annual interest is now being paid out to our boiler loan lenders in the anniversary month and I am pleased to report that the first response I have had was a letter from a member/lender. The letter said, ‘Please accept future interest due on my boiler loan as donations to The LMS-Patriot Project, commencing January 2021.’

Our grateful thanks to this member and to the sponsor who has agreed to extend the £5k per month for at least the next 12 months.