Author: Potter

  STOP PRESS: Senior Minions have just spoken to their counterparts with @ProjectCommuter; our small portion of fresh moquette for 3417 has just been delivered to @railwaymuseum in York. Another step in the restoration of both our units begins! — 423417_GordonPettitt (@Gordon_3417) June 13, 2018   Brilliant news - this is another portion of your crowdfunding money that we have been patiently waiting to spend and means we can finally begin to address the restoration of the unit's interior. Stay tuned for more developments as we get them! Many thanks to our friends at Project Commuter and the National Railway Museum for helping to make this possible.

STOP PRESS: This morning the SETG will be moving 4 EE507 traction motors, previously donated by Porterbrook Leasing, from Wimbledon Park to Strawberry Hill as part of our on-going plan to concentrate our spares pool in one location. We would like to thank South Western Railway for their assistance at Wimbledon and to thank Castle Scaffolding for donating their equipment and time to help us in the move.   Keep an eye on our Twitter and Facebook feeds to see the latest news and pictures!

Senior Minion Potter Reporting: I think we (we being 3417's Loyal Minions) have mentioned before that this railway preservation lark isn't all about Glamour, Girls & Riches Beyond The Dreams of Avarice. Some of it is dirty and boring and bloody hard graft. Last Sunday's work day was a fine example of this point; lot of dirt and heavy lifting punctuated by mild swearing and tea. The work crew consisted of yours truly and Darren and the task was very simple: tidy up the shed. Of course, before we started work there are certain things that have to be seen to and Depot Operating Procedure Section 4, sub-section 6 was duly dealt with on arrival. For those who don't know how seriously the SETG take proper operating procedures, please find…

  Thanks to our chums at the Swanage Railway, who were staging their lauded Diesel Gala this weekend, we got to see a glimpse of it. Enjoy the sound of a Class 33 Crompton and a 4TC at the gallop on the South Western Mainline. How long until we see 3417 doing the same? Watch this space! Video credits to 'VehicularBrit' and '04clemea' - both channels worth a browse on Youtube. [embed]https://youtu.be/CNDE401uvaM[/embed] [embed]https://youtu.be/Ebqqnjkcnfc[/embed]

We have been extremely busy during the past few months, and it's time to bring you up-to-date on some of the developments regarding the restoration of No. 3417. After discussions involving the Senior Minions and Mr Pettitt himself over the last month we have decided that the restoration project deserves a name: we have christened it 'Project Phoenix'. In order to make the project manageable, and in order to allow us to bring the unit back to a "paying basis", the project will be conducted in phases. This phasing of work will allow us to make the best use of our current finances and to aim our small technical team at specific goals. We will be setting up an additional page on the website in due course to give you…