Aln Valley Railway
Maintenance Shed Appeal
- What are we building? A new shed specifically for the maintenance and restoration of rolling stock, including wagons, coaches, locomotives and even our Pacer trains.
- How big is it? The new shed is 54m long and 11m wide. It is large enough to accommodate four BR Mark 1 coaches on two parallel tracks, with sufficient circulation space to provide for storage, work benches and equipment. It can be accessed by roller shutter doors at either end of the shed, each 5m tall.
- What will be inside? There will be a maintenance pit and a shallower trench to will allow for easy access to the underside of vehicles. There will be reinforced jacking points at specific locations to allow, for example, a coach to be jacked up to remove the bogies. It is also intended to construct high level working platforms with safety restraints to allow access to vehicle roofs. Longer term, we also have planning permission to build a lean to structure to provide workshop space and volunteer facilities.
- Why do you need a maintenance shed? The existing running shed was the first permanent structure at the railway and in its early days was used for both locomotive maintenance and coach restoration. As our steam locomotive fleet has grown, all work on other rolling stock must be done outside. As a result, most work is wholly weather dependent. Even a simple job like painting our current passenger coaches stretches out over a number of years as the only time they aren’t in use is during the winter and the number of days where it’s dry and warm enough is very limited. Having a maintenance shed will mean that restoration work can be undertaken throughout the year. It will also mean that our steam locomotives can be stripped down properly for 10 yearly overhauls without taking up space in the running shed, which is also used for special events.
- Why are you spending money on a shed rather than focusing on getting to Alnmouth? It’s not really a question of either/or. If we are to operate services to Alnmouth, it will be a huge step forward for the railway, but we need not just the track, but the locomotives, coaches and people to be able to actually run a service. At our current pace of restoring coaches, we won’t be ready to operate a service by the time the track is in place, so the new shed is an essential element of our plan to reach Alnmouth.
- How much is it costing and how much do you have already? Our estimate of the total cost of constructing the shed, including groundworks, trackwork, laying a concrete floor and installing electricity is £210,000. Thanks to very generous donations from two of our members, over £130,000 has been received which has allowed work to start. We’re seeking your support to raise the last £80,000 which will allow us to finish the job.
- What do you still need to do? The main structure of the building – walls, roof and doors – has been completed. We still need to concrete the floor, lay track, install electrics, construct the pits and erect a pillar crane that we have received.
- What’s the deal? We’d be delighted to receive any donations towards the cost of finishing the shed, no matter how small. For larger donations, we’re offering you the opportunity to sponsor an area of the shed. £54 will allow you to sponsor 0.5 square metre of shed, or £108 to sponsor a square metre. All donors sponsoring an area of floor space will receive a certificate and will have their names recorded on a commemorative plaque within the shed. For anyone sponsoring at least 1 square metre, we will also offer a free tour of the facilities and the opportunity to view current projects underway at the time.
To make your sponsorship go further, if you pay tax in the UK, Gift Aid adds an extra 25p for every pound you give – this is at no extra cost to you. Please ensure you select the appropriate button when ordering.
Our online transactions are handled by HOPS (Heritage Operations Processing).