Some 120 members bravely battled through the strong winds and heavy rain of Storm Franklin to the sanctuary of Barrow Hill Roundhouse Museum for our Springwell Branch trip. Welcome hot drinks and refreshments were on sale in the café (and thank you to the volunteer ladies for coming in on a Sunday). In fact they had been there all day, keeping 18 of our Society Stewards fed and watered during their preceding annual training day. As well as refreshing point clipping and manual handling, the main subject had been level crossing safety and operation (open and gated) required for some forthcoming industrial trips with 'Molly' (hint). It was interesting on many levels, as with most railway operating matters there was far more to it than meets the eye.

Talking of Molly, the Society's riding vehicle, she was the passenger accommodation for our three trips at 15.30, 16.00 & 16.30 (around 40 members on each). The star of the show was 08956 (usually based at Serco Railtest/AEA Technology Derby Railway Technical Centre) on the front, built 27 Jun 1962 she had very little, if any, recorded passenger usage and looked very smart in dark green. On the back was 03066 a Barrow Hill resident in British Rail blue - perfectly matching Molly's current livery. 'Top & tail' the locos ran from Roundhouse Halt platform to the end of the Springwell Branch, back to the platform then to end of line again before returning to the platform. For many there it was their first experience of 'Molly' the mess van and, due to Covid, actually her first run since our 16 Nov 2019 'AGM Roundhouse Explorer', unsurprisingly with a name like that, also at Barrow Hill. One participant asked if it had been expensive to transport 'Molly' to Barrow Hill for these trips. 'No, she lives there!'

Each run had 72 chains of haulage from each loco. Pleasingly £2,100 was donated to the Barrow Hill Engine Shed Society from the fixture. Thanks to Kev Adlam and Barrow Hill for the arrangements, also Harry Needle from Harry Needle Railroad Company for the provision of the Class 08. Special thanks to Martyn Brailsford who, apart from his many other interests, is a Barrow Hill Engine Shed Society Director, their P'Way Supervisor and a qualified Person In Charge. Martyn has a massive hat collection and on this occasion was wearing his Level Crossing Attendant hat - much needed as he was absolutely drenched standing in the torrential rain and, at times very heavy hail, for 90 minutes.