CVR Wickham Trolley

CVR Nav Bar

The Story of the NSRC Wickham Trolley

13th November 2008

Wickham Type 17 Trolley DE 950021 (Num 590) purchased

The trolley has been purchased by the NSRC from K&WVR for use by the P-Way team. It is powered by a J.A.P engine but as the trolley has not run in 25 years it requires some restoration. It comes complete with its own turntable enabling access to a short section of track positioned at right angles to the running line.

Photo: Dave Gibson

7th January 2009

Wickham Trolley off tracking" equipment installed at Cheddleton

The Permanent Way team have successfully installed and tested
(with a rail trolley) the off tracking equipment for the Wickham Trolley.
The short section of track positioned at right angles to the running line
enables access to the running line using the Wickham Trolley's turntable.

Right: The Trolley now in place undergoes
repair work to the interior and engine

photos: Dave Gibson

Work so far: The carburettor has been removed, stripped, cleaned, painted, tested, reassembled and refitted to the engine. Three Perspex "windows" have been cut to size, drilled off-site and await trial fitting. New nuts and bolts for the window bars (that grip the Perspex) have been purchased and delivered. Various brackets for the throttle, advance/retard and choke cables are in the throes of being manufactured with suitable cable fittings are being sourced from Stockport.

The magneto pickup (spare part from China) has gone to the repairers in Preston, and although it is a direct replacement for the broken one, it transpires that the one fitted was non original. However, the repairer reckons it will do the job, and magneto refurbishment has commenced.

The wooden seat and other bits in that area have all been replaced so you can safely bounce up and down on them once it's mobile. New wood has arrived for the roof trims and a new canvas roof covering is on order. The timing needs setting up accurately; there are still return springs and some odd brackets to fit.

26th April 2009

The Wickham Trolley completed its first 4 mile journey (to Consall & back) for many years on Sunday evening. A tongue in cheek account of the first voyage by Peter Green: "Wear ear defenders and thick pants if sitting near the engine. You don't need one of those vibrating belt thingys to lose weight this will do it for you while you just sit there. My teeth need refilling after last night. Brakes are really efficient and smell good too as does the clutch. It will carry six downhill with a tail wind, drinks too much but that's because the carb needs tuning up a bit hence the backfiring. You need plenty of welly when swinging the starting handle".	Photo's Chris Moxon Right: A YouTube video of the Wickham's first Run can be seen here
Lessons learnt from the first voyage by Paul Moxon: "Have someone fit and muscular to start it; Let it warm up before driving off; Set the throttle and then feed the drive in; Don't open the throttle too wide - it kills the engine; The gradients on the CVR make it wheeze - it currently plods rather than flies up the valley!; Watch your head	on the lamp brackets - they are solid and your head is not!; The Klaxon handle is too long - if you wind it round too vigorously you run the risk of operating the engine kill switch (in front of the Black Lion pub)!"

Wickham Trolley Refurbishment.

The photo (left) and video (below) were taken on Saturday 12th June 2010 when the trolley completed a test run of over 12 miles. The Trolley had spent just under a year out of service completing repairs and chasing faults that were preventing its smooth running.