July 2006 :: Fotopic.Net

July 2006

1st July 2006

Apologies for the lack of updates recently, but a problem with the anti-virus software that is meant to help your computer stopped mine from working properly! It should be business as usual again now!

Sunday 2nd had Alan and Chris on site for the majority of the day. Alan continued overhauling the latest brake cylinder whilst Chris worked on the electrics. At the end of the day, we had both headlights working on the loco - something we hadn't achieved up until now!

Sunday 9th saw Joan, Doug, Alan and Chris on site. Alan refitted the latest overhauled brake cylinder back together and this will be installed on the loco during this month, replacing the worst condition brake cylinder on the loco. Once Alan had dealt with the brake cylinder, he continued working in the fan room getting more area ready for painting. Joan continued with the painting of the engine room ceiling assisted by Chris. At the end of the day the area we have been working on was fully painted in undercoat and just awaited a top coat of paint. Doug cleaned out the inside of the Secondman's control panel in Number 2 Cab and then painted the area with anti corrosive paint. After Chris had finished the ceiling in the engine room with Joan, Chris took a seized DSD holdover switch apart, freed the mechanism and then found new bolts for the switch. New mounting holes were drilled in the back of the switchbox and the hole switchbox was then rubbed down and painted into primer. A plate off the bottom of the Secondman's control panel in Number 2 Cab was removed by Chris and straightened out as it had becone rather out of shape over the years.

Saturday 15th saw Chris on site on another scorching hot day. Some remedial work was carried out on the headlights before the loco was started up and moved to the normal location on the test track. Movements of some of the steam loco bits stored alongside us mean that the loco keeps having to be moved as wherever it is parked one day it is in the wrong place the next day. At least it gives us a reason to have a play! The Secondman's seat in Number 1 Cab had been bolted down temporarily using the same crews that bolt the floor panels down. Doug managed to obtain the correct type of bolts from a local hardware shop and so Chris took the opportunity to install the correct bolts. The bolts were a straight swap for the screws used previously so it wasn't to long a task. Next on the list was a top coat of paint for the ceiling that we have been working on in the engine room. Due to the high temperatures it was decided to commence rubbing down Number 2 Cab as at least there was a draft in the cab not like the sauna of the engine room. One section of the front of Number 2 Cab was rubbed down and then painted with a coat of primer. Rather than stripping all of the paint off in one go, each surface will be rubbed down one at a time and then painted with primer. This will save a lot of time having to re-rub down parts that would go rusty if all the cab was rubbed down at once. A couple of redundant brackets from the windscreen washer system were removed from inside the Cab and put into store incase we need them again one day in the future.

Sunday 16th saw Alan on site continuing with the painting of the fan room. The weather is definitely helping the painting of various places this time of the year.

Sunday 23rd saw the annual barbeque for the restoration team. The majority of the team were able to make it with only a couple of exceptions. After a morning working on the loco, we had a barbeque in glorious sunshine followed by golf and football afterwards. Doug and Joan started top-coating the engine room ceiling and got about half-way through before the heat got too much in the engine room. Alan and John adjusted the tappets on the engine and it certainly sounds a lot better afterwards. Chris jacked and packed the track before the running session in the afternoon as the track had sunk slightly in a couple of locations. After the barbecue, the loco performed many runs along the test track much to the surprise of a couple of visitors. Thanks to Pat Seale for the action shot of the loco.

1200x1600 2ndMans_panel_cab2a.JPG	1600x1200 Headlight_works_.JPG	1200x1600 2ndmans_panel_Cab2b.JPG	500x664 Tappets_1.jpg
500x376 Tappets_2.jpg	500x376 Secondmans_Panel_2Cab_1.jpg	960x640 37254_pictured_by_Pat_Seale.jpg