October 2006 :: Fotopic.Net

October 2006

1st October 2006

Sunday 1st saw Adrian, Alan and Chris form the working party. Various tasks were undertaken mainly concentrating with the painting of the engine room ceiling whilst the weather was still mild.

Sunday 8th saw the final coat of topcoat applied to the engine room side of the roof hatches by Chris. Alan cleaned up and freed the handbrake indicator at Number 1 end – this is the first time we have had this part of the loco working!

Sunday 15th saw Alan, Joan, Doug, Adrian and Chris on site. It was a welcome return for Joan and Doug after a month's break. The volunteers have sorely missed Joan’s dinners! Alan continued with the overhauling of the handbrake indicators, this time turning his attention to the indicator in Number 2 Cab. Adrian assisted Alan with freeing up the mechanism and removing some of the components for overhaul. Upon inspection of the spring that ensures the indicator moves upwards when the mechanism requires it to, it was discovered that the spring was life expired and requires replacing. The spring was shortened and re-hardened in an attempt to make a temporary repair but it wasn't successful. Alan and Chris continued with repairing a fault with the horns at Number 2 end. One pipe remains to be blanked off before the system is tested again. Adrian, Doug and Chris continued with the repainting of the engine room with 95 percent of the engine room ceiling now in final topcoat. A few small sections require the second topcoat to be applied. Joan commenced painting the back of the electrical cubicle doors from Number 2 Cab with heatproof paint after cleaning them down first. Now that the engine room ceiling is almost completed, the next major project will be the overhaul of Number 2 Cab. Chris re-wired the headlight invertor at Number 2 end after one of the wires had become defective. Doug and Chris then bolted the invertor onto the nose end.

The loco had a peaceful weekend on the 21st and 22nd with almost all of the volunteers working at the Maidstone model railway exhibition organised by the Maidstone area of the Kent and East Sussex Railway.

Sunday 29th saw Doug performing the role of Master Chef vice Joan who had another commitment. Alan, Adrian and Chris were also on site. Chris refitted the protective covers that had been removed from the brake frame sometime ago and reconnected some of the air pipe work in Number 2 end. Chris drained the engine of cooling water to prepare the loco for the approaching winter. Alan and Adrian shortened a new spring so that it could be used to complete the handbrake indicator mechanism – the indicator was cleaned up of all the accumulated dirt and now works perfectly. Whilst testing the handbrake indicator it was suspected that part of the handbrake linkage beneath the cab floor at Number 2 end had become seized. The floor was taken up and all of the Driver’s side of the handbrake mechanism had indeed partially seized. The mechanism was moving partway and then stopping. Because the Driver’s side of the mechanism was partially working and the Secondman’s side was working fully, the metal bar linking the two sides together had become bent. When the handbrake was being released, the Secondman’s side was releasing fully whilst the bar to the Driver’s side was bent into a banana shape! The offending bar was removed by Alan and Adrian and then straightened by Moff. The bar was refitted in its rightful place. The main job for the next few weeks will be to dismantle the complete handbrake mechanism below the cab floor at Number 2 end, clean and inspect all the bushes, pins etc. replacing components where required. Before reassembly, all the components will be greased up to prevent seizing in the future.

600x797 Roof_hatches_before_painting.jpg	1280x960 Handbrake_indicator_working.jpg	960x1280 Roof_hatches_part-way_through_painting.jpg	480x640 Topcoat_for_engine_room_ceiling.jpg
537x413 Joan_painting_cubicle_covers.jpg