Maintenance Update

Wednesday 11th
No new adverse comments against 2807, having operated on Saturday and Sunday last weekend.  I say "adverse", because there is a comment that the nuts remain tight on the tender brake hangers.  GWSR insist that the hangers must have split pins in the end of the suspension bolts such that there is no chance of the nuts coming loose and dropping off.  meanwhile, they have to be inspected weekly.  They're fine!

Gilbert, John-G, Colin & Ann were working on the siphon.  I was finishing off some boot scrapers.  Then I decided to attack some of the rail chairs that are heavily contaminated with ancient grease.  I managed to chisel it off 5 during the afternoon, and then apply the rotary wire brush to get rid of the last bits.  These, of course, got their own back on me by showering my face, coat and shoes with oily black specs.

Saturday 14th
Rain was threatened for the afternoon, so I started on cleaning rail chairs.  However, David was already underneath 2807 doing more welding to the new ashpan bottom.  The loco had been used last weekend, and all was well.  David wanted to add more weld to the new lower portion on the outside.  This is extremely unpleasant, because he had to stand in the pit beneath the loco and weld upwards.  Furthermore, he added a strengthening angle-iron across the edge of the damper door opening's bottom to reduce the likelihood of the base bowing (which it had before).  This was an all-day task for David, with Gilbert initially giving a helping had (or moral support).

Bruce joined me, and together we cleaned up 14 rail chairs ready to convert 12 of them into boot scrapers.  The other two?  Well, beneath the inch-thick grease on one of them was an 1899 Midland Railway chair which I thought we might sell as-is via eBay, or something; the other is a Swindon-made GWR chair of some age (not sure of date of manufacture, as it only says GWR & SN & 92).

There was a huge pile of "raw" chairs, some covered in grease and most with bolts through them (that needed cutting off).  John decided to tackle this pile, and with Gilbert helping, every one of the forty-plus chairs was de-bolted and stacked neatly ready for prepping.  What a fantastic effort.

We also did some tidying up around our TPO (and I half-inched a July 1942 LMS chair from a nearby sleeper!).

2807 is in service on Sunday - this is her last official service.  She may then be in service on 29 & 30 December, but might just be held as standby loco.  2014 timetable is available on GWSR web site:
http://www.gwsr.com/planning-your-visit/2014-timetable.aspx


Roger