Following complaints about the state of our files and the wearing out of all of our metal saw blades, I bought some more NEW items!!! The chaps will be thinking it's their birthday!
Wednesday 5th
Foul weather - strong winds & driving rain. Hardly fit for working outside. Nevertheless, Gilbert did venture out to the tender. The pit over which it is standing was filling up with water, and the pump had seized. Bruce said the only thing to do was stand on a sleeper rather than in the water. Gil removed the front two brake hanger brackets so that Bruce would fit bolts in the warm & dry TPO, and drill the bolts for a split pin.
While it was not raining hard, Gil also cleaned the tie bars, links and brake hangers ready for refitting them. Mike also assisted Gil.
Each bracket has to be fitted with its bolts and they are drilled to take a split pin as close to the nut as possible. Minor differences in the brackets necessitate this action individually. Bruce was doing this all day.
Having built up a stock of cleaned rail chairs (in anticipation of such a day) I was able to paint 9 black bottoms, 3 Darlington Green GNR 1913, 4 BR(W); do lettering on 3 crimson ones, and fit 14 painted chairs with their brushes.
JC had delivered our new blow-down valve. This is a bit of a sore point, because we had one of these; were advised to get an "Everlasting Blow-Down Valve" instead; and we sold our GWR one. Now the railway has insisted that we get the Everlasting one replaced with a GWR one. The problem was that the Everlasting valve did not match the face on the boiler, hence a joining section had to be fabricated … and it corroded. Bad news, because a failure in that would emit water at maybe 300 degrees C, just below the cab.
Saturday 8th
David, Bruce and Gil continued working on the tender brakes. By rain-stopped-play, the front two brackets were completed, pins secured, hangers hanging, tie-bar tying the two hangers together and brake blocks fitted. Bruce applied the tender handbrake, just to get the brakes to go on this one axle - it'll stop the tender from blowing away!
Gil disappeared to an FLA meeting after lunch, while Bruce and David attacked the rear two brackets. As usual, two out of three holes aligned perfectly.
David also marked a template for the securing holes on the pony truck bearing cover (AKA bell housing; AKA policeman's helmet) ready to machine the new one to fit.
Steve popped in for a cuppa and a biscuit before attending the FLA meeting.
While it was dry (cold and blowy, but not raining) I tackled some more disgustingly filthy rail chairs. These are all pre-WWI that we plan on selling without brushes at suitably themed events. I was just de-greasing the 7th one when the rain set in.
At Tyseley:
The centre wheels have been dropped for the horn guides to be examined.
Roger
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