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Frames
Most of the work recently seems to have been frames. That’s 45305’s frames being cleaned and painted – it’s much much easier to do it when the wheels are out* and we are very grateful to Alan Cooke for setting to on the job last weekend.
* The wheels were out anyway, we didn’t do it just so we could clean the frames, that would be way over the top even for an association that like to keep their charges clean – but it’s a thought!
The next set of frames receiving attention is the bogie frames for the 5. Again, the job is much easier when the bogie is out from under the frames so Gerry, John Rule, Alison and various other volunteers have been cleaning, touching up and re-painting the bits that can’t usually be reached.
With the bogie out of the frames, you can see the centre pivot.
Then we have the support-coach bed frames. Dave Wright and Hugh Milton have been busy recently making these up in three of the compartments in 17064. The frames are now pretty much finished and painted a smart green colour. The access ladders and vertical struts are bolted in place so they can be removed to facilitate the placing/removal of mattresses, the rest of the frame joints are welded and/or bolted. The beds have been made to fit standard sized mattresses, making sourcing them much easier both now and in the future when / if they ever need replacing.
Work in progress, the frames in the early stages.
The frames finished, painted and with the mattresses in place (still with the plastic bag on, but it surely counts as finished?)
The seats on the opposite sides of the compartments are basically finished as well.
The “Day compartment” has been pretty much finished off, cleaned out and put together which gives the whole coach a boost.
The Day Compartment with first-class seating.
The gas box which was originally off a Mark 1 coach was found to be too big for the Mark 2, so it had to be cut down, Dick Bellamy has made a smashing job of cutting it down and you can barely see the join, it has now been installed under the coach and will no doubt be un-noticed for the rest of its life except when the gas needs to be turned on, off or runs out in the middle of a job!There’s still a fair amount to do in the coach, but seeing the beds and seats in place is a great motivator.
The gas box, not glamorous, but essential nonetheless.
Element parts ready for welding.
Meanwhile, in a shed nearby, Malcolm-the-Welder is busy assembling the superheater elements for 30777 Sir Lamiel, from the kit of parts. This is a time-consuming and fiddly job, and ideally needs two people – Malcolm and a helper to shift elements, hold bits up, fetch, carry and generally facilitate the job. So if any of our regular volunteers reading this are spare tomorrow (Tuesday 15th December) or for the rest of the week – realistically, the job will take until at least Friday, then please come down to Loughborough and give a hand. If more than one person turns up we can always find plenty of work for them so don’t be shy, come on down!