Wednesday 5 June 2013

Maintenance Update

By the time I arrived on Saturday (10 o'clock) Geof, Gil & David had already got the tender brake shoes off.  I offered to help, but they were coping well on their own, so I joined John and worked on replenishing our boot scraper stock ... which is down to zero!  There were 17 sold last weekend, and I put our last 3 into the Flag & Whistle this morning .. at which point, Val came running out waving a cheque from another one sold!  By the end of play, John had prepared 10 chairs, and I had painted 7 tops, 9 bottoms and 19 brushes.

Bruce popped in during the morning with his "homework".  He'd skimmed the seat of a leaking LH clack valve.

Tonya (new recruit) had cleaned various things in the cab during the morning, and joined us for a cuppa.

5 of the 6 brake blocks were replaced, but the 6th is the one where the block had been offset from centre (and featured in a photo a couple of weeks back).  The hanger's supporting bracket was removed and it was found that the hole was oval, and considerably larger than the pin going through it!  This is now in the workshop to be machined and bushed to suit the existing pin.

David struggled to pull the actuating lever from the W-valve, which was clearly a press-fit, and it shouldn't be!  He reamed the hole in the lever to make it a slide fit.  In any case, there is a taper pin to secure the lever in place.  David then replaced the gland packing (which had been reported as leaking steam).



Another leak (this time vacuum) turned out to be a piece of pipe near the "pepper pot".  The end of it was supposed to have been brazed onto the pipe ... but either it wasn't, or it didn't work! 

Bruce has made a new fitting which needs to be welded onto the pipe.  See 2nd photo - the old fitting is above and the new below.  And on Wednesday, Bruce finished it off in readiness.



John cleaned a further 10 rail chairs; P-Way delivered another load for us; and I painted & fitted brushes, replenishing our stock.

Fred was at Winchcombe working on the siphon restoration .. possibly with Ray?

Brian has circulated this bit about removing 2885 from Moor Street station:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-birmingham-22766494

Roger

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