Restoration diary

Richard Dale, Mark Burrows and I were on site yesterday. Richard started inspecting the wiring to the cab warning lights I had installed some years ago, in preparation for testing of those circuits. I fitted the CU5 radiator fan unit and tidied the cables leading to the two new terminal bars we put in. This doesn't sound a lot of work, but anyone w...

​Richard and I managed to attend for two weekends in a row and together we achieved quite a bit. The new headcode box lamp frame was fitted in No.1 cab, all the internal bulkhead lights had new lamps fitted and the instrument lights in No.1 cab. We were happy with the tests of the lighting circuits at 24v to put the full 110v into them through...

An extra day today with just Richard and myself on site. Richard brought some angle-iron and flat plates he had made, so we could create a bar for new lampholders to go behind the headcode box lenses, as both headcode boxes are missing the original lampholders and whatever framework they were attached to. We checked his original measurements, then ...

​Dave Rolfe, Mark Burrows, Carl and Sofy Looker, Jay Hirst and I were on site today. Mark was sorting out the shims for when the ETH generator is fitted into Repulse, then removed the elbows from the broken airpipes in both cabs, to allow more room for the repairs. Dave carried on sorting out the stuck radiator louvres, and assi...

Dave Rolfe and I were on site today. Dave was dismantling part of the radiator louvre system, as one side was not operating when we tested it with an air supply last week, as reported before, to try and discover why the shutter blades didn't move. Dave subsequently discovered that the seals on the two air engines for this set of louvres&n...

Dave Rolfe, Richard Wade, Jay Hirst, Mark Burrows and I were on site today. Richard carried on checking the battery isolation switch and shore supply and battery charge wiring. Jay and I attempted to fit the upper internal panel that goes above the change end switch in No.1 cab, but most of the mounting holes didn't line up, so we looked ...

Mark Burrows, Dave Rolfe and I were on site today. Mark brought back the 16 overhauled fuel pumps, and they were placed in store for now. Dave started pressure-testing the two air engines that operate the rad fan shutters on either side of the radiator compartment now replacement covers have been fabricated for the EP valves, as the originals ...

​Dave Rolfe, Richard Dale, Jay Hirst and I were on site yesterday. Richard finally finished drilling and tapping the fixing holes for the mounting plate for the change-end switch in No.1 cab, a difficult job because most of the holes are either at floor level, or right next to structural supports for the cab desk and the bulkhead the driver's ...

​Dave Rolfe, Mark Burrows, Richard Wade, Jay Hirst and I were on site today. After barring round the power unit and oiling the turbos, Dave and Mark began investigating the broken air pipes I'd discovered under the floor in No.1 cab, finding virtually all those that dive through the plating under the cab floor had corroded away, on both t...

Jay Hirst, Richard Wade and I were on site today.We fitted and reconnected the driver's side tail lamp unit, not the easiest of tasks, as access to put the nuts on the bolts is difficult under the driver's desk. We then belled out and marked all the wires from the change-end switches in both cabs. The mounting plates that hold the change-end switch...

Jay, Richard, Dave, Mark and I were on site today.Dave has been continuing to identify and clean sections of pipework for the brake frame. He has also devised a test-rig for testing various valves to see which ones work. Mark could only stay until midday so he barred the power unit round and oiled the turbos. Mark had brought one of the change-end ...

Jay, Dave and I were on site today. Dave has been busy refitting various water pipes from the radiators that go through the filter compartment to the power unit. Jay helped me reconnecting the cables to the cab switch panel above the driver's position at no 1 end, but we lost the light before we could fix the panel in place.

​Dave Rolfe, Jay Hirst and I were on site today. Dave is continuing to paint pipework in the engine compartment, and has started to refit various filters. The first pic shows painted fuel pipework. Jay helped me finish rewiring the centre desk panel in No.1 cab. We then moved into No.2 cab to bell out the same bunch of cables. Fortunately, the...

Ian Kemp decided to go to site today as it was a bank holiday and he wasn't working. Wes Needle was available too so I went as well.Quite a productive day, Wes was in No.1 cab again, fitted the windscreen washer control and washer button he'd overhauled, and made a repair to a conduit under the floor. He took away a section of cab panelling to rep...

A good day on Sunday, despite the Arctic wind in the morning. Wes Needle had a very productive day. He started the day by cleaning the debris from under No.1 cab floor on the second man's side. Then, with Dave's help, they checked the operation of the handbrake mechanism under the floor. They found that the pivot nut required tightening and a new s...

Dave Rolfe, Wes Needle and I were on site on Sunday 17th February. Peak Rail have been reorganising their site during the first weeks of 2019 and opportunities for work parties were also limited by the weather. Dave was removing the brake adjustment parts off the bogies, as he'd identified some that were either worn or where there appeared to be ...

Mark Burrows and his Robert plus myself were on site today. Mark and Robert carried on where my partner Mae had got to on the no.1 end cabsides of 50030, removing rusty paint bubbles, grinding and sanding smooth where possible, then adding filler, sanding again and priming, then painting with grey undercoat. When purchased in 2002, both 50029 and 5...