Over at the Midland our team where in involved in a large shunt around of the railway, while the 141 managed to end up next to the concreting hard standing it received some attention to the brake rigging.
The lower panel of door 3 on the secondmands side of the Gloucester trailer was removed, as well as the door lock for servicing. The bottom of the door has now been cleaned of crud, and the drain holes opened up. More of the timber strips around the luggage rack frame have been taken down, trimmed, and put back up. Work has also taken place on the metal work around the doors to ensure a good fit, and smooth working of the doors. A large delivery of insulation has also been sorted away into both Gloucester vehicles, with creative use of a train to train transfer to get it into place.
At some point in the life of the vehicle the inside was sprayed with a coating of red paint, little by little the team are scraping this off to reveal the original surface underneath.
At Llangollen the 104 M exam has been completed, with the last few jobs signed off. It was then cleaned (inside and out), fueled, and positioned ready for the start of the 2020 season. The gutter clean MK1 was also deployed as part of the process.
The Wickham was also fueled while passing the fueling point.
A dud tail/maker light switch in 51933 was changed, and the gear/direction changer was also given some attention.
Work was cut a little short due to the weather, and the extremely high river levels on the Dee, but some parts for 56097 and 51618 also managed to get painted over the weekend.
A major milestone was reached in the Cravens project this week. In first class the entire drivers side wall is now paneled, including the luggage rack backing. Having learnt from bitter experience over the years, the team have also designed and fitted a detachable panel to allow access to the passcom securing bolt, which will allow access when needed.
The vestibule dividing wall has also been treated to a T-cut to bring it back to life.
While inside for bodywork attention, the buffer beam on 51618 has been treated to an appointment with the needle gun, this also invovled removing the lamp brackets to get at some of the awkward bits. The vac dummy hangers also came off as seperate items.
Work on cleaning up and priming the electrical box for 56097 continued, and a collection of items for 51618 including grab handles, bump stops, guard's door and furniture had a dose of cleaning up and primer. This was followed up with a first coat of paint on Sunday.
The end is nearly in sight for the M-exam on the 104. The air system and vacumn systems were the focus of this weekend. Unfortunately the unloader valve didn't like being disturbed, and required more time to usual to sort out. A dose of steam cleaning was also carried out on the radiators. A errant piece of guttering was also reattached above one of the cab doors.
Team Cravens replaced the sliding lights taken away last time from the "new" 108, following refurbishment. The resident insulation expert was then let loose in 51618 to patch up the areas which have been uncovered during the recent bodywork. He then returned to the 105 to complete the ceiling sinulation, and the walls at the back end of the vehicle. The ceiling in the cab has also had some fitted, which should be finished off next time.
Another wall panel has been fitted in to the first class compartment as well.
