As might be expected work this weekend at Llangollen centred round getting the 110 and the 127 ready for the gala this coming Saturday and Sunday. Some work was done on the 110’s doors, some of which have the sticky door syndrome much beloved by first-generation units while the 127 was having its saloon windows put back in and some new wooden pieces fitted internally. The opportunity was also taken to fit the unit with an updated fire detection system as the old one was life-expired. The Wickham unit had an A Exam while Class 108 56223 has had a thorough clean out and has had its curtains washed and refitted.
Over at Butterley work to complete the M Exam on the 108 blue and grey set has been almost completed with oil and filter changes for both of the engines and new fuel filters all round.
On the rails this week has been the Wickham at Llangollen, while unfortunately the use of the 141 at the Midland was cancelled over the weekend due to a shortage of guards.
Class 127 Power Car 51618 has made its long-awaited re-appearance outside Pentrefelin shed after its mammoth rebuild over the winter. The extent of the work that's been done both inside and out can be seen - it's hoped that it will be in a fit state to be in use at the forthcoming gala which takes place on June 2nd and 3rd.
The new wall panels have been fitted inside the saloon and the ceiling has been secured with beading, while the recently restored window surrounds have also now been fitted.
Over the weekend the two operational units were refuelled so that they can cover the next few weeks and there were also investigations into the recent issues of slow runback of the engines on the Wickham unit. Eventually the fuel pump governor was found to be full of diesel rather than oil and with that changed it's hoped that things might improve.
Some work has also been done on the fire system on 51618 which is being updated to a more modern type as has been done with the majority of the rest of the fleet.
There has been a concerted effort over the weekend to progress the work on Class 127 Driving Motor Brake 51618 so that it will be ready for the gala, which is due to take place on the first weekend in June.
The final bits of woodwork to support the new ceiling were fitted and then the ceiling panels were cut to size and fastened in position. The cab was emptied of all the parts that had accumulated there, the trapdoor for the final drive was repaired and the metalwork along the bottom of the driver’s side walls was given a coat of chassis black.
Out on the rails the Wickham picked up the Friday midweek turns while at the Midland the 141 was used for a couple of school special days.
There was much woodwork underway at Pentrefelin depot over the weekend, with teams working on both Cravens Driving Trailer 56456 and also Class 127 Driving Motor Brake 51618.
The first of the new frames that will eventually hold up the luggage racks have been fitted to the Cravens, along with the additional pieces on top, used to secure the ceiling panels into place. The second of the vestibule partitions was secured into place and more timber pieces fitted to the metal body frame which the wall panels will eventually screw into.
In the 127 the second layer of ply flooring was cut, glued and screwed into place. This is now complete although the edges need rebating and there is some more work to do on the access hatch for the final drive.
Investigations took place into a fault which had shown up on the Wickham unit which caused the fire bell to go off intermittently. A relay was removed, cleaned up and adjusted which should solve this issue. A little touching up was also done on the buffer beam while various underframe boxes from the 127 were also cleaned up and repainted.
Over at the Midland a replacement auxiliary heater body has been fitted to 55533, which has solved the water leak problem, but alas the heater doesn’t function because of what is assumed to be a wiring error. However given the current weather this has been deferred for a time and the unit has been released to service.