Apologies for the picture quality this week, the weather has taken a turn for the worst, covering the sky lights and making the shed dull, the yellow / orange light from the sodium lamps doesn't help either.
The week started off with a mammoth shunt to replace 5060 with 5057, 5060 was in the repair shed, whilst 5057 was at the end of number 8 road in the storage shed, you couldn't get any further apart. Whilst we were doing this move, which included turning 5057 on the turn table, the weather threw constant snow showers at us, with around one inch of the white stuff on the ground.
BR mark one, TSO, 5057 was in for repairs to a very bad steam heat leak. The leak was coming from the main two inch pipe situated above the bogie, at a point which was hidden inside the draw gear casting.
The coach was lifted, the bogie rolled out and then lowered onto a slave bogie, this was to give access to the pipe.
The south end bogie rolled out from underneath, it also makes for easier servicing this way.
The south end of the coach sitting on a slave bogie.
The new steam pipe in place, the red oxide painted pipe disappearing into the box section top right, then re-appearing in the galvanised 90 degree bend, centre left, behind the toilet soil pipe. It was in this box section where the leak was, this point also had a difficult bend in the pipe that had to be re-created.
The new pipe had to extend further than planned, going through to the next joint further back. Whilst we are doing this work we are reinstating the toilet radiators. When the coach was refurbished a few years ago we did not have the lifting capacity that we now have, subsequently the toilet radiators were placed in position but not piped up. One of the new pipes to these can be seen top centre.
Julinao has joined us on a three month scheme that the Belgian government is running, he is seen here working on 5057's batteries.
Julinao has also carried out a job for the S+T dept, they wanted the key lock fitted to the third lever. The frame is then due to replace the one at Aviemore north. This will then allow the frame to be unlocked with the single line token (lock to be fitted to number one lever) or when Aviemore Speyside box is switched in, with a key that will be released from the box that will operate lever number 3.
The bad weather brought in additional help in the form of Georgie and Craig of the P-way dept, they helped move along the dogfish ballast wagon by giving it a coat of paint.
Georgie applying the grey undercoat.
Craig on red oxide primer duty
No its not a ghostly appearance, just the reflection from Craig's high vis jacket.
Looking much better by the end of the day.
Richard climbing out of the pit after carrying out brake adjustment on TSO 4777
Then along came Saturday!
Things are improving in the C&W staff numbers department, we had seven members of staff in on the same day, unheard of! long may it continue.
Roger getting to know a buck-eye coupling, which together with Ralph, they had stripped cleaned and greased.
Richard, pipework in left hand, operates the press with the right hand.
Ralph and Roger, looking as if they have lost something.
When not behind the camera I was trying to fix this door on 5057. The door was the subject of an earlier defect report about not shutting properly, it was locked out of use until now. When I inspected it I couldn't believe how big the gap was between the door and the frame, especially when you consider it was all replaced (by me) some four years ago. There was nothing else that could be done other than replacing the door pillar insert with a new one.
