A big thank you to everyone who supported Saturday’s Autumn Diesel Day. Both D5310 and 6940 performed well and driver experiences with 08195 proved popular.
The weather was kind, with a dull start giving way to a warm and bright Autumn afternoon in the Dee Valley. LR Press Officer George Jones was on hand to capture the two superb images below of 6940 and D5310 leaving Berwyn (he did well to get off the train, run up the A5 and get to this popular vantage point looking back at the Chain Bridge before the RA indicator lit for departure!).
Thanks are due to George for sending us these images.
The evening’s Beerex working with 6940 was well attended with both working volunteers and enthusiasts, with the draft real ale selling out. A massive thank you to Paul Bailey for making this happen. My photo below shows the evening crew, Messr’s Ross and Jones with Group Members Edwards and Shilliam enjoying their fish supper before departure.
And coming out of the dark at Glyn it’s………..
This was the culmination of a very successful week for the Group, with significant progress made on D1566’s power unit overhaul. The 47’s engine top end is now completely dismantled and all components safely stored. A major clean up of the block has been performed, with over 25 years worth of accumulated grime being removed. 4 broken and loose head studs have been found, which will require remedial action, but two new studs are already in our stores. The exhaust manifold has also seen attention, as shown in the photo below. The bolts broke when removed, so these have been ground out and re-drilled and tapped by Mark Smales. Thanks to Bryn Jones for the photo – I can be seen up to my neck in power unit, while Iain attends to the top of the block. Each day saw at least 4 Group members in attendance, allowing us to get ahead of where we wanted to be by Friday.
The removeable section of the roof has also received attention but will need removal again to deal with a nasty dose of ironworm. New sections will be made to replace the corroded areas. The photo below shows Iain Ross removing the rain strip in preparation for cutting away the corroded sections. A small section has been cut out to act as a pattern to allow a new profile to be formed.
And here’s the problem – nearly 50 years out in the elements. Note the previous crude repair of pop-rivetting thin aluminium section over the holes. The plate had a roll date of 1992, so we suspect this is preservation era, but we’re not sure! Either way, the butting up of aluminium to unprotected steel in an area regularly doused in water will have set up a tidy galvanic cell and accelerated the rot.
So, here we are again at the end of another running season. Attention will soon be turned to preparing 6940 for Winter. Further work will continue on D1566 with new transition joints soon to be ordered. D5310 will also finally get her long-awaited oil change.
Thanks again to all who have supported us – both as volunteers and passengers throughout 2013.