Hello all, and welcome to another weekend’s update from us lot at Quorn. We’ve got a lot of plates spinning at the moment, with lots and lots of tank work going on. We’ve also had a go at track work this week, laying an extension to make ourselves more room for project vehicles.
We’ve continued the push on the tank wagon chassis, CEGB 48521, with Dave, Harry and Ernie making good progress on needling gunning and scraping the scale, corrosion and old paint from the chassis.
Nick, Charlie, Dan, Mark and I sorted out the siding extension, first the vehicles were moved down clear of the joint to the buffer stop. after then the materials were laid out and the buffer stop moved back to make the room for an extra 30ft of rail to be let in.
The primer came out to treat the cleaned down chassis areas, with quick progress being made. A kit of vacuum cylinder parts was retrieved from the van train in the down lie-by, which we’ll revisit later.
With the sleepers laid out and the rails dropped in the chairs, it was time to fit the fish plates and key the rails into the chairs. With a bit of packing done, the vehicles were rolled back down the buffer stop and tidying up around the site and moving the steps back into position.
More needle gunning occurred on Sunday, with more areas receiving the prep, prime and then some satin black top coat.
Now the track has been extended, the attention then turned to the tanks in the yard, giving them a wash. The east side of the rake was tackled, with the west side still to do. The before and after on the yellow Shell Lubricating Oils tank was startling!
While the tank washing took place, Charlie busied himself cleaning and servicing our spare BEV parts.
An unserviceable vacuum cylinder was dropped into one position of the chassis, firstly the dome then the cylinder. This cylinder will never be used, so a supporting strap will be manufactured to ensure the cylinder does not rotate in its trunions. The last job of the day was to push the chassis down into the yard.
Next weekend, some of the teasers and work we are doing will start to make a little more sense. With good enough weather, we will continue down the west side of the tank train prior to its departure on the 25th March.
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