Hello all, and thanks for reading this week’s update from Quorn. This weekend, its been a case of getting 1919 ready for release to traffic and pushing on with the Esso (3606, 3621 and 3854) tanks to get them ready for paint.
3621 and 3606 got a last bit of sanding and preparation to remove what has been revealed through the coat of primer. A bit of make do and mend came into play with the sanding disc not sticking to the backing pads. We’ll have to get some more on order!
We took the opportunity with many hands to remove 1919 from the dock and collected together the three Esso tanks on the dock road, after which I removed the OLE warning flashes from all three.
1919 sat on the middle road where Dave touched in some of the black paint and prepared the logos for a coat of varnish. Ernie and Harry replaced the hand rail into the coach after several of the team had received splinters from the last one.
Dave sign wrote the OLE flashes onto 1919, and then applied a coat of varnish over the Shell and BP logos to ensure their longevity. The sanding continued, though the compressor seemed to be struggling and nearly stalling. The fuel pump has developed a serious leak, so it is time for some long overdue TLC for Edward.
I concentrated on welding the blanks to 3606 to cover over where pipes had been installed for its static use. Nick and Ernie looked at removing a tray that had been installed to 3854 and Ernie tidied up the weld remnants.
Dave and I undertook the final inspection of 1919, checking it before output and completing our form ready to hand over to Jamie. I checked the flange gauge against the calibration specification, and found it to be spot on. With help from Tom and Dan, we undertook a test of both the air braking system and the vacuum through pipe. The through pipe was satisfactory, however the air brake system appear to not be working which requires further investigation.
The team undertook another shunt to release both 3606 and 3854 to turn them on the turntable. This allows us easy access to both vacuum cylinders, the former to refit and the later to remove and overhaul.
Edward was stripped and drained down, with some other issues found including a failed water pump bearing and the silencer no longer being connected to the exhaust. Charlie and Dan gave everything a few coats of heavy duty degreaser and washed it off, making it a lot easier to trace any further leaks.
With 3606 been turned, Nick decided to refit the overhauled vacuum cylinder with assistance from Oliver and James.
Mark, Tom and James concentrated on the last bits of old paint and tar on 3606, which is now ready for primer.
Edward has become top priority now as we need him for compressed air, but we’ll keep moving with the tanks and get them painted. Come sand see how we get on next week. Thanks again for reading!
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