Progress June 2025

Week Four Tuesday started with drilling the side support strips for the lower coal floor  plus the rear panel on 5164’s bunker  but we are now reaching the position where it’s getting harder and harder to access areas because of all the bits that are now bolted in. The top baffle that supports the upper coal floor had the position … Read More

Progress May 2025

Week Four During the week there was much drilling of angles for the 5164 bunker after which they were all removed to clean out the swarf, de-burr the holes and bolt it all back together again.  The last of the curved joining angle pieces that we need were finally extracted from the old bunker after putting up fierce resistance.   Many of … Read More

Progress April 2025

Week Four Work on 4253 this week has been exclusively cladding with the bits welded together last week getting dressed back and painted,  more retaining bands being cut to length  and the end brackets cold riveted on and the backhead jigsaw having more bits cut and added.  At least with the departure of the 541 tender tank there is more room … Read More

Progress March 2025

Final Week During the week, the filters and operating rods removed from Gervase last week were cleaned up,  the drive chain was removed and, together with the engine sump, was steam cleaned to remove all the muck. Ther mesh screen above the sump was partially blocked by white metal that had dropped on it from a run bearing some years … Read More

Progress February 2025

Week Four As well as the usual three working days this week, four of us travelled up to Leeds on Monday for the funeral of our old friend and colleague Dick Weeks.  RIP Dick, you will be missed. Work on Gervase is progressing with the roof section bought in out of the rain so it could be cleaned, the flaking old … Read More

Progress January 2025

Week Four This week, it was necessary to move 4253 so it could swap positions in the shed with Yank No 65 so all the Lobo had to be taken down before it was pulled outside.  This shot shows the majority of the crinoline bands in position round the boiler and their joining pieces. After it was shunted back into the … Read More