2015 November 7/8 - Start of Working Party Season

Trains have stopped running for now, but there is plenty going on at Pendre


Outdoor Week is well under way and it's time to strip the engines down for winter maintenance and give the carriages some attention. Pendre was full of people undertaking the various tasks the winter brings on.

In the loco shed, work concentrated on locos No 1 Talyllyn and No 2 Dolgoch. Much of the stripping work on No 2 had taken place the previous weekend which gave the working party team a head start.

Tasks completed included:

• removing boiler plugs, mudhole doors and fusible plugs to clean up and inspect for damage
• draining boilers and rinsing them out - this gets rid of the scale build up
• removing firebars and ashpans
• washing and wirebrushing fireboxes
• cleaning out the coal bunkers and preparing for painting
• removing safety valves, pressure gauges and gauge glasses
• giving No 1's motion a really good clean
• removing blastpipes and blower rings from the smokeboxes, followed by giving the chimney and smokebox a good clean

Out in the yard, a small gang continued on extending the back road track.

Down in the West Shed, a gang of two worked on air brake maintenance. They were putting in new triple valves. No 6 Douglas was lit up to test the train. Initial trials of the new triple valves seem to be positive.

Van 22 remains in the paintshop. Work is slowly progressing but there is still a lot to do. Van 16 has also moved in for a quick rub down and varnish.

Many thanks to everyone who came along to help out.

Photos by Karen Willans