2016 January - Loco Working Weekend 30/31 Jan

The Gang had a lovely long list of tasks to complete over the weekend, covering all the engines lurking in the shed.




Thankfully there were plenty of people around to help out, including four ‘father and son’ teams. Around 14 people attended each day, ranging in ages from 14 to 60s. The Gang managed to work its way through most of the tasks and added a few more as they cropped up.

No 1 Talyllyn was lit up for ‘light steam’ initial testing ready for the boiler inspector’s visit. This is to check the refitted plugs and fittings don’t leak.

No 2 Dolgoch had the ashpan re-fitted, after some work was done on it to allow the firebars to sit properly. Once this was finished, the engine was lit up for ‘light steam’ testing. It turned out the fireman’s side injector was blocked, so this was cleaned out, refitted and checked successfully.

No 4 Edward Thomas had the winter strip finished off and it was given a good clean in the process. The brake blocks were removed, burrs ground off, cleaned up and refitted. The smokebox and backhead were cleaned and painted, as was the inside of the coal bunker.

No 6 Douglas was stripped down which involved dropping the ashpan and washing out the boiler. There is a problem with the springs which is causing the engine to lean over to one side, so some investigation work took place to investigate why. The brake blocks were also removed, but this was because they had seized on the hangars preventing smooth operation. They were removed, cleaned and greased before being reassembled.

No 7 Tom Rolt is still in the works. The new safety valves have been fitted. During the weekend, the rods were removed ready for inspection and for some work to be done on them. The engine is currently ‘the spare’ so won’t get properly stripped down until after Easter. The backhead was painted and a coat of paint put on the buffer beams.

Many thanks to everyone for their help this weekend.

Photos by Karen Willans, group photo by Martin Turner