Since the load banking of 31463 work has been continuing at Ruddington so here is a roundup of what we’ve been up to.
Remediation work following load bank testing, the fault light was found not to be going bright during tests. A day’s worth of testing with the electrical schematic helped trace a couple of faults, these have been fixed and the fault light now goes bright when faults were simulated.
No. 2 compressor, an issue was noticed during load banking testing so a replacement air intake filter and a new intake pipe have been fitted.
Contract welder I W Locomotive Fabrication Limited has been on site doing several jobs for us. This includes replacing rotten steel on no. 1 nose end panel and frame, around no. 2 driver’s window and No. 2 both nose corner skirts renewed. Repairs to A side radiator grill have been completed. The cab doors have been sticking in the frames so Ian has removed the rotten wood frame on the hinge side, drilled out the seized bolts, and spacer blocks for the door hinges welded in, which is a great long-term fix. Thank you for your great quality work Ian.
T1LC volunteers in advance of Ian’s visit removed the cab doors, the door hinges were checked and required repairs done. Once the welding was completed, we rehung the doors, new shims were made, the doors swung freely and no longer stick in the frame. Fettling with latching catches was also required to make sure the doors shut in the correct position.
In no.1 cab under the floor has been needle gunned on the front portion of the cab, painted and is ready to receive a new floor. The remaining panels will be lifted and the floor will receive the same treatment in the future.
The radiator tunnel has been stripped of paint and is in the process of being painted.
Externally prepping of the body for repaint has started, at the moment using the needle gun on the body and cab roofs to get the bulk of the paint off and then follow with a sander before we start to paint. Several windows have been removed and put into store. The engine room door and grills have been removed on A side, the grills have started to be rubbed down and some have received their first coat of paint. Lamp brackets on no.1 cab have been removed, stripped and painted. The no.1 nose cover has been stripped of paint. At the moment although we are in a shed we are doing battle with the weather due to the body being so cold when the temperature rises the body has moisture and this puts a stop to sanding and painting so we’re having to pick our days for these tasks.
The loco cooling system has been drained as it was water only and with the temperature drop, we don’t want any freezing damage.
