Frames & Wheelset: The loco frames were in a bit of a state as you will see from the photos later in this section although by the time they were stripped down they had been exposed to the elements on and off for few months too. Much of the work required just an awful lot of cleaning, preparation and repainting. The whole lot was cleaned, needle-gunned and wire-wheeled/drelled to leave a clean, rust-free surface for priming, undercoat and gloss finishing - many hours work! The final drive remained with the frames and here, along with a few other places, 6 inches of a coal dust/oil mixture of gunk was removed, most likely dating back to NCB days. A number of loose rivets were found on the brake hangers and axle box guides, these were replaced with fitted bolts. Horn guides were re-aligned and shimmed. The springs were removed from the loco whilst frame renovation took place, these were refurbished off-site. [ next > ] |
