Number of volunteers 7. Adam Booth, Rob Mason (the "A" team) , Jim Gough, Dave Garnett, Kris Mason (Team Jim), Jason Lovell and Phil Cribbin

Because there was so many of us for a change we had a quick meeting in the coach to determine what we were going to do. Rob and Jim went off to the stores to get the TMB ducting that runs under the cab floor. Adam, Jason and Phil went on a search and rescue party to find one of the pannier doors that needs extensive restoration. Dave and Kris gave the newly finished and primed engine room TMB ducting a coat of undercoat. When Rob and Jim returned with the cab floor ducting a discussion then started to exactly why we needed it for making the short nose TMB ducting. As there are several electrical conduits that need to be fitted before the cab ducting can be fitted Jim decided that it would be better to put the ducting in Paddy and clean it off and paint it with primer. Jason and Phil went off to do this. Jim then helped the "A" team get the plasma cutter set up and gave them a very quick lesson on how to use it to help dismantle the pannier door as a grinder could only access some of the welds that needed cutting. Meanwhile Dave and Kris went hunting for the two pieces of U channel steel that Jason had made a couple of years ago to mount the short nose TMB blower on. When they had been located they had to be marked up under the TMB for drilling the mounting holes. As there is nowhere to mount any lifting tackle, team Jim had to struggle with the TMB to rest it in place on the U channel pieces.

After a break for lunch team Jim drilled out the holes in the U channel and the A team carried on dismantling the pannier door. Jason and Phil then set on fitting gaskets and mounting the TMB in the cooler group which proved to be a very tight fit indeed. It took them the best part of the rest of the day to get it to fit after several false starts. Dave and Kris then went hunting for four suitable nuts and bolts to captivate in the U channel. After they had been found the welder was taken to the loco and the nuts were welded to the underside of the U channel and then that was welded to the floor. Jim instructed Dave, Kris and Rob into how to weld thick steel together, each having a turn in welding the U channel to the loco floor. After the welding was finished everything was packed away back in the coach.

Sunday 12th Aug

Number of volunteers 4 Adam Booth, Jason Lovell, Andy Walton and Lee

The day started off with Adam and Andy Walton fitting the traction motor ducting that is located in the engine compartment. The ducting has been made from scratch by team Jim as the original was missing from the loco. Jason had painted two sides of it in gloss paint the previous evening and had also cut two gaskets the previous evening. The duct was carried around to the loco and a test fitting was made. It appeared to fit fine without the gaskets but with both gaskets in place using the thinnest gasket material the fixing holes didn't appear to line up correctly. Two or three attempts were made to get it to fit correctly but to no avail. In the end the decision was made to place a gasket to the floor joint with some sealant and then just to use silicon sealant on the upper joint that fixed to the cooler group bulkhead to make it air tight.

So silicon was applied to all surfaces then the duct put into place and the holes lined up and bolts placed the through 20 holes (10 on each flange). Then a start was made to tightening up the nuts and bolts that passed through the cooler group bulkhead. This was quite a time consuming process due to accessibility issues in the cooler group. As this was being finished off Jason (Jason was working on making some new sanding gear brackets for the class 14) appeared with Lee who is a new volunteer to the diesel department. Once tightening up the nuts and bolts through the bulkhead was completed it was decided to stop for lunch…..

After lunch a start was made to tightening up the nuts and bolts where the ducting fixed to the engine room floor. Andy climbed under the loco and between the axles of the bogie at the engine end. Then with assistance from Adam, Lee and Andy tightened up the 10 nuts and bolts….

With the ducting fixed in place attention turned to refitting the air tank frame in the nose end of the loco next to the cooler group. This was removed while the traction motor modifications were carried out. It was carried round to the loco and placed into position and the bolts pushed through the holes. Adam then went under the loco, Adam having to climb in between the wheel sets to gain access to the nuts that were placed on the bolts. Andy then tightened up the bolts from above while Adam held a spanner on the nuts.

In the meantime Lee applied a coat of gloss paint to the two unpainted sides of the ducting and also some touch up of the other two sides. With these jobs completed they tidied away the tools and called it a day….

The next working weekend is September 8/9 - If you wish to lend a hand please contact Chris Tatton