Progress on 7820

Two new springs for 7820 this means we now have spares for the loco so that when she is running a broken spring will not stop us earning whilst a replacement is obtained.

Cleaning and painting the break gear compensators

 with the remains of GWR 2-6-2 4115 and Sir Lamiel in the background.

Cleaned and painted bogie underframe.

Progress on the cladding

Replacement splasher being fabricated. What the photo doesn't show is the pin holes in the lower section of the old one. The curved section of the old splasher is missing because it was not corroded and has already been recycled to repair another piece of cladding.

Dressing the weld between new and existing pieces of cladding.

After rubbing down and painting the cladding is ready for fitting to the boiler. Final painting will be done on the loco.

Meanwhile manufacture of more drawgear cups to house the compression rubbers continues. These will be kept in stock for the second tender or to replace any on the working locos when overhaul or replacement of coupling hooks with one of the new batch of GWR hooks we are manufacturing and supplying to other groups becomes necessary.

Cleaning up the front end.

Now that the bogie has been removed work has shifted to the front end of the frames and the frame extensions. Much claening, scraping and painting will see this area looking as tidy as the back half.

What is usually hidden below the cylinders and above the bogie. Easy access now makes the clean up far easier.

The back of the cylinder block with the frame extensions to the top of the photo.

The bogie frame nearly cleaned and ready for paint.

You never know what you will find lurking under the front end of a steam engine, fortunately in this case it was just a hard working volunteer.

Making more new pins.

Trainee lathe operator happy at work making pins. (perhaps more concentration on the job in hand rather than the camera would be good!)

New pins being drilled for the split pin. Note the old worn pin on the corner of the table.

Putting the flats on the head to enable the pin to be rotated once installed. This allows easier installation and extraction of the split pin.

The machinist at work. (Note concentrating on job not camera!)