There has been more progress with the dismantling of Great Western Railway 0-6-2T locomotive No. 5643 where the front buffer beam has now been removed.
This will enable access to the cylinders so that new liners can be fitted. Keith and Fred are seen here with the buffer beam which Fred has been attending to with his cup wire brush to remove old paint and rust.
Andy Booth made a start on removing the old tubes from 5643’s boiler on Friday, cutting them from the firebox end first.
The royal coach gang has been turning its attention to some of the smaller but still time-consuming fitting and snagging jobs on Great Eastern Railway No. 5. John Dixon has been re-fitting the brass radiator covers, whilst Sam has wired up the water tank pump in the kitchen which, much to the delight of Phil Bell and John Davis, enabled water to appear through the sink taps. Meanwhile, Anne and Phil Burton have been making mats to go just inside the entry doors of the coach in order to preserve the new carpet. Tim has given the step boards a coat of paint, not easy when people keep climbing in and out of the coach!
At long last, the coupling rod that was acquired from the Didcot Railway Centre for GWR 4-6-0 locomotive No. 4979 Wootton Hall was transported to the FRT shed by Ade on Wednesday, having arrived at Preston in the tender of FR 20 last Monday evening.
A reminder here to all members that the Furness Railway Trust’s AGM will be held in the FRT shed at 7.30 pm next Monday, 25th September. Alison has promised to provide some food, so please ensure that there are enough of you to consume it all!
Finally, it seems that YouTube just keeps providing more good footage of Furness Railway No. 20 during its stay at the Pontypool & Blaenavon Railway, so you might wish to have a look at this: