26043 Restoration: 2002

More information, and photos from this year can be found on the 26043 fotopic site here.
 

10th April 2002

26043. Work on the loco slowed a little over the last few months as effort was concentrated on preparing the Peak for the body lift and traction motor change. Rewiring of the fire bell and lighting switch in No.1 cab is underway. Repairs to damaged electrical conduits to the triple pump and driver's side exhauster have been undertaken. The secondman's side control desk has been removed to allow repairs to the cab floor. The desk was dismantled and the old damaged laminate removed. It was then thoroughly cleaned, sanded, has been re-laminated and reassembled with new fixings and stored. New steel is being welded in to replace that rotted over the secondman's windscreen, the rotten wood supports for the inner cab skin are being replaced with new timber and the boiler room brake frame electrical junction box rewiring has been completed.

11th September 2002

Protracted problems with the cooler group, mainly involving the difficulty of replacing blown gaskets in the underfloor pipework between the radiators and triple-pump due to extremely limited access, has meant there has been little progress elsewhere on the loco. On the plus side, once the coolant system could be filled, the radiators on both sides all seem sound, although the secondman's side rads. have been removed anyway for pressure testing and to renew their seals, while the driver's side rad. area is now complete again, with all pipework and the airduct reconnected. In No.1 cab, the lighting switches from the secondman's control desk have been attended to as several were stuck, and all five now work freely. The remains of the rusted electrical trunking has been cut away from No.1 cab secondman's side floor, and the wiring removed and labelled, in preparation for repairs to the cab floor and secondman's cabside. Several other sections of cab floor trunking have also been repaired. In the engine compartment, cleaning continues of the cantrail air grills, and the double arrows and "Scottie Dog" depot plaques have been removed from No.1 cabsides, cleaned and stored for possible future re-use.