Cladding the Villa

The work last weekend consisted mainly of adding aluminimum sheeting to the outside of the villa (the wooden workshop used by the Project 27 gang). The cladding is being carried out to repair the poor condition of the wooden outer skin of the building.  This is seen a short to medium term until a decission is made on the possible rebuilding of the workshop which will assist the project and other groups that use the area. This work will be carried out in conjunction with the loco director and other  interested parties.

It is hoped to add some pictures of the work to this post later in the week.

Hanging on the brakes!

Work begins on refurbishing smaller parts of the loco

Two of the brake cross members of the brake rigging - Photo: Tom Murphy

A good start was made on the parts that go to make up the brake rigging on the loco this weekend, starting with the rear cross beam.  This was thoroughly cleaned by a couple of volunteers who have worked their way through to membership of the railway via the 9F Club, our club for youngsters who want to come to the railway and get their hands dirty without Mum being too upset!  The picture above shows the beam in "before" condition waiting to be worked upon.

The brake cross beam following cleaning by Paul Booth - Photo: Tom Murphy

The surface rust and minor corrosion was removed using wire brushes and "emery" paper to produce a good bare metal surface ready for the application of a good coat of red oxide primer. this took a considerable effort and thanks must go the the lads for their hard work.

Paul applies the paint - Photo: Tom Murphy

A good coat of red primer was applied to all of the cleaned surfaces of the beam to protect it whilst it is in storage.  Nearer the time the parts are needed for erection onto the locomotives frames, a minor clean up will take place, followed by another coat or two of primer before the final paint work is done.

Finishing off - Photo: Tom Murphy

 A job well done by the lads, this sort of work can be quite tedious, but is a vital part of the restoration process which results in such splendid results turned out by the Bluebell Railway.  Without the firm foundations provided by this type of dedication, the paint jobs on the locos would be nowhere near as good as those that are turned out.

If you would like to be involved with this vital work, please drop an E Mail to thefenchurchfund@gmail.com for further information.

More marking out!

Marking out the Axlebox Centre Lines

Area of surface rust sanded to produce a suitable surface for marking out - Photo: Clive Emsley

The rear axle box positions were re-established on Sunday. This was achieved by power sanding the area to be marked to give a good surface for the marks to be seen, the area was then given a thin coat of "Engineers Blue" which allows marks to be easily seen when scratched on.



The same area with the "Engineers Blue" applied and the first cross marked on for the centre line - Photo: Clive Emsley

The picture above shows a cross marked on the "Engineers Blue". This is the bottom of three mark that are applied using a set of dividers located in the Trammel Marks either side of the horn guides.  There will be another two marks above this one and these will be centre punched and joined with a vertical line.

Stuart Marks, The Restoration Manager, marking the vertical line between the three marks - Photo: Clive Emsley

Other works that were going on over the weekend were the refurbishment of the "Villa", our small self contained workshop. The inside is being reconfigured and some repair / recladding of the walls will need to take place, plus the heating will need to be updated. 

The outside of the building will be partially re-clad with some recovered aluminium sheeting, and some repairs will be carried out to the window surrounds. This is seen as an interim solution to improving our working environment and that or other groups that use the area.

Following some discussions between the Project and the Locomotive Director, we now have three new responsible posts within the project.  Project manager, Restoration Manager and Restoration Engineer.  These posts are currently held by Clive Emsley, Stuart Marks and Matt Holloway respectively.  The situation has not really changed, just formalised, and we will probably go on much as we were!

Photos of last weekends activities

Pictures of the PROJECT 27 work and display stand

The 7mm scale model of 1027 built by Stuart Bardouleau which should have been on display at the weekend!
Photo: Clive Emsley

Firstly an apology that I forgot to take the O gauge model of 1027 with me at the weekend, and thus depriving you all of seeing it!  As I posted earlier, we had a good weekend on the fundraising side and Stuart Marks got some very important work done on the loco without the usual interruptions!
Below is a selection of pictures to illustrate what we got up to.

Claire and "Harry" modelling the PROJECT 27 Tee shirt and cap Photo: Clive Emsley

A selection of the stock that we were selling at the weekend Photo: Clive Emsley

A diorama of 32636 (Fenchurch) on the Cuckoo Line inspired by a picture in the Bluebell Railway Archives
Built and photographed by Clive Emsley

A selection of models displayed on the PROJECT 27 stand ready for the forthcoming "Cowfold" layout
Photo: Clive Emsley

 

The Front Right axle box guide showing fresh paint following cleaning and identification of datum marks - A couple of close ups follow below Photo: Clive Emsley

 

the three vertical centre popped marks found and improved by Stuart Marks show the centre line of the front right axle box. This will be a useful guide to getting the loco set up correctly during the restoration
Photo: Clive Emsley

One of the "Master Datum" points on the frames of the loco. The missing datum marks were reinstated using these marks.
Photo: Clive Emsley

The freshly cleaned and painted front end of the frames
Photo: Clive Emsley

The (scrap) left hand tank from loco 27 which will be used for component recovery
and as a pattern for a new tank to be constructed.
Photo: Clive Emsley

I hope that these pictures give you an insight into what is currently going on with the locomotive and our fund raising activities. If you would like to join us, please E Mail thefenchurchfund@gmail.com for more details of how you can help.

I will be carrying out an on site survey of the tank and producing drawings for it to enable new tanks to be constructed.  The drawings will be produced on a modern CAD package in the not too distant future. The tanks will be constructed at the right time so as not to take up space in the works yard, yet be ready to put on the loco at the most appropriate time.

Thank you for your interest in the project we aim to keep this blog updated on a weekly basis, so please come back at intervals to see the progress!

Bluebell Railway Modellers Weekend

Activity this weekend

The fund raising team had a stand at the Bluebell Railway Modellers weekend which was a worthwhile use of the weekend! We sold many items of model railway equipment and other items (as well as taking donations of stock to replace that sold).  The team consisted of Clive and Claire Emsley, Andrew Waller (who travelled down from Northamptonshire for the day), Stuart Bardouleau and Jim Turtle.  Thanks must go to them and also to those who supported us by buying or donating over the weekend.

On the restoration front, Stuart Marks spent Sunday locating and reinstating datum marks on the frames.  He used a pair of dividers located in known datum marks to re-locate some that have been lost over the years.  Once marked with the dividers, the mark was centre punched so that it becomes "permanent" and available during the erection stage of the restoration.  This is a precision job and one that cannot be hurried. If the marks are in the wrong place, the loco will not be assembled correctly and therefore will not work correctly.

If you would like to help us there are various ways of donating, including our "Just Giving" page at https://www.justgiving.com/Project27/

Or for Text donations Simply text "FENC72 £10" to 70070 to donate £10
    - you can donate £1, £2, £3, £4, £5 or £10;
    - you can also elect to Gift Aid your donation;
    - your operator's standard text charge applies.
We are just about to update our Standing Order Forms in conjunction with the Bluebell Railway Trust, so if you would prefer to donate by Standing Order, please bear with us.

Thanks for reading this far.  Pictures will follow in due course.

Another dirty Weekend!

Plenty of wirebrushing going on this Weekend 



No. 27 as "Primrose" sitting on the pumphouse siding at Sheffield Park - Photo The Fenchurch Fund Collection

 This weekend's activities consisted of plenty of scrapers in use together with wire brushes and a chipping hammer. The 9F club spent some time on Sunday morning scraping an accumulated built up "crud" from the outside of the frames before they moved onto other projects. Following their departure, the attention switched to the inside of the frames where the Project 27 team used an electric wire brush, chipping hammer and other manual tools to remove some of the corrosion round the area of the cylinder location.  Care was taken to identify any datum marks on the frames during the process. These marks assist in the erection of the locomotive, and will be invaluable as time goes on to provide an accurate location for various items, including the cylinders, axle boxes and motion. To look at the area of work after the day I would not expect anyone to notice any real difference, but the begining of the preparation of a good quality restoration has begun. This project is being treated as a restoration rather than an overhaul due to the loco being out of traffic longer than, and in a similar condition to, some of the "Barry Wrecks" that are now working on various railways (including ours!). 

There is plenty of, un-glamourous hard work to be carried out before we can start putting the loco back together, so if you are at a loose end any weekend, please contact thefenchurchfund@gmail.com to see how you can help us.

This weekend, we were given a kind donatation from someone who wishes to remain anonymous of a reasonably substantial amount of money. A huge thank you is sent to the donor from the Fenchurch Fund Committee.

Next weekend we will be having a "monster" display and sales stand at the Bluebell Modellers Weekend. We will be located in the Birch Grove Suite at Sheffield Park.  This location is quite appropriate as loco 473 (Birch Grove) has our whistle on it! We will be showing a selection of Bluebell and other locomotives including a selection of P tanks in various liveries, terriers also in various liveries and a couple of 009 gauge layouts plus a few dioramas. If we can arrange it, we may be displaying some of the parts removed from the loco for restoration, and a few new parts that have been made ready for putting onto the loco at the appropriate time. Please come along and have a chat with one of us on the stand, who knows, maybe you will leave with a jar of marmalade!!  If you would like to lend a hand on the stand preferably on Sunday, but either day, please send an E Mail to the address above and I will let you know the details.
Thank you for reading this far and don't forget to keep popping back for the latest news.

Project 27 in Print

Off to the Front!

Off to the Front by Clive Emsley

A report appeared in the latest Railnews, that was submitted by your culprit, regarding the 100th anniversary of the SECR's involvement in the First World War.  It included the picture above and another together with a short description of why we held the event.
It is good that the article will be seen industry wide as it is available in most Network Rail, and their suppliers offices, and it will hopefuly get the word out to a wider audience.
Thanks to the editorial team at Railnews and the press office at the Bluebell Railway for their assistance.
If you would like to help us either financially or physically, please E Mail the fund at thefenchurchfund@gmail.com for further information.