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.