Friday Maintenance

 Report compiled by Graham

Some of the things over the last few weeks…

Richards I & II looked at two tail lamps and replaced the corroded battery carriers and checked the current drain (they're OK). One lamp had brand new batteries and on the other the batteries were just slightly used.

The south end door on the Covid 1 rake which had been put out of service was checked.  It was found to be working fine, but clear marking on the frame and door edge showing where it has been binding, so attributed to the wet conditions/ drying out and returned to service following a caressing with Vaseline from Stuart.

Stuart fixed various wobbly table legs on the Covid 1 & 2 rakes.

Pad Exam completed on 4772, 4798, 4614 and 9000 (all open coaches OOU in the yard at Winchcombe due to Covid). There was a visit by the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, the Rt Hon Oliver Dowden CBE MP. He had a ride from Toddy to Winchcombe on the footplate of P&O and we took a short break from axle box inspections to watch the train pass. 

Watery emulsion was removed from 4798 South bogie, North axle, Cotswold side, and from 9000 South bogie, North axle, Cotswold side and replaced with nice fresh oil. We use a hand oil pump that looks very much like a big bicycle pump. Waste oil is collected for recycling. 

Martin looked at the distorted A frame on the Covid 2 Brake and measured for reference the bend in the cross member as ~2.25in.   

Peter battled with the cistern on 5042 which remains work in progress.

The flush spindle on the replacement cistern was difficult to remove and sticks when actuated. The spindle was bent and thus twisted the pivot (the expensive bit). A spindle from another valve was “robbed” but it was just a little bit too short. On stripping the valve, it was found that when the pivot twists it jams in the housing the symptom in use being that the handle does not reach full travel. This not just caused by a bent or worn spindle but a spindle that has seized between spindle male square & the pivot square socket. They are a difficult to remove and will require some type of extractor. This is witnessed on several cisterns. Forcing the handle is likely to break the pivot.

Pete says he will have to get some spindles made and drawings are now in progress. Since 5042 will not be needed for a while Pete has shifted his attention to 16195 which is missing a cistern.

Further pad exams and interior and exterior “Type” exams were carried out on various vehicles in Winchcombe yard which are destined to be formed into post-Covid rakes.

The lineside clearance team was almost needed to access one axle box…

Some of the vehicles inspected were undergoing work by the main workshop team so we had a few more things to note on the inspection forms than usual due to the WIP state they had been left in.

We found another gangway door that was binding and needed attention. Whilst it was just about possible to close it and reopen it, it needed quite a bit of persuasion, perhaps more than a Guard or TTI would want to provide.