Restoration diary

Just Dave Rolfe and I were on site. Jay Hirst wasn't available and Mark Burrows had a problem with one of his cars and didn't make it. Dave had removed the missing EP governor from Renown, so I cleaned the contacts then we fitted it at the top of the brake frame in 50030. Not an easy task as the two rear mounting bolts are hidden by the govern...

​Dave Rolfe, Jay Hirst and I were on site today. Dave has been retrieving more sections of air piping and valves from store, cleaning, overhauling and test-fitting them inside Repulse. Jay and I completed assembly of the upper section of the brake frame conduits, and finished installing the new wiring.

Dave Rolfe, Mark Burrows, Jay Hirst and I on site today, plus returning member Wayne Boyle. With photos I'd got of a complete 50, Dave continued to find, clean and paint parts for the brake frame. Mark investigated the smaller airpipes on the brake frame in Renown, which is more complete than what's in Repulse, to help identify what we ne...

​Dave Rolfe, Jay Hirst, Mark Burrows and I were on site today. Mark barred round the power unit and oiled all four turbos again. Dave and I hunted out the big air pipes for the exhauster under the brake frame, finding most of what we need. The rest we either haven't found yet or is missing. Dave then set about cleaning the secti...

Mark and Robert Burrows, Dave Rolfe, Jay Hirst and I were on site last Sunday. Mark and Robert barred the power unit intended for 50030 round again, then did more scraping and cleaning below where the exhauster and motor blower sit at No.2 end. Dave continued working on cleaning and painting various sections of pipework. Jay and...

​Mark and Robert Burrows, Jay Hirst and I were on site yesterday. Mark and Robert barred the power unit round, rotated and oiled the four turbos, then did some more cleaning and scraping off loose paint around the electrical cubicle. Jay and I searched for the brake frame electrical conduits in our storage, finding mos...

Dave Rolfe, Jay Hirst, Carl and Sofy Looker plus myself were on site on Sunday. Dave was continuing fitting various pipework in the radiator and engine compartments of 50030. Jay and I fitted the switch panel above the driver's seat in No.1 cab. We fitted some of the aluminium trim strips, but still need to find several other pi...

Jay, Dave and I were on site today. Dave has been busy refitting various water pipes from the radiators that go through the filter compartment to the power unit. Jay helped me reconnecting the cables to the cab switch panel above the driver's position at no 1 end, but we lost the light before we could fix the panel in place.

​Dave Rolfe, Jay Hirst and I were on site today. Dave was refitting fuel and water filler valves he'd perviously removed, cleaned & painted. Jay and I reconnected the cables to the fuel lift pump and alternator. The cables had all been cut off long ago, so each one was extended with a through-crimp and new ring crimp. The through-crimps we...

A further big step forward in the restoration of 50030 was on Tuesday August 16th 2022. The traction blower motors and vacuum brake exhauster were lifted out of Repulse to allow the areas behind them to be cleaned and repaired if necessary. At a later date we will put back overhauled electrical machines which we acquired separately from the on...

​Dave Rolfe, Jay Hirst and I were on site today. Dave is continuing to paint pipework in the engine compartment, and has started to refit various filters. The first pic shows painted fuel pipework. Jay helped me finish rewiring the centre desk panel in No.1 cab. We then moved into No.2 cab to bell out the same bunch of cables. Fortunately, the...

Wes Needle, Dave Rolfe and myself were on site today. I did this as an extra day as Wes was bringing one of the cable switch panels that goes above the driver's position in No.1 cab, and I need to see how to clean the contacts and wire connectors before we can fit it. Wes helped Dave sorting out door hinges and closers for the engine compartme...

Mark Burrows and I were on site today. Jay Hirst was "unavoidably detained" when his car unfortunately broke down on the way to site.I disconnected seven wires from the base of the CU4 radiator fan control unit, as Mark had found the conduit containing the cables leading to it was badly corroded. Mark was able to disconnect the conduit without...

Mark Burrows, Dave Rolfe, Jay Hirst and I were on site todayMark & Dave spent much of the day re-arranging things in storage to accommodate some items that will be moved soon as we prepare to refer them to 50030.Now we have identified all the wires that go to the roof-mounted switch panel above the driver's side window in No.1 ca...

Mark Burrows, Jay Hirst and I were on site today.Mark carried on painting air filter frames, while Jay and I continued belling out cables in the electrical cubicle.Ian the welder had been on site last week, and had fitted new grip strips to the engine room and generator compartment floors where Mark had cut out the corroded sections, as seen in my ...

​Dave Rolfe, Jay Hirst and I were on site today.Dave had removed the stuck covers on the underfloor cab heaters in both cabs, so Jay and I hoovered them out, checked the heating elements were still good, and belled out the wiring to the switch panel above the driver's positions.We replaced the broken base of the AWS button in No.1 cab and I connect...

Mark Burrows, Dave Rolfe, Carl and Sofy Looker and myself were on site today.Mark finished removing the rust from the engine compartment floor in Repulse where he'd previously cut out the rotten floor treads, generating a Sahara-size dust cloud!. Carl drilled out a rusted floor screw in No.2 cab so I could examine the underfloor heater an...

Mark Burrows, Jay Hirst and I were on site today working on 50030. Mark cut out the last of the rotten floor treads in the engine compartment ready for Ian the welder to fit new treads, while Jay and I belled out and marked the wiring that goes to the switch panels above the driver in both cabs. Photos in this report courtesy Jay Hirst.

Jay, Mark and me were on site today. Mark barred the power unit intended for use in 50030 round three and a half times, added more oil and pumped it round. He also oiled the turbos we are storing for later use on this power unit again.Jay and I carried on belling out wiring in the electrical cubicle, finding as we went, some cables where the writte...

It is with great sadness that we announce the death of RRRG membership secretary Paul Sturm following a short illness. Paul was the first paying member of RRRG after the three founders of the group, which might seem strange for a Dutchman - but Paul was no ordinary Dutchman. Paul first encountered the British railway scene in the 1970s, around the ...