A6581

Tuesday, 31 March 2015

29.3.15

Its been a while since we updated progress on A6581.

First thing to report is A6581 is now located at the south end of road 2 due to a shunt removing vehicles from road 2. It was decided to pair the DMU back instead of having them separated by the barrow crossing. Unfortunately, it over hung the crossing, and unfortunately for us, A6581 was taken out the yard and put back in further down. Its not ideal at present however a shunt plan is being created to move all of our vehicles together.

Back to our progress, Both coupling hooks have been released to aid the cleaning of the central parts of the frame. The frame is now sitting in grey undercoat. The bottom of the tank is now sitting in white undercoat. White undercoat was chosen as it will be easier to apply yellow when needed. The drag boxes have also been cleaned and are also now in undercoat.

The main central area around the discharge pipe is now sitting in black gloss, with the tank sitting in white. This will be painted yellow as soon as we have a match then pipe work on that east side can be reattached.

The east sole bar has now finally been glossed and matches the black patch that was painted last year.
The south east axle box and springs have also been glossed. The east side is coming along nicely and is not far from being complete.

The east ladder has also been removed and cleaned. It currently is sitting on the conflat in white undercoat awaiting better weather to complete.

As can be seen, work is still progressing well. We can always do with more help so please get in touch. Details are on our website.

Wednesday, 14 January 2015

First report for 2015

First off, Happy New Year to all our readers.

Secondly, apologises for the lack of updates. Mainly due to bad weather and christmas season however work has resumed since new year.

Work continues on the sole bar and under frame where we discovered we can still work when raining. It is currently sitting in many different colours, Red, grey, black, yellow, white. Mainly on the east side, so work is not currently seen from passing trains. However do look out for it when passing through, its currently behind the bogie conflat.

Unfortunately, there is no photos due to it raining when we have finished, however as soon as we have some these will be posted.

Tuesday, 25 November 2014

Update

Its been a while since we last reported any progress on A6581. This has been down to the fact we have been working on weltrol 902103 elsewhere in the yard. Now that it has become hard to progress on that project, we have now embarked our efforts back.

So where are we.

Well the south east axle box has now been cleaned and is now sitting in primer. The tie bar will be completed once the whole of the east frame has been glossed.

The axle has been cleaned back and now sits in primer, with the wheel and tyre now sitting in under coat.

More of the frame has been cleaned and is now sitting in primer. We have been able to progress well on the frame as it is surprisingly dry under the tank, allowing us to progress forwards.

The above photo shows the south east corner, the axle box shining in its red coat and the axle can just be seen in its coat of red. The sole will need a wipe down with a cloth and then will be ready to receive its gloss.

Tuesday, 23 September 2014

23/09/14

At present work has been concentrating on other projects (901203 and 753722) However due to a shot blaster being present in that part of the yard work could not happen there.

So A6581 has had received some attention today.

Keith has been undercoating every section that was currently sitting in primer. This should now protect it from the weather which has been predicted to turn slightly before getting better. Photos below show the areas worked on.

The center section is now fully undercoated. The barrel awaits its turn however further decisions on which undercoat and the correct spec for the yellow are needed.

The South East corner is now undercoated to match the rest of the east sole bar. The next job is to get it to gloss stage and then work on the axle box and springs.

Meanwhile on the north east corner, gloss has been applied to areas previously undercoated. The axle box, springs and some frame plates have been completed. Certain areas are still on hold but will be attacked when the time is right.

The North east corner, showing the freshly painted axle box, spring and more of the frame. The back of the wheel has been glossed as well.

The center beam has been painted in its final coat and stands out against the mixture of primer, undercoat and weathered looking tank.

As you can see work is progressing well. We benefit by having several wagons under our care meaning we always have work to do. If you are free Tuesday, Wednesday or Saturdays and fancy giving us a hand then do get in touch.

Tuesday, 16 September 2014

Volunteer Plea

Unfortunately due to the small group working on 901203, work has pretty much come to a slow pace, if not a complete stop. This is unfortunate however we are a wagon restoration group, and will work on wagons with a bigger priority.

So this is a plea for more help. We have a total of 9 projects under our care already. This has given us a work load of around 10 years, not bad with 3 members and this actually excludes several vehicles owned by a member. Include them and we could be looking at more. However with more members, we can turn around projects quicker, with the possibility of the group working on a couple of wagons at the same time.

So if you would like to join our friendly group then do get in touch. We work on average 3 days a week so even if you can attend one of those days, it will help move projects closer to completion.

Contact us on gcrwagongroup@hotmail.com with the subject of volunteering

Wednesday, 27 August 2014

Update 27/8/14

Work is still progressing on A6581. More frame is now sitting in primer, with others in undercoat and others further advanced in gloss. The aim is to now get all areas currently in primer in gloss by winter.

Photos below show progress.

The newly primed South East wheel. Work was started by Keith and finished off by Tom due to a shunt. The wagon has now moved a MK1 length down the yard. It is now visible from passing trains.

Newly primed frame. This area is the south end and work has only just started in this area.

Work is progressing in many areas on A6581, and is progressing rapidly. We still have areas which have yet to be touched, but due to the Big Shunt, it cannot be done until we know the wagon is not moving anywhere.

Wednesday, 6 August 2014

Latest Pics taken 30.7.14

Just a quick Picture post today, showing the areas being worked on. All photos were taken on the 30th however due to work commitments there hasn't been time to upload

Area of frame around the axle is now sitting in Undercoat. Springs and W bar have also been done.

All the east side that was sitting in primer is now in undercoat. We will hopefully finish this hole length by the time the weather turns.

Keiths handy work behind the anchor mounting. All the rivets are hard to clean. He has 2 more frame sides to complete and then the under side of the barrel, however this may be held off due to trying to find the right Yellow

The center frames underneath the barrel have been 2/3's cleaned. Why 2/3's? Due to the shunt, we do not want to release the through pipe, making the shunt more difficult so a decision has been made to wait until its complete.