It was already very warm in Wharf yard by the time the team assembled and Allan Black, Charles Benedetto, David Broadbent and John Olsen were very glad of the shade by the Gunpowder Store.
Having selected one set of axleboxes to use on wagon no.136 rebuild during the week, the first job was to remove the accumulated gunge and flakey paint, so Allan and Charles used scrapers, welders hammer and wire brushes on them.
David is on light duties so he got the artistic job of applying the first coat of red oxide paint to the white primed areas of the Corris Mail Waggon as part of its cosmetic refurbishment. In due course one of the new wagon frames currently in the Guest House will be used to return the Mail Waggon to working order.
John used one of the angle grinders fitted with a wire brush to finish the job of removing the old paint and rust from the drawbar of wagon no.136 that Andy started last week ready for painting.
The arrival of Ann McCanna and Mike Green heralded coffee time after we had waved away the second train of the day. We occupied one of the new octagonal picnic tables in order to have enough places for Keith Theobald to join us for coffee, chocolate Hobnobs (courtesy of Frank Nolan, diolch Frank) and chat.
Back in the shade by the Gunpowder Store, Allan and Charles continued their de-rusting efforts while David gave the drawbar a wash with white spirits prior to painting it with Hammerite black paint. John rescued some weights from the scrap iron bin that will be useful in replacing the rather fragile sand filled plastic weights in the bases of our museum barrier tapes as well as sorting out the wooden slats that had been pre-cut and marked for the no.136 restoration some three years ago!
The site was cleared and made safe before we departed the yard.
Photos by John Olsen