A blustery morning at Wharf today as Pete Thomas, Charles Benedetto, Max Birchenough and John Olsen gathered for the working party.
The morning started with a series of photos of the brake arrangements on the Host wagon to assist a friend of Charles with his model. We then proceeded upstairs to lay down a ramp to roll the slate slab wagon off its display stand in order to be able to deploy the scaffold for safe working.
Charles and Max took on the job of attaching the vertical hangers to the beam after John had demonstrated how they were to be attached; but only after swiftly revising the attachment plan in the light of another quirk of the museum fit out. Max was Charles toolman, and got on with sanding the library shelves ready for repainting in between handing tools up to Charles on the scaffold.
Pete set up the Workmate downstairs to trim the pre-made headboard brackets so that they would fit the centennial and sesquicentennial TR headboards, ready for their display on the first floor this year. John squeezed into the north wall storage area to suspend the LED light string, that acts as illumination in the enclosed storage area, from the top timber framing; finally shedding proper downward light in the space.
Coffee was taken in the Guards Room, after John had visited the Coop for fresh milk as the cafe was still shut, with Jammy dodgers and chocolate Hobnobs to accompany our chatter.
Returning to the museum Charles and Max were both up on the scaffold tower to level up the three carriage destination boards and then secure them in place with L shaped cup hooks top and bottom.
Pete completed modifying the last of the six headboard brackets and John began tapping a length of steel bar, for 8mm bolts, that will be part of a pair of support brackets for the Puffing Billy 3A numberplate; securing it to the wire mesh panel with the other loco nameplates.
Dust and wood chips were cleaned up and the scaffold tower moved to one side to leave the museum tidy for the next working party.
Photos by John Olsen