The team, Max Birchenough, Andy Sheffield, Charles Benedetto and John Olsen, assembled under cloudy skies in Wharf yard and rolled wagon no. 146 out of the Gunpowder Store to test fit the new roof strap that had now been drilled with holes at the positions we marked previously. It fitted with little effort and was then removed so that it could be cleaned and painted.
A rain shower intervened and early coffee was taken in the company of Mike Green and David and Mandy Broadbent. The shower had passed over by the end of the break allowing the strap to be painted with its first coat of smooth black Hammerite. The inside of no. 146 still had the alphanumeric codes painted on each plank (applied to aid re-assembly) so these needed to be over painted; a light grey emulsion paint was chosen and applied with rollers.
The FR steel bodied slate wagon frame was shotblasted during the week and Chris Smith then immediately sprayed it with a special metal primer to protect the bare metal; our thanks to Chris for his efforts on our behalf. The frame was then covered over to protect it from the weather and it will be moved back to the Gunpowder Store when a friendly Bobcat operator is available.
The axlebox lower halves of the FR slate wagon needed to have the old paint and rust removed from them so a start was made using wire brushes and an abrasive disc. No. 146 and all the tools were returned to the Gunpowder Store at the end of the morning.
Photos by John Olsen