The low clouds were coming in from Cardigan Bay this morning and rain was forecast so the team got down to business straight away as Andy Sheffield and John Olsen took the cover off wagon no. 136 frame before we were joined by Davd Broadbent and Charles Benedetto.
Having drilled the holes through the slats last week, we needed to check to see that all of the long bolts would go through the slats, the bobbins, and ultimately, the frame. We had some issues with rust and clag inside some of the bobbins stopping the bolts from dropping into place, but after cleaning them out with a round file and re-orienting the odd slat that had been put on upside down, all 10 bolts duly slid into position; with a little persuasion. Mindful of the rain forecast we adjourned for coffee at this point and were joined by Max Birchenough for our coffee, chocolate biscuits and topical chat.
Returning across the tracks, with Mike Green in attendance, we dis-assembled the slats and began the business of removing the old paint from the slats using angle grinders fitted with wire brushes and an abrasive disc sander. The rain started spitting, but we carried on until by a little after 11:30 am when it began to rain heavily, bringing activities to a halt as we quickly packed the tools and slats away. Fortunately we had already replaced the cover on the wagon frame after removing the slats so it remained dry.
Photos by John Olsen