CAT window cleaning!

Despite the latest storm in the UK I ventured off to the Rocks By Rail Museum where I safely ensconced myself in the Restoration Shed where a few other volunteers were getting on with things. Rob had said that the last time he operated the CAT teleporter the windows were that dirty in the cab it made it difficult to see which is not the best thing when trying to maneuver the vehicle. In view of my recent window cleaning ventures at WMD HQ I therefore took on the job of making the CAT a more pleasurable vehicle to drive!

Dirty!

Clean!

I even tried to give the cab interior a bit of a clean. It still looks.....well worn but is better then before - honest!

Pete and Pam were busy on the continuing painting of Harriot the JCB. It is like painting the Fourth Bridge. However it is looking a lot better than a few months ago.

This is not just a quick slap of paint job with many parts being taken back to bare metal.

Yellow is not the easiest of colours to apply. It needs several coats to build up sufficient depth to the colour so some parts have four or five coats.

Painting the rear is going to be interesting!

Meanwhile Ketton No3 is still moving on. It starts and apparently has brakes that work which is an important operating feature!

Although it did not look as though much was going on I followed the noise of the vacuum cleaner to find Alex deep under the cab floor cleaning the chassis and components of cement dust which had gathered whilst the loco operated at Ketton Cement Works. 

Meanwhile John's continuing project of the three plank wagon is beginning to come close to being finished. The floor is just about in and the drop sides are done. The end boards need fitting and a few other small parts but after that it is ready to go into operational service as a coal wagon. How john will feel when someone drops five tone of coal into the immaculate body remains to be seen! 

I did have the opportunity to assist John and bolted a few of the floor planks in place. I had noted that john had drilled the chassis first before drilling the plank to allow the bolt to go through. I did wonder how he got the hole in the plank in the right location. I soon found out.

In John's inevitable way of years of experience he put a bolt in the chassis with the threaded part facing up. The plank went on top, hit with a hammer and then lifted off leaving an indentation from the bolt indicating exactly where the hole should be drilled. Brilliant!

I was fortunate to also learn another trick from John. Needing some rag to clean the CAT's windows all that was available was a large sheet. With no scissors or knife it was going to be difficult to get small pieces from it. John however had a way - edge of vice and a hammer. Place edge of sheet on vice edge and hammer it which cuts through the fabric. You can then rip the sheet. Another piece of brilliance!