The Hole Story

We seem to have been developing holes in things this week. First we had to investigate the radiator on one of our Ruston diesels. No 37 came from ICI at it Shevington explosives works near Wigan. Although otherwise in working order, since arrival at Apedale it has refused to hold water. Having stripped the radiator down and then shovelled out the thick layer of sand that seems to have got in there (we assume it's sand although we were careful not to go too near it with a match) we discovered that the bottom tanks were not very healthy at all. One of our recent recruits, Kev, set about making a patch and brazing it all back together.



We have also resolved to do more work on our fleet of wagons, which have been somewhat neglected in recent years. We have a container on site that was specifically acquired for use as a wagon workshop, so we decided to clear this out and give it a good coat of paint. Hence, a quick go over with the needle gun to get the loose paint and rust off. This revealed a further set of holes, this time in the roof. No wonder it has seemed a little damp in there at times. A quick repair and it was then time to get some primer on. You can see this work in the picture, which gives a whole new meaning to the phrase "a box of Terrys".



Meanwhile, today was the last day of the running season and thoughts have turned to planning events for 2011. However, there are still Santa Specials to look forward to. Don't forget to book here.