Restoration diary

Mark Burrows, Dave Rolfe and I were on site today. Mark brought back the 16 overhauled fuel pumps, and they were placed in store for now. Dave started pressure-testing the two air engines that operate the rad fan shutters on either side of the radiator compartment now replacement covers have been fabricated for the EP valves, as the originals ...

​Dave Rolfe, Richard Dale, Jay Hirst and I were on site yesterday. Richard finally finished drilling and tapping the fixing holes for the mounting plate for the change-end switch in No.1 cab, a difficult job because most of the holes are either at floor level, or right next to structural supports for the cab desk and the bulkhead the driver's ...

​Dave Rolfe, Mark Burrows, Richard Wade, Jay Hirst and I were on site today. After barring round the power unit and oiling the turbos, Dave and Mark began investigating the broken air pipes I'd discovered under the floor in No.1 cab, finding virtually all those that dive through the plating under the cab floor had corroded away, on both t...

Jay Hirst, Richard Wade and I were on site today.We fitted and reconnected the driver's side tail lamp unit, not the easiest of tasks, as access to put the nuts on the bolts is difficult under the driver's desk. We then belled out and marked all the wires from the change-end switches in both cabs. The mounting plates that hold the change-end switch...

Jay, Richard, Dave, Mark and I were on site today.Dave has been continuing to identify and clean sections of pipework for the brake frame. He has also devised a test-rig for testing various valves to see which ones work. Mark could only stay until midday so he barred the power unit round and oiled the turbos. Mark had brought one of the change-end ...

Mark Burrows, Jay Hirst and I on site today. Mark was only available half the day, so he barred round and oiled the power unit and turbos. Jay and I refitted the secondman's side tail lamp and reconnected it. I got new fixing bolts which were slightly bigger than the originals, so the lamp unit and the recess on the cab front had the fixing holes d...

Dave Rolfe, Mark Burrows, Jay Hirst, new member Richard Wade and I were on site today. In a welcome development Dom Jackson also joined us for his first work party in quite some time! Richard is an electrician by trade, and helped Jay and I solve the wiring issue with the tail lights in the No.2 cab of 50030. Both tail light units have be...

Carl and Sofy Looker, Jay Hirst, Dave Rolfe and I on were site on Sunday 15th April, while Mark and Robert Burrows had the sales stand on the station at Rowlsey South for the Peak Rail/Ecclesbourne Valley Railway Twin Peaks diesel gala. Jay and I were mostly showing people round Repulse, while Carl & Sofy did cleaning up of debri...

Just Dave Rolfe and I were on site. Jay Hirst wasn't available and Mark Burrows had a problem with one of his cars and didn't make it. Dave had removed the missing EP governor from Renown, so I cleaned the contacts then we fitted it at the top of the brake frame in 50030. Not an easy task as the two rear mounting bolts are hidden by the govern...

​Dave Rolfe, Jay Hirst and I were on site today. Dave has been retrieving more sections of air piping and valves from store, cleaning, overhauling and test-fitting them inside Repulse. Jay and I completed assembly of the upper section of the brake frame conduits, and finished installing the new wiring.

Dave Rolfe, Mark Burrows, Jay Hirst and I on site today, plus returning member Wayne Boyle. With photos I'd got of a complete 50, Dave continued to find, clean and paint parts for the brake frame. Mark investigated the smaller airpipes on the brake frame in Renown, which is more complete than what's in Repulse, to help identify what we ne...

​Dave Rolfe, Jay Hirst, Mark Burrows and I were on site today. Mark barred round the power unit and oiled all four turbos again. Dave and I hunted out the big air pipes for the exhauster under the brake frame, finding most of what we need. The rest we either haven't found yet or is missing. Dave then set about cleaning the secti...

Mark and Robert Burrows, Dave Rolfe, Jay Hirst and I were on site last Sunday. Mark and Robert barred the power unit intended for 50030 round again, then did more scraping and cleaning below where the exhauster and motor blower sit at No.2 end. Dave continued working on cleaning and painting various sections of pipework. Jay and...

​Mark and Robert Burrows, Jay Hirst and I were on site yesterday. Mark and Robert barred the power unit round, rotated and oiled the four turbos, then did some more cleaning and scraping off loose paint around the electrical cubicle. Jay and I searched for the brake frame electrical conduits in our storage, finding mos...

Dave Rolfe, Jay Hirst, Carl and Sofy Looker plus myself were on site on Sunday. Dave was continuing fitting various pipework in the radiator and engine compartments of 50030. Jay and I fitted the switch panel above the driver's seat in No.1 cab. We fitted some of the aluminium trim strips, but still need to find several other pi...

Jay, Dave and I were on site today. Dave has been busy refitting various water pipes from the radiators that go through the filter compartment to the power unit. Jay helped me reconnecting the cables to the cab switch panel above the driver's position at no 1 end, but we lost the light before we could fix the panel in place.

​Dave Rolfe, Jay Hirst and I were on site today. Dave was refitting fuel and water filler valves he'd perviously removed, cleaned & painted. Jay and I reconnected the cables to the fuel lift pump and alternator. The cables had all been cut off long ago, so each one was extended with a through-crimp and new ring crimp. The through-crimps we...

A further big step forward in the restoration of 50030 was on Tuesday August 16th 2022. The traction blower motors and vacuum brake exhauster were lifted out of Repulse to allow the areas behind them to be cleaned and repaired if necessary. At a later date we will put back overhauled electrical machines which we acquired separately from the on...

​Dave Rolfe, Jay Hirst and I were on site today. Dave is continuing to paint pipework in the engine compartment, and has started to refit various filters. The first pic shows painted fuel pipework. Jay helped me finish rewiring the centre desk panel in No.1 cab. We then moved into No.2 cab to bell out the same bunch of cables. Fortunately, the...

Wes Needle, Dave Rolfe and myself were on site today. I did this as an extra day as Wes was bringing one of the cable switch panels that goes above the driver's position in No.1 cab, and I need to see how to clean the contacts and wire connectors before we can fit it. Wes helped Dave sorting out door hinges and closers for the engine compartme...