Achilles Report No50: Progress...

Hi there guys. Well, the last few days have seen a lot of work done on "Achilles" so, rather than write a few posts detailing a few bits & bobs, I thought I'd just do a bigger post about everything. So, we begin on Sunday just gone. I was at the railway on Sunday and, following the completion of some of my bits, I thought I'd pick them up. The boiler cladding is still the original: we decided not to replace it on the grounds of originality. I felt that, with most of the dents now removed and the cladding very nicely painted, that the remaining little dimples here & there would add character rather than a hideous look. The engine is, after all, nearly 30 years old and a few ripples here and there are to be expected on a hard-working old engine. The painting has been done to a high standard and, as I said, the vast majority of the dents and bumps have been removed by hand with a small wooden roller...

Having collected the cladding and the wheels for the engine, I headed for home. On Monday I was back with the engine again and admired the newly painted LH running board: now in its first coat of matt black...

The six wheels had returned in full colour blue. They were still masked and had dried nicely. The next task was to give the wheels their trademark polished 'tyres'. A sharp straight edge and some fine sandpaper was used to remove the paint on the wheel rims and then polish them up. So, before...

and after...

I was very pleased with the first wheel that had had its 'tyre' polished, and I really like the blue. The cladding meanwhile was stood next to "Achilles" in order to allow me to try and imagine the finished article. Once the smokebox is painted she'll have her boiler lagged with the new lagging that I've already got here, and then the cladding will be fitted. The two main sheets have had the majority of the dents removed and have come out with a very nice finish paintwork-wise. The blue is quite lovely I think, and will brighten the engine up no end once her shining brass boiler bands have been refitted as well as her well-known almost mirror-like dome cover! The polishing of all of the brass parts will be the final task before 'roll out day'. I'm looking forward to seeing the engine finished now I must admit: she's been in bits far too long!...

"Very Blue!"

Before I gave up on Monday the cladding was put to one side in order for the paint to be left to harden. Wednesday afternoon saw me back with the engine again, preparing and painting parts in the sun. The smokebox door never settled down properly with its smokebox black paint, no matter how I tried or experimented. So, in a fit of rage, the door was heavily rubbed down again and then polished up with the wire-wheel in order to provide the best possible painting surface. It was then cleaned using spirits and buffed up to cleanliness...

Also being rubbed down today were the steps and the running boards that are mid-painting. The RH steps rubbed down OK with sandpaper, with a bit of help from the wire-wheel!...

"Step Up"

The smokebox door was later coated with a layer of exhaust paint. This is a black finish paint but dries in grey on the first coat, according to reviews. Apparently as you apply more coats it gets darker and darker...just as well, ay?! The finish is however much better & much smoother...

"The Greyest Black Livery Ever"

The LH main running board which supports the tank was rubbed down today and given a second coat of primer...

The RH front running board then received a coat of matt black...

Meanwhile, further down the garden, bits & bobs were drying. The RH steps and the lubricator lid have now made it into primer and are looking fairly smart. The lubricator itself is still full of absorbents in order to remove as much oil from its tank-base as possible. The trouble with so much oil residue is that the primer will not set and it seems to cause problems with the paint stripper too. Therefore, preparation is definitely the key...

Here is the centre axle after 'tyre' polishing...

"Centre Axle"

As the darkness began to set in on Wednesday evening I was still working away in the workshop. I moved "Achilles" from her workbench resting place and straddled her across two hefty working stools. With the rear of the engine blocked up to allow more overhang at the back, I was allowed great access to the underside of the loco. This was a perfect angle at which to pop the wheels back in...or attempt to anyway! Starting with the centre axle, the wheels started to go back in just as they came out...

"Centre Axle Back In"

Half an hour or so later, after much pondering and adjusting, the loco was back on all six wheels for the first time since the start of January. This allows her to stand up correct on the workbench again (with chocks under the wheels) which is much more loco-like than being perched on the framing!...

"Reunited with Repainted Wheels"

With the wheels back in the axles could be checked and well oiled via the axleboxes. The front and centre axles were perfectly fine. The moment of truth came with the rear axle and its new boxes. With plenty of oil, the axle spun freely but there is a slight bind (very slight) when the keep-plate is tightened to the base of the framing. By opening up the spring-shaft holes slightly this problem should be completely rectified as the boxes will then be free to find their own way. I think one of the spring-shaft's may be slightly off centre and this is pulling the box over at full pull...easily sorted. The main worry was the quartering which was perfectly fine when a trial run of the coupling rods were connected up. Everything turned over correctly with no tight spots: just what we want! The only other problem is that the rods do tend to catch the wheels now and again, removing paint, as the rod bearings were never spaced away from the face of the wheel. Therefore, I'm going to put some spacers in, then repair the paint! Finally, with much progress achieved, today beckoned and saw some light pottering around with the smokebox door receiving another coat of exhaust black, both front running boards having their top coat of black and the LH tank running board and RH steps receiving first coats of black...

"Paint Shop"

Its all going on here. Tomorrow I'm sure that I'll be working on "Achilles" again, with the hope of getting the smokebox into a state fit for painting and then spraying it. I can't wait to get her finished now! Best Regards, Sam...