Tyseley: A Great Western Stud...

Hi all. Today was another nice little volunteer day at Tyseley: the former 84E shed. I arrived at just before 10am and, having changed into my overalls, made my way to the loco shed where proceedings were just getting underway. Most of todays jobs centred around the restoration of No7029 "Clun Castle" but two of the other engines were also receiving attention. No5043 (the "Earl") was out in the sun for a while, having been rudely awoken from her slumber by the Class 08 diesel shunter. During the afternoon I was working on Pannier Tank No9600, just doing a little preparation for a bit of a tidy up. This engine was built at Swindon in 1945...

I was needle-gunning on 9600. Needle-gunning basically uses an air driven tool to chip away any paint and corrosion which may be on your metalwork. The Pannier was just having some burnt smokebox paint chipped away in readiness for a new coat to go on the smokebox ring. Tyseley engines are certainly kept ship shape, and rightly so! The Castle meanwhile was basking in the sun...

A real shine adorns the beautiful Castle Class 4-6-0 No5043...

I left Tyseley at around 5:45pm, having had a very worthwhile and interesting day. Its lovely working alongside this terrific stud of Great Western engines! No7029 had also made some great progress: one step closer! Best Regards, Sam...