Tyseley: Buffing The Brass...

Evening all. Today involved another pleasant volunteer Saturday spent at Tyseley Locomotive Works: Birmingham's former 84E shed. One thing that Tyseley isn't short of is Great Western engines and therefore there is always brass to be cleaned. During these quiet winter periods when steam runs are months away, clambering aboard the footplate of one of the engines and cleaning the brass is a pretty rewarding way to spend a few hours. With 7752 continuing her extended holiday at the West Somerset, No7029 "Clun Castle" is the only remaining candidate for any main line work. Therefore, Autosol in hand, I climbed the cab steps and set to work. Even when there isn't much other work to do, you can always rest assured that there will be plenty of brass to clean. Tyseley engines have developed a reputation for their pampered lifestyle and immaculate appearance, so it is only right that we provide the elbow grease to keep them looking smart. It's a team effort of course...

A personal highlight of cleaning any of the Tyseley fleet for me is that they actually come up beautifully. All of us in the steam world have no doubt spent many a morning cleaning a filthy engine where no amount of rag will fetch away the accumulated dust and grime. Thankfully, the 84E engines have the luxury of being kept on top of and so are never far from a shining finish. Once you've polished and buffed every cab fitting you can find, it's time to carefully apply a light coating of Vaseline to prevent tarnish. Believe me, if you don't use it, one damp winters night will reduce your efforts to a greenish mess. These were the results of my final runover the cab...

The biggest problem at this time of the year, as well as the bitter cold, is the distinct lack of light you get after about 3pm. I'd had the roller door open to try and draw in some more light onto the fittings but even that wasn't helping as the sun set lower in the sky. I rounded up my efforts by around 4pm and decided to head home to the sanctuary of my central heating. Roll on the days when we're steaming again!...