Hi all. A very brief one from today. My day involved another pleasant few hours spent at Tyseley Locomotive Works. Efforts were again focused on Castle Class 4-6-0 No5043 "Earl of Mount Edgcumbe", whos overhaul to main line standards is now gathering pace. I was given the job of cleaning out the "Earl"s dragbox ready for painting. The dragbox is a reinforced section of the locomotive where the tender is connected. Thus, all the weight of pulling the tender and a train is held onto the locomotive by the dragbox. Naturally however, being just below the footplate and coal space, the dragbox can quickly become covered in associated coal dust, ash and general grime. I first had to brush out the dust and then scrape off any thick stuff. The area was then thoroughly cleaned, ready to be painted at a later date. This is one part of the locomotive that is very rarely seen when she is in operational condition...
It was quite a dirty job but very worthwhile. Down in the running shed area, I was surprised to see sister Castle No7029 standing on four road. When you get used to seeing something stood in the same position all the time, a bit of variety really throws you off! The title image of this post sees "Clun" standing on four road. With the turntable still under restoration, she has yet to be turned to face the 'usual way'. Regular readers will know that the Tyseley engines usually always face towards Birmingham. That's it really folks; not a lot else to report from today. Another worthwhile volunteer Saturday at the former 84E. Take care and stay safe...
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