February

Friday 3nd saw Alan, John and Dan present whilst the loco had its axles ultrasonically tested by an outside contractor. All axles passed the examinations without any problems being recorded. This is another hurdle cleared in the path of returning the locomotive to service.
Sunday 5th had been set aside for a start-up attempt. Chris and John arrived at the site early to prepare the locomotive. All of the clutter was removed from the engineroom and the cabs and the cooling system was filled with water. John charged the batteries for a short while whilst Chris carried out various checks. Around midday there were many members of the Restoration Team present. At just after 12 o'clock, the engine fired into life after over 12 months since the last running session. Numerous tests were conducted and a few problems were found. One of the compressors needs attention because it is not working as it should do. After being left running for a while whilst testing was continuing, it was decided to see if the locomotive would move under its own power. At 17:10, 37254 moved under its own power for the first time since 1998! The locomotive was driven by John up and down the part of the test track that is currently usable. It was a very proud and exciting day for everyone involved and we received many favourable comments from friends across the country. We have entered a new era in our project and it would not have been possible without the support of so many people. Thank you whoever you are. We have still got a long way to go but we now have a really big insentive to carry on with our work. Now to complete the test track...
On the morning of Monday 6th, Alan, Chris and John worked on the loco. Alan and Chris drained all of the water out of the cooling system to prevent any frost damage as some of the nights are still cold. John worked on the compressor that developed a fault the previous day. John also worked on the locomotive's electrical system servicing some of the governors.
In the late afternoon of Friday 10th, Chris McNaughton and John started fault-finding for a couple of faults on the locomotive's electrical system. Dan turned up in the evening to assist and one fault was diagnosed and the defective component was identified. Hopefully the replacement component will be purchased during the next couple of weeks or so.
Sunday 12th saw Adrian, Alan, Chris, Dan and John on site. John and Dan worked on the electrical systems at Number 1 end. At the start of the day, no lights were working in Number 1 cab and various other items did not have power to them. At the end of the day, all the lights in Number 1 Cab were working together with most of the other equipment. Only the headlight and NRN need a bit of work on them to complete this end. Alan continued removing the grime and cleaning the surfaces in the fan room. Adrian and Chris spent half a day working on the test track with the aid of a petrol-powered drill kindly lent by a supporter. By the end of the day, all of the missing sleepers in one of the track panels had been inserted and 50 % of the chairs had been screwed down then keyed up. A start was made on chairing up some sleepers for the final track panel which will have a bufferstop mounted on it. One more day (or two) and all of the trackwork will be complete bar the installation of the bufferstop. A very successful day all round!
Thursday 16th saw John,Chris and Dave Pond (a visitor from The Bodmin and Wenford Railway and 37142) working on site. Dave sanded down numerous bits of aluminium edging strip that had been stripped out of Number 2 Cab and worked on the brake cylinders. John continued working on the compressor that developed a fault a fortnight ago as well as trying to locate a couple of minor air leaks with Dave assisting with the fault finding. Chris cleaned up one of the lights from inside the nose in Number 1 end that John had removed. Chris also continued working on the remaining few parts of the track that needs finishing off. Dave and John also helped with the trackwork in the afternoon. All of the sleepers are now drilled complete with chairs screwed down and only a few chairs need their screws finally tightening down. We started the engine and conducted numerous tests on the systems. A fault has developed on the reverser and this will be attended to over the weekend.
The next day saw Chris and Dan on site for a few hours. More sleepers have been sourced for yet another track panel - this panel will be for a bufferstop as someone has a storage container in the way of any more track extensions for the time being. The sleepers were chaired up with half of the chairs needed, the others are to be chaired-up on Sunday. There are two bufferstops on site and one of these will be lifted into place as soon as the last lot of sleepers are laid down. Chris tidied the store after it had got dark whilst Dan continued working on the tail light project. The engine was started and run for a while.
Sunday 19th saw Alan, John and Chris on site on a very wet day. John and Alan worked on rectifying the couple of faults that had been identified in the last couple of weeks. The faulty diodes were changed and now the brake selector switch is fully functional. One of the reverser cylinders and accompanying solenoids were found to be in need of repair and so John and Alan swapped the defective components with one of the spares in the store. The engine was started up several times to test the repairs as we went. Chris commenced cleaning all the greasing and lubrication points on the locomotive's bogies. One side of one bogie was completed before the rain stopped play. Alan assisted Chris with drilling the holes in the sleepers for the rest of the chairs for the bufferstop panel. Chris assisted John with the test running of the locomotive. The last remaining heater was removed from Number 2 Cab and as it was a bit worse for wear, a replacement heater has been brought out of the stores and work has commenced on reconditioning the replacement item.
Sunday 26th saw Alan begin constructing a cover to protect the lubricating oil priming pump in the fan room. The pump is open to the elements so we decided to protect the pump as much as we could. Chris rubbed-down a steel sheet whilst Alan surveyed the area where the cover would go. Alan drilled two more holes in the bulkhead so that the cover can be secured satisfactorily. Chris continued removing rust and debris from Number 2 cab.
Tuesday 28th saw Alan on site all day with Chris and John joining him in the afternoon. Alan completed the new cover for the lubricating oil priming pump and with Chris' assistance, fitted it to the bulkhead. Alan is now manufacturing a couple of stays to ensure that the cover stays in the correct position and also to reduce vibration. Chris spent a few happy hours needle-gunning the cab floor in Number 2 Cab until the compressor gave up! If anyone has a compressor they don't want we could gladly find a good home for it! John worked on the brake frame repairing and replacing a couple of suspect valves.