Sunday 3rd saw Alan, Joan, Doug, Chris and Adrian on site. Work continued with the repainting of the engine room with quite a large area receiving a first coat of primer. Alan and Doug performed a check of the sanding gear and discovered that a few corks and blanking plugs were missing. Alan produced the corks by turning-down some corks that we already had on site. In the workshop, Alan produced the required number of blanking plugs and then fitted them to the sanding valves. Joan, Doug and Chris carried out some modifications to the container roof after it had suffered slightly in the heavy winds during the last week. Joan continued the tradition of providing a superb lunch for the volunteers - Joan's meals have now become something of a legend on site!

Sunday 10th saw the loco have a quiet relaxing time as all of the restoration team were either on holiday or engaged on domestic duties!!

Alan was the sole worker on Sunday 17th and he refitted the brake cylinder that we are trialling. Yet another brake cylinder was removed from the loco and partially dismantled in the workshop.

Monday 18th saw Carlisle Pete and Chris continuing the painting of the engine room. More of the ceiling received a second coat of primer. Chris found an area on the roof that was starting to rust so the area was rubbed down and then primed with anti-corrosive primer.

Tuesday 19th saw the completion of the second coat of primer on the engine room roof. Whilst Pete was touching up the paintwork where required, Chris cleaned some of the electrical conduit in the area where the painting of the ceiling had been completed. The electrical conduit was then painted and it certainly stands out against the grey that we have painted the ceiling with. Chris fitted the DSD holdover switch to the Secondman's side in Number 1 Cab. Chris fitted the wiper control valve and two bits of pipework to the Secondman's wiper motor. The air supply pipe to the wiper control valve needs replacing and this should hopefully be done over the next few working parties. Esmond Lewis Evans (owner of the O1 Class steam loco at the Bluebell Railway) even gave a hand cleaning some of Number 1 Cab - a turn around for a steam man?! The section of the roof painted yesterday received another coat of paint today.

On Wednesday 20th, Pete continued with the cleaning and painting of the engine room ceiling. Chris unbolted both seats from Number 1 Cab and then removed a couple of floor panels in order to cut holes for conduit to pass through en route to the heaters which are mounted on the cab sides. Mission accomplished, the floors were refitted together with the Driver's seat, but the Secondman's seat was left unfitted in the cab in order to create access to the heater that is mounted under the footrest on the Secondman's side. The heater was removed for repair as one of the heater's feet had come away from the rest of the heater body. Soon the pipework for the vacuum chamber release valve will need to be fitted so the Secondman's seat will be left loose in the cab for a while longer. The roof hatches received their first coat of undercoat today.

Chris worked in the engine room on Saturday 23rd continuing the repainting of the ceiling. Around 75 percent of the ceiling is now in undercoat awaiting the top coats. Painting the engine room isn't exactly easy when the power unit is in place!

Adrian, Alan and Chris staffed a sales stand at a toyfair in Ashford on Sunday 24th. Various items were on sale including 1970's BR uniforms, videos, books and model railway equipment. The day was successful with over £300 being taken - a very useful contribution to the locomotive's future.

Sunday 1st saw Adrian, Alan and Chris form the working party. Various tasks were undertaken mainly concentrating with the painting of the engine room ceiling whilst the weather was still mild.

Sunday 8th saw the final coat of topcoat applied to the engine room side of the roof hatches by Chris. Alan cleaned up and freed the handbrake indicator at Number 1 end – this is the first time we have had this part of the loco working!

Sunday 15th saw Alan, Joan, Doug, Adrian and Chris on site. It was a welcome return for Joan and Doug after a month's break. The volunteers have sorely missed Joan’s dinners! Alan continued with the overhauling of the handbrake indicators, this time turning his attention to the indicator in Number 2 Cab. Adrian assisted Alan with freeing up the mechanism and removing some of the components for overhaul. Upon inspection of the spring that ensures the indicator moves upwards when the mechanism requires it to, it was discovered that the spring was life expired and requires replacing. The spring was shortened and re-hardened in an attempt to make a temporary repair but it wasn't successful. Alan and Chris continued with repairing a fault with the horns at Number 2 end. One pipe remains to be blanked off before the system is tested again. Adrian, Doug and Chris continued with the repainting of the engine room with 95 percent of the engine room ceiling now in final topcoat. A few small sections require the second topcoat to be applied. Joan commenced painting the back of the electrical cubicle doors from Number 2 Cab with heatproof paint after cleaning them down first. Now that the engine room ceiling is almost completed, the next major project will be the overhaul of Number 2 Cab. Chris re-wired the headlight invertor at Number 2 end after one of the wires had become defective. Doug and Chris then bolted the invertor onto the nose end.

The loco had a peaceful weekend on the 21st and 22nd with almost all of the volunteers working at the Maidstone model railway exhibition organised by the Maidstone area of the Kent and East Sussex Railway.

Sunday 29th saw Doug performing the role of Master Chef vice Joan who had another commitment. Alan, Adrian and Chris were also on site. Chris refitted the protective covers that had been removed from the brake frame sometime ago and reconnected some of the air pipe work in Number 2 end. Chris drained the engine of cooling water to prepare the loco for the approaching winter. Alan and Adrian shortened a new spring so that it could be used to complete the handbrake indicator mechanism – the indicator was cleaned up of all the accumulated dirt and now works perfectly. Whilst testing the handbrake indicator it was suspected that part of the handbrake linkage beneath the cab floor at Number 2 end had become seized. The floor was taken up and all of the Driver’s side of the handbrake mechanism had indeed partially seized. The mechanism was moving partway and then stopping. Because the Driver’s side of the mechanism was partially working and the Secondman’s side was working fully, the metal bar linking the two sides together had become bent. When the handbrake was being released, the Secondman’s side was releasing fully whilst the bar to the Driver’s side was bent into a banana shape! The offending bar was removed by Alan and Adrian and then straightened by Moff. The bar was refitted in its rightful place. The main job for the next few weeks will be to dismantle the complete handbrake mechanism below the cab floor at Number 2 end, clean and inspect all the bushes, pins etc. replacing components where required. Before reassembly, all the components will be greased up to prevent seizing in the future.