4566, Thursday 9 June

ChrisM, AdamT and AdrianT got down to working on 4566's injectors. Specifically the steam pipe that effectively allows the injector to operate the way it does is bolted on at each end with a gasket in between where the two ends at the pipe joint to the next component. In this case the steam delivery pipe from the boiler and the actual body of both left and right injectors. The task involved loosening and removing the four bolts that held each of the pipe end joints together and removing and replacing with a new one a thin card-like gasket which acts like a seal between the joint to contain the steam within and make the joint airtight. This process was repeated four times on each end of both left hand and right hand steam delivery pipes.
Also done today, the 45's right hand connecting rods were refitted with the direction of one of the MPD paid staff. Hopefully the left hand connecting rods will follow tomorrow in similar fashion.

Friday we completed replacing the gaskets on 4566's injector steam pipes. This now gives 4566 a tight seal around all of its injector steam pipe joints so hopefully they won't leak.

We did the hugely interesting job of digging out the corners of the 45's bunker to loosen up many years of compacted slack which we piled up in the middle of the bunker behind the bunker door.

Later Chris and Adam helped one of the paid staff, Mark, with lifting up and fitting 45's left hand connecting rods which was made a lot easier by there being four of us. That job was completed without a hitch and 4566 now has both of its connecting rod sets back in the wheels.

Much later after lunch we changed two vacuum bags from the rear of 5164 and the front from 4566 where the bag had been rubbing against the shackle creating a weakness. This created two bags which would need to be repaired at a later date. The day was drawn to a close by the late afternoon rain.