A Busy Day

Once again we turned up to work on 547 but first there were a few other jobs that needed our attention. I have previously said how dangerous the steps were getting so that was our number 1 priority. I removed the top step and cleaned the area of rusty nails etc. before Stephen and Alan arrived. As soon as Stephen started he prepared the replacement step using the former Victorian van steps. Meanwhile Alan and I were busy elsewhere.

Mario needs to move one of the trams opposite our cars and our scaffold was in the way. Actually only one corner was, so Alan and I dismantled part of the scaffolding and then secured the remainder. When the step was ready Stephen gave us a hand and then we all returned to the steps to assemble them. In all two steps were replaced and it is now a lot safer.

In the photo Alan is supervising Stephen as he measures the spot for the second step we replaced. The old step can be seen leaning against 361 (or should that still be W462 as it is in use as a works vehicle?).

After lunch it was time to get to 547. David has lent some rotary wire strippers and we tried them out on a piece of scrap using a cordless drill. It wasn't turning fast enough to make an impact so we will try again next time with a power drill.

Alan has fixed the generator as best he can and it works for a while and then fouls the plug and stalls. With a clean plug it runs again for a while. We tried a rotary tool with a sanding attachment and it cut through the paint quickly. Some sanding and stripping continued using the belt sander on the ceiling as well as the gas burner and hand sanding. A far bit was done by the end of the day.

There won't be a workday next week as we will be at Mt Victoria Steam Train Festival. The next workday will be 4th June.