On the End

The workday yesterday was spent working on the end platform. We arrived to find the area saturated. There was a lot of water lying around after the rain we had experienced all week. Fortunately the area below the end platform and the interior of the car was dry. A quick check around found all the tarps were in place but a couple of ropes were loose.

Kevin, Paul and Jim started on preparing the steelwork that is under the platform for paint. When it was ready Kevin applied some rust inhibiting paint. There is some corrosion in this area but nothing to worry about. With the paint it should be okay for many years to come.

Kevin also did some work on timber for the top steps. These seem to suffer the most as they are out in the open and get the most traffic. Only one of the four on 547 are reuseable the others will be replaced.

The next workday is planned for a fortnight's time.

There are a couple more photos on the gallery, several more older ones have been added over the last couple of weeks too.

Loading Up

When the exhibition was on we borrowed some equipment from another group. This has been stored at the Carriage Site until they needed it back. As they are holding their exhibition this weekend it was needed. So today we loaded up the gear so Paul can return it.

Kevin, Paul and Jim arrived almost in unison and once cars had been turned around and positioned properly the trailer was hooked up to Paul's ute. We then got into loading and had it done in about half an hour. There was a bit to load, all the crowd control stands we used.

When it was done and tied down we enjoyed a well deserved cuppa in the morning sun. Kevin wanted to finish attaching the gangway plate he had been working on last Sunday and had brought the screws he was missing. So he did that before we all left for the day.

Below Deck

Yesterday was another day spent working on the end and side of 547. We are making steady progress at the moment.

Kevin and Paul arrived early and started working straight away. When Jim arrived a little later Kevin had the railings installed and was painting the headstock and railings. He had repaired another of the uprights and made some additional bolts. Paul had continued on undercoating the sides.

The deck on that end is in reasonable condition but several of the boards were loose. It had been decided to screw it in place. Before that is done we decided to lift it and check the supporting timbers. Kevin and Jim got started on removing the deck. It came off easily but underneath was worse than we expected which explains why the deck was loose. The photo shows the rotten timbers that will need to be repaired, it also shows some of the work already done on the headstock etc. The timbers nearest the steps just bolt into place and we started on removing them. Several of the bolts will need replacing too.

By this time Paul had the BBQ going and we had a steak lunch.

After lunch the last of the timbers and bolts were removed. The timber will be repaired and the steelwork will be cleaned and painted.

The end posts will need repairing, they have rotted at the bottom. This is not unusual and all of our cars have been repaired in this area before, probably more than once during their lifetime. Kevin had a look and worked out how to do it. After cleaning up the site we called it a day.

Next workday we will continue with the repairs to the end platform. We will clean up the deck timbers and remove all the nails from them. We also need to work out how much needs to be done to the end wall panels. They are the original cedar panels and appear to be in good condition but need a little filler around the edges. We will make a template of the pieces needed for the end posts too.

A Few Updates

The new OnTrak newsletter is out now, just click on the link on the side panel.

The Photo gallery has been updated quite a bit lately. There are over 150 photos there now. The most recent additions are to the 547 album (mostly of recent workdays) and the 361 album (some old images including its first workday). Click on the link on the left top to access the gallery. It will keep growing as I have time to add more images.

Work Continues

There was another successful workday yesterday. I had other plans so there are no photos this week.

Justin and Paul continued on the sides. The cover strips were applied and a start was made on undercoating the new panels. The steel cover strips were measured and Justin will get them cut during the week.

Meanwhile Kevin finished painting the headstock and surrounding area. He has refitted the steelwork which includes the hand rails etc. It is starting to look good.

A start was made on the exterior of the end platforms. Undercoat was applied to one end. Some filler may be required before new cover strips are applied. The existing timber, which is cedar, is in good condition although a little rough around the edges. The cover strips should hide that though. The area around the door arch will need stripping and repainting as it is bubbling. There are probably many coats of paint under it like much of the interior.

The end platform decks will need replacing at one end and refitting at the other. We will obtain the necessary materials for the next workday.

Steve arrived after lunch and helped Paul adjust the tarps and a few other jobs.