Like buses, no updates for a long time, then two come together.
Work is going to recommence soon on 20057, whilst nothing visible has appeared for many months, work has continued in the background. This week work will start on the removal of the crankshaft then it will be sent away for polishing. The removal and refitting elements being undertaken by contactors with specialist tooling and more importantly time to do the work! It was clear quite early on that the loco would need lifting off its bogies, not only to fix the cab but also to undertake the bogie overhaul.
With that came an issue, we had no lifting jacks for locos. We set about acquiring a set of lifting jacks, but like everything in preservation they needed to be fully refurbished before we could use them, and as part of the deal we also had to refurbish another set. The first set was completed and finally tested back in December 2022, and the second set are well on the way.
So with a set of jacks ready for action, we the needed to acquire some lifting brackets for a Class 20, this was arranged and they were duly collected between Christmas and New Year. The final bit of work required is the concrete in our shed needs to be tested, assuming all of this is in order then 20057 will be heading upwards very soon.
Other work continues with the generators being overhauled off site, the cubicle is being overhauled component by component, most of the heads have been overhauled, liners have been honed, fuel pump and injectors have been overhauled. Both turbos and a spare have been overhauled waiting for the day they can be put back on to the power unit.
There is still a lot of work left to be undertaken to be anywhere even close to starting the loco up, but all these little steps are bringing a home based working Class 20 a step closer.
Last year we hired in Class 47 No. 47292. We were fully aware that it would need some repairs to be undertaken before it could be used, however as with any locomotive until you make a start you don’t fully understand the full picture. 47292 had some issues with its coolant system, we patched it sufficiently to enable us to run it up, however there was only one way to fully fix the problem and that is to remove the auxiliary room roof to enable the entire cooler group to be removed. In the next few days this will be lifted off and the works can commence.
Whilst this has stopped the loco from being used, the cubicle has received a component-by-component repair, with each contactor being removed, tested and cleaned on the bench. Our extensive collection of Class 47 spares have come in useful. Substantial refurbishment has been undertaken in the cabs also, whist not complete yet they will be completed in time for its launch into traffic hopefully in time for our diesel slots in our June timetable.