Templates ticked off!

February 16, 2025 / February 16, 2025 by Ollie S

This weekend we ticked off a ‘must do’ job, which was to remake the template for the saddles that sit under the tank. Adam did some clever calculations that allowed us to get an accurate curve marked out onto a large sheet of plywood and then I jigsaw’ed out the shape. We test fit it to make sure all was good and Adam will take it up to the sawmill next week.

Other jobs included salvaging some metal from a metal skip that we would use to make the ever useful outside workbench. Ideal for Adam and his welding, and for me a Jim to use for painting / cleaning etc.

Elsewhere, Adam & I partook in a ballast drop using the trusty Ruston 88DS. It’s always a good day if you get to take the loco for a spin! This was to assist the P-Way team who were jacking and packing some of the track.

Hopefully more progress will be made on the tank wagon during our next work day!

Welding. Cutting.

1855 has not been a sealed tank for a long time. It has had a few corrosion issues. It has four holes in it. Over Christmas, I set to preparing to repair one of the holes. Its taken nearly 3 months to get this far due to lack of proper tools (a suitable welder) and […]

Needling at 90%!

Whilst Adam continued work on our new workbench, I used the railway being closed to make plenty of noise with the needle gun. Unfortunately there’s a lot of tasks now involving the needle gun and wire wheel which is very very time consuming. So if you’re reading this and want to lend us a hand […]

A Break From Rain!

Following on from Adam’s post, I just wanted to show some more picture of the work we managed to get up to a few days ago. Having all the old metal off the wagon is a huge step forwards for us! Above you can see the prep work to get this stanchion off the end […]

There is nothing left to come off!

So yesterday, Ollie and I worked on the stanchion removal and final tank strap. They are all off now and then I worked into the darkness to remove all of the metal that attached the stanchion to the wagon – including the rivets. This is another massive milestone in the progress of 1855, as it […]

Raining on 1855’s parade

This weekend started cold and quickly turned cold and wet. I have a rule. I will be cold, wet or hungry, but only 1 of those at any one time, so refuge was sought via Pot Noodles and the warmth of a Spaniel at home. Saturday, I had another CVR volunteer help me; thank you, […]

A ‘spring’ in our step now!

Hi all, today I posted a slightly different video over on my YouTube channel! We are looking to raise the funds to cover an additional leaf spring overhaul as well as the one we had planned to send off. This means the two rear springs can be refurbished at the same time. The feedback already […]

* NEW VIDEO * – The Tank Lift!

Join Adam, Jim & I for another update on the tank wagon. Perhaps one of our more productive work days to date! Click the link below to watch our latest video: https://youtu.be/P5OuVcC5sUA Hopefully another video on the way soon!

Still Winter but we talk Spring(s)!

On what felt like the coldest day of the year, I left Adam outside as I enjoyed the warmth of the shop for our regular committee meeting. It went on slightly longer than planned but prior Adam & I spent some time throwing some ideas about in regards to the task of removing the faulty […]

World’s Strongest Rivet….

Firstly, a happy new year to all who’ve been following our journey so far. Today Adam & I were once again working on the tank wagon so below you will find pictures as well as text to explain what we managed to get done! Today’s most difficult challenge was removing the final rivet from the […]

Hello darkness my old friend…

Probably our last post on here before Christmas, so thought I’d come wish you all well during the festive period and update you on what’s been happening! From the picture above, you will see that at our most recent work day, the 3 of us worked well into the darkness, only stopping because the wind […]

Liquified metal

Yesterday was a logistics day doing some stores relocation. We worked a bit early morning and late into the darkness after the site closure. Jim and Ollie rode the needle guns to low earth orbit cleaning up the tank ready for priming. I turned steel into liquid working to removing some badly rusted steel held […]

We’re back, but it’s cold!

Thankfully no rain today, but temperatures were still very low with the occasional bit of direct sunlight on the tank. What started off as a slow day ended up with some more large steps forwards under the circumstances. Jim continued grafting away at the chassis with the more abrasive wire wheel (an insanely time consuming […]