Older News

08046

New mesh has been delivered to replace the corroded mesh on the engine room air intake filters. This has been cut to size and installed. The wiring of this loco continues in the shed, with excellent progress. 

An electrically operated priming oil pump is being investigated for easier operation.

Re-wiring has started on 08046 and most of the old wires and conduits are now stripped out. Several new conduits have been Built in and around the cab. The major difference between the old layout and new being the fact that no conduits will go under the floor, which aids future maintenance.  

25072 

After initial inspection of the loco it was decided to get a coat of paint on the badly crackled paintwork on one side of the body, due to the varnish being kept in the sunlight too long. The side was rubbed down until all trace of the crackling had gone and a smooth surface was left. The side was given a coat of primer, prior to the undercoating next week (weather permitting) [click here for pictures]

Arrived safely on the 24th (Tuesday) from the Dartmoor Railway.

25083

After megger testing of the control circuits on the 25 showed that some of the insulation was very poor, it was decided that further visual inspection was needed. The megger testing had proved that the wires with poor insulation were those to the temperature switches on the water header tank. All of the wires pass through the same piece of conduit on the way to the switches, so this was removed first and checked for faults. The wires were found to be in reasonable condition, so it was decided to inspect the wires in the main cable trunking which lies under the floor in the engine room. Although the wire had clearly aged, there was no great amount of degradation to be seen. As the condition of the insulation would deteriorate further with use, it was decided to completely rewire the loco while the chance arose. This has now begun.

Cab 1 flooring has been lifted and the cab has been de-wired. All of the floor panels in the engine room have been removed to start the de-wiring of the loco. The lids of the trunking have been removed from the electrical cubicle to Cab 1. The badly corroded and life expired parts of the trunking have been removed, and while this was being done the cause of the low megger readings were found. The wires to the temperature switches pass through a piece of trunking within another piece before entering the conduit up to the header tank. The wires in the small piece of trunking had been badly degraded due to the oil and fuel which collected in that area, and the copper was exposed. The wires from Cab 1 to the electrical cubicle should be removed over the next couple of weekends.

The work on the radiator area is now completed, and it has been filled with water for testing etc. 

An electrical fault was discovered while commissioning the locomotive after its rebuild. This means that the locomotive will not be operational until at least the 26th May, and subsequently will not be able to perform at the Sulzerfest Gala on April 30th/May 1st. 

We apologise for the non availability of the locomotive, and we will keep you up to date with any further developments...

The big lift on Monday (3rd April) went as planned. The new water tanks and refurbished radiator frames are now installed into the loco onto the new rubber supports, and have been wedged in. Two overhauled vacuum exhausters have also been installed with some new anti-vibration mountings. The frame that contains the radiator fan assembly was craned and bolted in, and a start has been made to reassembling all of the pipe work around the radiator area. This should be completed shortly.

All of the associated metalwork including the radiator connector block has been fitted to the top of the radiator tanks. The radiator frames were then bolted onto the new tanks in readiness for installation on Monday. 

It is still hoped to have 25083 running for the Sulzerfest gala on 30th April/1st May. The big lift is happening on the 3rd of April, so check back here for updates...

Quite a lot of work has been carried out on 25083 in the month since the last update (Sorry - normal service is hopefully now resumed). 

All of the Radiator compartment has been finished in terms of replating, priming, undercoating and glossing; including the floor and radiator tank retaining trays. New Nitrile rubber sheeting has been purchased and cut to size for the radiator tank mountings which the tanks sit on, as the old stuff had perished badly.

Both vacuum exhausters are now overhauled and back together and have been painted in cream gloss. New exhauster anti-vibration mounts have been sourced and inserted into the casings from the old damaged mounts.

The actual Radiator supporting frames have been cleaned down and have also been primed and glossed.

New gaskets for the tops of the radiator tanks have also been manufactured in readiness for reassembly. 

The Fire alarm pull chord has also been repaired while the radiator area is clear. Some new wire had to be threaded through because the old stuff was typically cut 3 inches too short.

Both vacuum exhausters are currently being serviced. The motor casings complete with field coils have been sent off for cleaning, baking and spraying with varnish and the armatures of the motors have been given a good wash to get rid of the carbon build up. The vacuum end of the machine has been given a very good clean. The old oil that it is coated with was extremely dirty and it was very hard to turn the exhausters at all. In order to properly clean the internals, considerable dismantling was needed. Both exhauster's vacuum ends have now been rebuilt and are very free. See the pictures in this week's gallery.

Frame welding around the radiator area continues, and a few areas of the floor have also needed to be patched.

Both of the new radiator tanks are now complete and ready to be fitted.

The manufacture of the first radiator tank is completed and the second is well on its way. The only work outstanding is to weld the large top flange into place. More pictures will be added soon.

The remaining vacuum exhauster has been removed from the loco to allow cleaning and to overhaul the motor.

Some of the body frame around the radiator area was found to be severely corroded. The wasted metal has been removed and new patches have been welded in.

Painting of the radiator area continues.

The radiator tanks are progressing well, one has nearly been completed and should be finished this week. Some of the parts associated with the cooler groups have been prepared for painting before they are reinstalled in the loco.

One of 25083's vacuum exhausters has been dismantled in the shed for cleaning and to overhaul the motor.

The traction motor contactors have been dismantled for cleaning and lubrication, and a couple of broken wires found in the electrical cubicle have been replaced.

A few pictures of recent developments can be found here.

All of the components for the radiator tanks are now finished and they are ready for final welding. The flanges which are attached to the tops of the tanks were cut from flat bar and then a grand total of 76 holes were drilled using our newly installed pillar drill, then tapped for the new 1/2" BSW studs. The internal water strainers were then made from 3mm stainless steel perforated plate (plate with holes in!). This involved cutting the plate to size then bending into a box shape. A large hole was then cut to allow internal pipe work to enter the box. The smaller stainless flanges which were cut from 20mm plate last week were drilled and tapped to allow the new studs to be screwed in. The tanks will hopefully be welded within the next couple of weeks, as time permits. A picture of some of the recently manufactured tank components is below. (The picture doesn't show all components finished)

The radiator tanks are finally progressing at a more favorable rate, after being incredibly slow due to supply problems. All of the parts needed are now obtained and are either finished or in progress. The sides have been welded together and rectangles have been cut out of the top for the water flow. New stainless steel flanges have also been cut out of 20mm plate, which will eventually be welded on to the sides of the tanks for the outlet to the water pump and balancing pipe. A picture of progress so far on the sides is below.

Some more patches have been welded in to the trays that the radiator tanks sit in. One of these is now complete, and the other will hopefully be finished next week. Some of the Aluminium chequer plate walkways around the radiator area have been removed for cleaning. Some of the missing AWS equipment has been sourced for the bulkhead of Cab 1, and will no doubt be installed shortly. The headcode box lights in Cab 1 have been wired up to the switch panel above the driver's head, and some of the heaters also in Cab 1 have been rebuilt.

The trays that the radiator tanks normally sit in have been de-scaled with the air chisel and then cleaned down with the wire brush and primed. A before and after sequence is below.

The manufacture of the new tanks is progressing, with the baffles and ends now manufactured as well as the sides. We are currently waiting on some stainless steel flanges to be delivered before we weld the pieces together. A picture of the new sides, ends and internal baffles is below.

Is now in the diesel shed. The big yellow tarpaulin which covered nearly the whole loco has been removed, as have more of the body panels and grills around of the radiator area. The whole area is now very bare, with only a single vacuum exhauster left in place. A picture is below.

The extremely corroded recesses where the radiator tanks sit can be seen at either side of the floor of the loco. These will be repaired before the new tanks are installed.

The stainless steel has arrived for the manufacture of the radiator tanks.

The cleaning of the radiator components continues in the shed.

The radiator tanks and vacuum exhausters have been lifted out of the loco. The holes in the leaking tank can be seen clearly circled in the picture below.

The tanks have been separated from the piece that the radiator elements normally sit in. This is to allow for the measurements to be made for the new tanks.

Many of the items which have been removed from around the radiators have now been painted in their respective colours, in readiness for refitting once the radiator tanks have been manufactured.

The radiator roof area panel underside has been thoroughly cleaned and painted. Some of the old riveting on the panel has become tired, so these will be replaced in next few weeks. The frames which support the radiator elements on both sides are nearly ready for lifting out of the loco for dismantling in the shed. Associated pipe work has been removed. 

A start has been made to the bogies on B side. They have been primed and one has had its top coat of black gloss. The compressor has now been fully repainted, as has the engine room side of the BIS assembly. The old boiler filler door, which had been made into a resistor panel in the 1980's has been refitted. We are experiencing high oil pressure problems in the engine, and these are currently trying to be solved. The cab 1 end buffer beam has been repainted. Air frame painting continues, and cab 2 should be finished shortly.

25083 has been towed back to Brechin for work to continue. A new B.I.S. cover has been fabricated and painted. This has significantly tidied up that side, which only requires the side triangle to be painted before it is completed.

25083 has had its engine room windows and the side triangles refitted, to let the loco go out of the shed to make way for Thomas the tank.

The missing AGR resistor was fitted last week, and the boiler work was started on. It is hoped that the boiler will be done by Christmas for the 'Santa Specials'.

This week we were finishing off the bodywork,  it is now about 95% complete and the rest can wait until after SulzerFest. The air pipe runs for the horns have also been tackled and these should be finished this week. A new floor was made for cab 1 out of the new hard-wearing material, and is now fitted. The multiple working jumper holder was fitted. Some of the last few air pipes left to do have been re-fitted, and should be finished this week. 

This weekend, the 25's engine was started, since withdrawn because of a generator flashover on 9th July 1984. Over the last two weeks various engine repairs have been done to allow the loco to be 'fired up', the last, a sheared oil feed pipe in the cylinder head was drilled out and repaired just minutes before the attempt. None of the auxiliaries, minus the triple pump, have yet been tested but it is hoped that they will all be operational without too much hassle. Some pictures of the start up are here.

This week we finished manufacturing the four checkered plate kick plates for the cab steps. Three of these are now fitted, along with three of the non- slip stair nosings. The numbers were fitted to the recently repainted side. They are of the large 'Glasgow' style. More work has been done on the generators, mostly concentrating on the partially dismantled auxiliary generator. Most of the items have either been re-fitted, or are in process of being fitted. The brushes are hoped to be fitted next week. Flooring material has been ordered for cab 1, along with some oil for the power unit. The sump is to be washed out prior to filling the engine with the oil. The compressor was also freed off, along with the vacuum exhausters. The compressor has been cleaned down to bare metal and primed. Some bodywork repairs are in process, mostly on the cab sides which require filling and sanding. One of the aluminium cab side window frames on cab one, which was found to be damaged, was suitably repaired and sealed. A few rusted areas of the roof of the loco have been cleaned and painted, with the aid of a scaffolding tower, prior to painting. (Hopefully next week)

This week we purchased and fitted a new set of batteries. The brushes were refitted to the main generator, as was a new brush arm and brushboxes to replace the missing parts. We also repaired one of the cab 1 body skirts which was very badly rusted through. This was cut, and a new section was rolled and welded to the remaining part of the skirt. A tread plate was made from some aluminium checkered plate for underneath the cab step, then it was fitted. Some non- slip step nosing was cut to length and fitted to the  main cab step, and is now looking rather smart. A new body skirt was made and fitted to the front of the loco, as was the lamp iron which is mounted on it.

This week we cut and fitted more flexible pipes to the water system, and refitted most of the recently repainted pipes. Around the radiators on B side were painted BR Blue. Some of the cab body skirts have been repaired prior to refitting. Some more skirts to go around the footsteps were rolled in our plateroll. The water pump on the end of the triple pumps has been refitted with new seals, as has the associated pipework.

More water system pipework painted and refitted this week, using brand new flexible hosing. The rebuilding of the triple pump should continue next week, if the necessary seals have arrived. The top of the cooler grouping (under the roof and around the radiator fan recess) was thoroughly cleaned & painted, making use of two small children found running around the shed. (CME's sons.) The south- facing side of the loco has had its final coat of BR Blue gloss, and will be covered in polythene because of possible scratching due to being next to the main walkway in the shed.

Various painted cooling pipes which lead to the cooler group were fitted. New flexible rubber hoses were acquired and fitted to the pipes.

The last of the new oil pipes were fitted to the loco. Several new gaskets were required for the pipework around the heat exchanger. These were made and fitted. Work has started on cleaning and painting the air frame. All of the copper pipes and aluminium valves were cleaned up, as well as the steel frame. Painting should start during the week.

A new body skirt to replace the badly damaged one was made for the cab 1 end using our plate roll.  

We refitted the intercooler and conduit to the load regulator. Because the tags on the wires to the load regulator were badly worn, we re-tagged them using new PVC ones. One of the sides has been repainted in undercoat after final sanding of the filler. Glossing will hopefully take place next week.

various rusty areas on the roof were cleaned off and primed, prior to undercoating. The large aluminium roof panel (Between the boiler and engine roof panels) was taken back to the metal and painted with etching primer. Final sanding of the filler and old paint prior to undercoating and Glossing has been done on one of the sides. It is hoped to finish this side soon.

We replaced the soft metal ring seals in the exhaust gaskets with some brand new ones which we acquired earlier in the year. We then fitted a replacement exhaust manifold (Later class 26 & 27 type), which bolt together rather than fit into each other, like the Class 25 was previously fitted with. The new exhaust was painted with aluminium paint prior to refitting. The cooling water-jacket in the turbocharger which was full of rust, after the 20 years storage, was cleaned out using a high-pressure airline and a hoover, which seems to have worked well. Only a few more pipes to go!

Cab 1 Masked and painted in green. A metal panel to go around the buttons on the desk [Window wiper, Start, Stop and Remote horn] has been made. 

Dismantling the cab one end of the engine room has continued, to the sound of the 'Fine Young Cannibals 'The Finest'' album. We are now concentrating on the vacuum gear on the wall of the room, most of which has been stripped out and the wall and pipes around it have been painted prior to refitting.

The faulty gauges on gauge panel replaced with new ones and (thanks to Graeme Muir (Derek's Poodle))the brass gauge surrounds were polished and the front and back of the panel was painted. Most of the pipes around the header tank etc. have been re-fitted and some more new cork gaskets were made.

A Start has been made to the Cab 1 end of the engine room. The gauge panel has been taken out for servicing, and the air tank above the traction motor blowers has been removed for testing. The triple pump has been completely dismantled and de-seized. The traction motor blower motor has also been de-seized. The Water header and Auxiliary fuel tank has been cleaned and painted in the appropriate colours. What was left of the Water, fuel and oil system (from the 20 years open storage) around the tank, triple pump and heat exchanger has been completely dismantled and painted in the appropriate colours, ready to be put on. New pipes to replace the missing ones have been identified, painted and fitted. The end of the engine and around the heads have been painted in cream gloss, as has the traction motor blowers, ready for the missing parts to be re-fitted. The exhaust flange on back of the turbocharger had some sheared bolts stuck in it. The bolts have been drilled out and re-tapped, and the manifold has been re-fitted.

Cab 1 End has been painted in yellow gloss this week. The 3rd coat will be done this weekend. 
The Turbocharger was painted. Cab 1 ceiling was taken down. New aluminium sheets are to be made for this.
083's cabs are electrically completed. The only real outstanding work in the cabs are; a cab floor in No.1 end, painting, and the air/vacuum gauges. We have just started in the engine room, and we are overhauling the extremely badly seized turbocharger. This meant we had to make a special puller and someone had to sit awkwardly between the intercooler and the turbo (where the load regulator usually is) cranking up the screw of the tool for a day. The turbine came off and the shaft came out easily. We had to machine out the sheared turbine holding on bolt, which was stuck half-way up the middle of the shaft, and we made a new one. We are currently just waiting on obtaining the new seals so it can be put back together.

083's Cabs are nearing completion. Cab 2 has only a few wires and gauges to be connected. Multiple working junction boxes and leads have being rewired. The new hard-wearing floor surface has been fitted to cab 2, as has the second man's chair. The engine room air filter grilles have had the metal slats and mesh replaced and they have been refitted to the loco. The only part the loco is missing, which it cannot run without, is the field divert controller motor. 

26014 

Is getting a repaint! Due to the large amount of free time we now have until the 25083 situation is resolved, we have decided to give 014 a new coat of paint. 26014 is to be repainted in its current livery of BR green. Photos to follow...

26014 operated the ECS on both Saturday & Sunday of the Caledonian Railway's Easter Specials.

No. 1 Compressor has been reinstated after the motor swap. The compressor motor was lined up and the compressor bed was re-attached to the floor of the loco.

A new rubber joint for one of the pipes to No. 1 compressor was made and installed to allow the compressor to be reinstated.

A leaky exhaust joint (compressed ring) was replaced with a brand new ring insert from our stores. 

D5314 worked the Santa Specials during December 2004 top and tail with an Urn.

26014 was used on all of the Caledonian Railway's 'Santa Specials' During December 2003.

014 has its hot plate refitted, and the No.1 compressor is nearly operational, after swapping it. The cab roofs have received attention and are now sealed. There are plans to change the cab doors as time permits. The white ends have been brightened up with a new coat of paint. 

27024 

The No.2 vacuum exhauster has been recommissioned after having a faulty motor. This was removed for repair some time ago, and sent to an electrical specialist. The motor has been installed and the exhauster is back in use.

Has worked the 2005 'Santa Specials', top and tailed with a steam engine. 

27024 has had some brand new batteries fitted after the old ones were feeling a bit tired in the cold weather. We plan to recover the old ones for future use when we have a bit more time.

27024 work the Pway trains this weekend. A picture of it at the end of a hard day's work is below.

The repaired vacuum exhauster motor that arrived back from the specialists last week has been cleaned down and repainted in primer.

One of the loco's vacuum exhausters has been dismantled to allow the motor to be repaired. This burned out some time ago, and the offending field coil has been removed and replaced. A picture of the rebuilt casing is below. The internals have also been painted using insulating anti-tracking varnish. The exterior will be repainted in cream gloss to suit the rest of the loco interior before it is installed.

Is operational again, the now clean fuel tank has been bolted back on and all of the pipes have been reconnected. The rest of the fuel system which was removed for cleaning is back in place, and the loco has given a good few days sterling and noisy service. Long may it continue!

The fuel tank has been filled up with diluted bleach. The mixture has been circulated around the fuel system and left for a week, then the tank was drained. The tank is now much cleaner than it was, and after a few more washes should be ready for some diesel.

The tank has been filled up with a bleach/water mix and has been pumped around the fuel system in another attempt to rid the loco of the fuel virus.

The bogies, brake rigging and traction motors have been greased in the appropriate place

The fuel tank has once again been washed out because of a fuel virus. We feel that the FuelMag^® unit which we fitted earlier in the year to kill the virus may operate better if it starts from a clean tank. The sludge which the virus produces was as thick as ½'' in places on the walls of the tank. The tank is also to be sterilised with bleach, as well as the associated pipework.

024 has been repainted into BR blue with large bodyside Glasgow style numbers and data panels. The brakes have been adjusted and new seals have been fitted to two leaking brake cylinders.

37097

A new corridor connection blanking plate has been fitted to number 1 end, as the original one was warped where the headlight had been welded in.

The loco sides and roof have received their first coat of BR Blue. The ends have been filled where necessary and have been undercoated. One end is now in its first coat of Warning Yellow. Some photos can be seen in the Diesel days' photo gallery.

Some new brake cylinders have been obtained to replace the badly pitted examples previously fitted on the loco. The piston packings (seals) were replaced when the new cylinders were fitted.

The low power fault has been rectified. It was found that one of the governor internal levers had been disturbed when the air operated speeder piston was removed while it was stored at Millerhill. Everything is now back where it should be, and the 37 was successfully tested at the weekend. We hope to see you for a run behind her soon!

The cab sub floors have been given a good clean out by Ross McGregor and the 100psi limiting valve in No.2 nose end has been stripped and cleaned as it was found to be seized.

Antifreeze added, back in service.

Has been drained of cooling water because of Winter finally coming to the North! The loco will be filled with Antifreeze solution this weekend, and should be back in service by Sunday, on a Pway train.

A wheel slip fault which meant the loco wouldn't take power was traced to a faulty contactor, and duly repaired. The loco is now back in service.

Brilliant news for those 37 fans amongst you: 37097 is now operational and worked its first trains during the summer, including a specially organised Sunday running day, when it worked all services because of a lack of a steam crew. There was an encouraging turnout, and the passengers will be happy to hear that it sounds much better now!

Most of the small remaining jobs were done on the week leading up to its first train,  an ECS working to Brechin for the "Day out with Thomas" weekend, and the still outstanding work will hopefully be done soon.

Has received new batteries, which have now been installed. The auxiliary generator has been dismantled and thoroughly cleaned. The insides have been painted with a special insulating varnish. Some of the existing insulation has also been repaired with glass tape where it was worn through or damaged. Bodywork is progressing, albeit very slowly. The roof as well as one of the sides is now in undercoat ready for gloss, and the other side is being primed and filled where necessary. Because of no available platform to work from the unfinished side will have to wait until the running season is over in September before the work can be completed.

No.1 compressor has been freed-off, and the brush gear has been rewired and rebuilt. The picture above is of Sam trying to get the compressor turning.

A valve was found to be missing on No.2 bogie when the traction motors were being inspected. The burned off pipe ends can be seen in the picture above. The two pipes leading to this valve had to be taken off of the bogie. These pipes stretch the length of the bogie, and proved quite tricky to remove! A picture of these being removed is below.

Some more of the roof has been primed, ready for undercoating when the weather gets a bit better.

Part of the welded bodyside has been filled prior to priming. One of the bodyside skirt panels has been re-adjusted to fit better.

37097 has had a lot of work done on it lately, because of 25083's absence from Brechin station. The B side has been completely repaired ready for filler and painting. Several patches have been welded in around the cab sides, windows and under the radiators. The body-side air intakes have also been cleaned down and primed, ready for undercoating.

This week the badly corroded patches around the radiator grilles have been cut out, and new patches welded in. The underside of one of the headcode boxes has also been repaired. (Thanks to Davey Lawson)

The water pumps were reassembled following freeing off.

We made a small fuel transfer pump to inject Diesel up the compression plugs on the side of the engine, in an attempt to free the engine off. This will be left for a week, then we will see if the engine is showing any sign of turning.

The Brushes were freed off from the brushboxes in main generator.

Speedo Drive acquired and fitted.

097 had its new windscreens fitted this week, using new rubber bought from C.O.H Bains.
The missing brake pin was made on one of the lathes at Brechin. Around the windscreens were undercoated and glossed in black.
097 has been sidelined until spring because of other commitments and the fact that we are currently looking for the missing parts. We obtained some spares from a scrap 37 at EWS Motherwell, which have been of great use. We are now only missing 3 brake cylinders, the piston head (disk) part of the engine speeder piston (similar to class 20, 31s etc. if anyone can help) , a drivers heated windscreen, 4 turbocharger oil filler caps and a brake valve isolator valve. 
CRDG's newest arrival, 37097, finally came after delays because of the other scottish loco moves going on at the time. The locomotive is surprisingly complete with the only major missing components being the brake cylinders and 2 secondman's windscreens. There were some missing contactors and some cut wires which were tackled shortly after it arrived. Currently in grey and yellow livery, 37097 is planned to be painted in Large-logo blue. Some auxiliary generator brushboxes were found to be heat damaged, which had arisen suspicions that it may be something more serious. The brush boxes were repaired and are to be refitted soon. We have had the engine turning (using a bar) and lubricating oil and fuel pumps running. There were a few pipes missing from the engine (a fuel pump to injector pipe and a small oil pipe) which were sourced and fitted. The batteries already fitted to it were new in 1998, just before it was withdrawn, and still had some charge left in them. We are currently trying to salvage the batteries for use.

The rails have now been bolted down to the floor of the shed. Holes were drilled and then a special type of adhesive was poured in, into which the holding down stud bar was inserted. This turned out to be considerably cheaper and easier than giant RAWL bolts, the system which we were originally going to use.

25083 is the first loco to be put in the shed, and this should allow for work to be carried out considerably quicker, and in all weathers. Some extra lighting was fitted on the roof beams above where the loco sits to help us see what we're doing. 

Below is a picture of Graeme starting to clean down the engine room bulkhead of 25083. The photographer is standing where the radiator fan normally sits.

The point allowing rail access to the shed was installed over the new year period. There is about 180 foot of plain line to lay and rails in the shed to allow a loco inside.

Some new cabinets which hold trays for storage of small items have been installed in the shed. We have started to sort through some of our items which were previously stored elsewhere, before they are moved into the shed.

The next lot of reinforcing mesh boxes have been welded up for the rest of the concrete floor. The floor will hopefully be pored next week, and then painted. The building will then be secured and the trackwork will be started on.

Good progress has been seen in the shed lately. The working side of the shed has received its concrete floor, as has half of the track side. The track side has received 18'' thick concrete pads with a recess in the middle of the two rail support sides to form an access area to the underside if the loco. The rail will be bolted straight onto the concrete pads. The next half of the track side is to be poured next week, after the reinforcing mesh boxes have been manufactured for it. 

The shed at BoD is now completed by the builders, which means it is time for us to move in and finish it!!

A concrete floor has been started by us in the working area of the shed. The Area was dug down to the clay and leveled off last weekend with the help of a JCB. The area has now had 10 tonnes of sand poured in and is in the process of being spread out and compacted, using a hired 'thumper' (pun intended). The shuttering is to be built this weekend, and it is planned to pout the concrete next weekend.

Good progress has been seen on our new shed over the last two weeks. The foundations have been dug and the concrete base put in. After this some very substantial concrete-block foundations were constructed. A course of sandstone blocks is in process of being built at the moment.

The former goods shed at Nairn is currently being repaired prior to erecting at Bridge of Dun by CPMS Scotland. This shed is to become our Bridge of Dun Motive Power Depot. The Shed is long enough for one type two, and has a large working area to the side of it. It also has a stone-built bothy on the end. The building is scheduled to be erected and have track in it by Christmas. More info to come on this development.