Another couple of weeks have gone by and the stay drilling team of Ed and
Ron is closing in on the last few stays to be replaced on Great Western Railway
0-6-2T No. 5643’s firebox, which are being drilled out from the outside.

There is still some work to be done on clearing the holes on the inside of the firebox,
which Keith will do with the gas torch, but that side of the project is now
nearing completion. Thursday saw another set of stay holes tapped and ready
to receive new stays, with Chris Rycroft being assisted by the FRT team.

Elsewhere, with Caliban’s boiler away receiving a new firebox, it’s time to
ensure that other elements of the project are brought up to speed. Tim has
been sanding down the back of the cab, applying filler where necessary, whilst
John Dixon has been cleaning up the threads at the bottom of two of the cab
stanchions.

Meanwhile, Keith has been fabricating a new bracket to hold the steam heat
pipe on the front of Great Western Railway ‘Hall’ class 4-6-0 No. 4979
Wootton Hall.

Members should now have received the latest, Autumn/Winter 2024, edition
of The Iron Horse along with membership renewal letters.
It is good to see so many subscriptions arriving in the Trust’s bank account
already – many thanks.