Work continued today on our vacuum fitting project towards the main aim of an Express Freight Rake. The previous sessions had seen Palvan B778810 and Standard Van B761651 complete, but untested. Also, Standard Van B786075 was very close to being ready, with a new cylinder under, but a few bits still to fit prior to testing.

The first job was therefore to get B786075 finished, so Tim set about this task with the help of Phil. In no time at all the overhauled valve, branch pipe, piston rod, gaiter, and release cord were fitted, then new rubber washers added to the vac hoses.

Meanwhile, our next priority was fitting up another van, so B768248 was hand shunted a few yards to a flat bit of ground, then chocked to allow the brakes to be taken apart. Colin and Gareth got on with this task, whilst Stu headed into the workshop to modify an outside cylinder hanger to fit the van.

On the workbench, Paul, Jason, and Mark were again on cylinder overhaul duty to get a cylinder ready for B768248.

Just prior to the lunch break, Tim completed work on B786075 by drilling out old split pins to allow the link bars to be fitted between the cylinder piston and the brake arm.

After lunch it was time for some testing. Tim had arranged for Mark Ekiert to join the group to drive the Sentinel loco DL83 and provide some much needed suck! B778810, B786075, and B761651 were all tested individually with a full application, partial application and then left with the cylinders charged and loco disconnected to test the rate at which the cylinders would leak off. All vehicles passed with flying colours, and after an hour all were still holding full vacuum with the brakes hard on….we consider that a success! Many thanks to Mark for coming in to drive the loco.

Meanwhile, it was all hands on deck to get the cylinder fitted to B768248. This was achieved just before we lost the light, with the brake rigging being refitted and the wagon hand shunted back to the rake. Tim then couldn’t resist a final touch of paint on the swan necks to show the vans as fully fitted. Unfortunately, it was too late to test this van today, but the excellent progress so far only leaves Standard Van B759852 and Conflat B707261 to fully fit as part of this initial round of work.

We still have places available on our driving courses with DL83 and Thomas, and also our photo charter with Tornado. Please come and support us if you can, as money from these events allows us to continue our good work. For more information, visit our events page – https://nvrwagons.co.uk/courses-and-experiences/