With a shunt of wagons in Wansford tunnel imminent, it was decided to go and oil up some stuff to avoid damage. Several wagons are stored in the tunnel awaiting restoration, but even so, pulling them out without oil in the axleboxes might cause serious damage to the bearings or journals.

The first job was to open up the axleboxes, which according to most dates on the outside, hadn’t been inspected since 2013. This proved difficult in some cases and needed a bit of heat, but after a while we were in and inspecting the pads. All were found to be a bit dry, but in good condition. As expected some boxes had water in, which was sucked out, then a generous amount of oil was applied to the pads and the reservoirs filled.

The main issue with working on a Saturday was the running of trains. Tim was in charge of works and kept in constant contact with the signal box to ensure we were out of the tunnel for the passage of trains and suitable protection arrangements were in place. Unfortunately, after a train had passed we had to wait a while for smoke to clear, but this meant plenty of time for chatting about wagon matters.

Once all the wagons were inspected and oiled, we all packed up and headed to the East Coast Main Line to see A2 Class Locomotive No 60532 ‘Blue Peter’…lovely to see the loco back on the main line.