Ade appeared on Wednesday morning with the aim of removing Caliban’s well-worn smokebox by the end of the day. Space is at a premium in the FRT shed but Ade managed to appear with a fork lift truck and the weltrol on which the boiler is mounted was shunted into position by pinch bar. At this point additional hands were summoned and, with assistance from Paul Balshaw, John Dixon and Ron Crowe, the job was done in time for elevenses to be taken!
John Davis took up the job of cleaning up a heater guard from the west saloon of Great Eastern Railway Royal Saloon No. 5. It was only after he had applied some wire wool to it that it was revealed that the guard was made of brass which looked very regal once old paint and dirt had been removed and a little Brasso applied. 
Giving it a daily polish will be just another job for the train guard to do to keep the coach spick and span! And John now only has another couple of heater guards needing similar treatment! Of particular interest was last night’s Channel 5 programme on Queen Consort Alexandra for whom, at the time she was Princes of Wales in 1898, the coach was built. She seems to have been quite a character and the programme is worth a watch on MY 5 if you can spare the time. Here is a link to the programme.
We mentioned last week that Keith has mounted the ejector exhaust pipe on GWR ‘Hall’ class No. 4979 Wootton Hall, so here is the promised photo.
And the safety valve bonnet is also now in place.
Furness Railway No. 20 is due its 14-month boiler inspection shortly so Sam has been busy cleaning the firebox and smokebox. A boiler washout is planned or Friday when, hopefully, we will again hear the roar of the Coventry Climax fire pump.
We better not make this blog too long as Neil has to take the notes at this evening’s Trustees’ Meeting. Unfortunately, it will again be by Zoom so we will still be on virtual sandwiches (cue howls of dismay from Trustees missing Alison’s sarnies!).