As we are now into the event season and events are starting to come together we thought we would give you a quick update on our plans for the summer and how Victoria’s coming along.
Victoria is still having the last of her maintenance done, we were hoping that by now she would be all done and ready for the year ahead but as always with steam engines they always throw other things into the mix. The footplate repairs and tender repairs were one thing that we didn’t expect, but we are pleased to say they are now done. She had the tiniest hole in the tender that was leaking but this needed repairing so we had to take the wood off the footplate, cut through the metal and get into her tender, as the floor was taken out it was noticed that it was very rotten so a new metal floor has been put in and a hatch added so we won’t have to remove the floor if more repairs are needed. Lloyd has also made a new wooden floor which sits on top of the metal flooring, this is now in place and looks great. With the boiler maintenance work well on its way we are next onto replacing her wooden lagging and then lagging sheets back on, then a really good clean and polish for her.
We will be missing a couple of events off our list this year due to the works taking longer than expected, so we won’t make it to Hollycombe for their event in June this year, but we maybe back there later in the year, and The Watercress Line steam event held at Ropley Station in June this year; we attended last year and enjoyed the event so are a bit sad to miss it but hopefully next year.
We hope that we will soon be able to give you the good news that Victoria is all finished and back out and about, we are hoping to be at Amberley for their steam event the first weekend of July, so fingers crossed.
Hope to see you all very soon out on the rally field.
The coal bunker has been cleaned and a fresh coat of paint, but I don't think it will look like this for too long.
The footplate has been painted.
Victoria without her lagging but she is already to receive her new wooden lagging as soon as all the jobs are finished.
Just so we can remember what she should look like, we polished one of her wheels the other day.
