General progress update
19 February 2005 - thanks to Mark Johns/Ben Williams for this article
An update into what has been happening at the Colne Valley Railway over the past month or so...
As already detailed in previous reports we have now taken delivery of the first two of our machines - a Permaquip Powered Canopy Trolley and a Matisa Inspection vehicle at our new base - The Colne Valley Railway.
Most work has concentrated on the Matisa so far because of its general poor external appearance and our eagerness to make it look externally presentable before the railway opens to the public again in March. This was one of the conditions of us bringing the machines to their site.
We have cleaned the inside getting rid of the debris from years of neglect at its old resting place. Bags full of rubbish and glass have been thrown out and the floor tiles have been taken up so that we can clean underneath them. We've removed all the remaining broken windows, measured the openings and are in the process of sourcing new glazing material.
Mark and Dave have carried out a detailed inspection of the Rolls Royce 'C' series engine as well as all the other working parts. As we knew from our visit to Stranraer in August the transfer unit is missing and one of the prop shafts from the gearbox to the transfer unit is at present in an unserviceable condition. The splines have been crushed inwards, meaning that the shaft cannot be re-assembled and so this is something that will need to be repaired.
Unfortunately we have also discovered that the engine is missing more parts than initially thought - namely an air compressor, (which is belt-driven by the engine crankshaft) the fuel injection pump (FIP), the injectors and associated pipework, the alternator and the starter motor. Dave and Mark are currently in the process of sourcing these parts for the engine and transmission systems as well as some new batteries.
The Wabasto night heater is missing but luckily the control box is still present. We will need to replace the heater unit at some point as well as some ducting for the cab to distribute the heat. The fluorescent tube light on the ceiling of the cab has also been taken out so some light tubes can be sourced for it.
The gauges on the control panel were all taken out on Saturday 12th February so they can be sent away for repair and/or re-glazing. Mark took the panel home on Sunday 13th February and removed the switches in his garage. The control panel will probably be completely refurbished because it is looking quite tatty and the switches replaced with new ones. The layout of the gauges will also be changed slightly - mainly because we've removed the redundant vacuum braking system and the control valve from the control panel.
Ben and Vince concentrated on the external areas on the 12th February and have now managed to clean most of the paint / graffiti from the worst affected side of the machine making it look a lot better already. Next we plan to use filler on any holes/dents in the side of the bodywork, treat exposed or rusted metal with an anti-rust compound and then sand the remaining paint down to give a good smooth surface for priming and then finishing with a spray coat.
We have already exceeded our action plan having done so much already in the little time that has passed since the delivery.
So what's next??
As well as the external painting the vehicle will ideally be re-glazed quickly with most of the seals also replaced. We are looking at a number of options at the moment. To aid ventilation during the summer, provisions will be made to refit sliding windows near the cab doors, and maybe fitting a fan near the driver's control panel.
The engine parts will be sourced from a scrap yard so that it will hopefully be in a condition to power up relatively soon.
The white mesh guard surrounding the engine at the front will be repaired on the right hand side as a section is missing.
Generally, the wiring under the control panel will be traced and tidied up so we can produce a diagram and know which wire does what. The refurbished control panel will be manufactured and fitted whilst the gauges are sent away for repair. The wiring will hopefully then be complete by the time the gauges turn up so that they can then be fitted into the new panel.
The inside of the cab will then receive some paint and the lighting and heating equipment refitted. The wiper arms/motors will need to be replaced and refitted.
The next update will involve work on the Permaquip, which needs its glazing replacing as well as a section of roof that is currently leaking above the hinged door. The light box on the roof also needs replacing as well as the control panel at the top of the door. Some other final preparations are needed before the vehicle is operational again although it is thought it won't take too much to get this machine working as the engine is thought to be in fairly good order.
In other news...
We have contacted Matisa but unfortunately they weren't able to offer too much assistance because of the machine's age and the fact it is a conversion.
More positively, we have received some useful information (Operating and Training Manuals and Maintenance Instructions for the PCT) and historic photos from a contact at Permaquip (now Harsco Track Technologies) who designed and worked on the PCT's back in the early 1980s when they were first built. Thanks again to them for this useful insight.
We have also received some interesting information about the PCT from one of the guys at Wirksworth who have "been there and done that" with a similar machine to 98706. Again thanks for their help about spare parts etc.
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