Water Spray Cart progress

Water Spray Cart progress

15th May 2009

We’ve had a productive morning today! After clearing vast piles of patterns that were recently received (mostly ex Locomotion Enterprises stock from the Novelty and Steam Gondola replicas built by Mike Satow plus patterns returned from the Severn Valley Railway who had borrowed them for the new Trevithick replica being built at Bridgenorth) we have gained a fair bit of space!
Dave Young delivered the newly cast lid for the street water cart, and has machined it to fit the original frame. This is a substantial lump of metal and the frame/lid assembly is more or less complete and ready to be fitted to the tank once it has been fibreglass lined.
This later process is necessary as there are several thin areas in the wrought iron tank. It is impractical to (cheaply) repair these so we have taken professional advice on producing a fibreglass lining. Paul Nash from FGT in Jarrow, a specialist in using fibreglass, has looked at the work required and is preparing a price for us. This would be three layers, built up then coated in a sealing layer to give a gloss finish. Essentially this forms a separate tank, closely fitted to the confines of the original.
Once the above work has been carried out, painting can commence and David Young will work on the spray box, essentially a wooden (lidded) trough with holes from which the water falls to produce the required sprinkling.