Progress continues on numerous projects, as well as the day-to-day work on the transport and industry exhibits across the Museum – summer is always the ‘busy period’ and it shows in terms of intensity of use of the exhibits.

Below: Matt has been busy making a black box.  Why? You may ask.  This is being installed as a new bus cleaning station.  The buses in particular suffer from being dry-wiped to remove dust, which ruins the paintwork and gives a dull matt finish.  We will now have a pressure washer available, all locked in the box (as all previous attempts to provide cleaning facilities have been stolen or broken – driving over hoses is a particular sin!) and available for use when buses are being fuelled.  We shall see if it works…

Below: Chris Lee is leading the volunteer team on the restoration of motor roller R025.  Having more or less stripped the roller, he has been making new components, such as the pins for the differential gears.  After a mammoth effort, the originals were eventually removed and new ones made to replace them – old and new are seen here along with the gear which runs on them.

Below: This view shows some of the damage that will need to be made good – on the left is a sound rear axle bearing brass, on the right is one scored and chewed – corresponding marks are evident on the axle journal too.  This is all very familiar railway engine type technology!

Below: Chris and John at work on the axlebox, mounted in the hornguide (to stick with railway terminology).

Below: The frame has been moved back into the workshop – seen behind are the prepared rear rolls and to the left the differential gear.  Numerous other items are stored awaiting reassembly.

Below: Dave has been at work on Samson’s frames, making and fitting bits and pieces that will be awkward to do at a later stage, including the tank balance pipe and injector feed pipe.  The tanks have also been painted with Apexior tank paint.

Below: Brian has quite a large portion of the front end of the Fort T Ton Truck dismantled.  Having discovered a ‘run’ crankshaft bearing, its extraction has caused quite considerable dismantling to be necessary – as seen here!  Fortunately spares are available in the UK and are currently on order.