Shed47 Railway Restoration Group

25/05/2022

Good Evening one and all and welcome to the midweek update,

Lots to report on today so lets get into it......

The fire was going to get some heat in the AM as the workshop is in the shade till midday,

Sandras bearing carriers for the axles are now refurbed after the last one was bored out and had a new bush fitted with matching pin.

We have sourced some exhaust pipe that should do the wee rustons lum, it will need cut and welded but should do the job.

The bogie wagon is now ready for its floor after the guys pulled a couple of extra shifts to get it painted, thankfully the weather played ball.

Sandras axle gearboxes are now finished after the two Jims worked hard today and got the second one rebuilt, the axles are now ready to go back under the loco with the refubed bearing carriers.

Peter Mullen kindly organised the donation of 3 huge filing cabinets to the group, these will be used in the stores for fixings etc making it easier to catalogue parts and find things.

We took delivery of two ex army 12 x 12 tents which are going tpo used on open events as extra covered show space for exhibitors.

The narrow gauge locos are having control labels fitted in the cabs courtesy of Jim Robb who had them printed at his work for us.

We have started tidying the dutch barn out and have removed two lever frames so far the are destined for use on the line in the near future, quite a bit of scrap was skipped with more identified that will be moved in due course, then we will be able to fit the racking and have a tidy up.

And last but not least the biggest news is we now have coat hooks on the back of the cubical doors in the gents, Thanks to Tony for fitting them, no more wet jackets, :)

Well thats it for tonight folks, catch you all again on Sunday for the next update.

Cheers, The Shed 47 Team.

23/05/2022

A wee half shift today to progress the next project, the chassis has been painted black along with the buffer beams, the bogies will be next, the chassis needed doing to allow the guys to get to work fitting the floor and sides.

22/05/2022

Ruston DS48 brake check. Shed47, Fife.

https://youtu.be/qUGnJ6R0Lq4

brake test following the fitment of ferrodo material onto the brake shoes.

22/05/2022

Good evening one and all.
Not much to report on today.

The weather wasn't on our side today but there were still a few visitors through the gates today.

Two of the Jim's and Robin got the brakes shoes refitted on the wee Ruston48,it was then ready for a wee test down the shed road to the headshunt.
The wee loco did really well,the brakes now just need a small bit of adjustment so it can operate to its full potential.

The remaining Jim was in the woodwork shop finishing off the door for the pump house. Unfortunately I didn't manage to get any pics before the end of day.

One more thing. One of the volunteers from the WW2 group was in today to give us a hand. Kirk brought his tools and tubs of window putty to start reglazing the old guard/gatehouse building at the West gate.
Only a few more to get in and that will be one stage of the building restoration done.
Jock also got the old paint stripped off the wee fence he's been working on ready for a fresh coat.

Will leave you with what pics I did get today and will have a wee video up later too.

Cheers the Shed47 team 👍🏻

18/05/2022

A wee brucey bonus tonight, here is the wee Hunslet getting up to temprature, doesnt that Ailsa Craig engine sound lovely.

18/05/2022

good evening all we hope you are well,

The lads were busy today with all manner of jobs so in no particular order here we go,

The sewage plant pump house door is being replaced as the one fitted in 1942 is showing its age now so the joiners are adapting a period correct door to fit,

The narrow gauge took delivery of a number of bolts for Rubys sprocket carriers on her axles, these have now been fitted using the old bolts as the new ones were a bit small for the job but will be used ealsewhere.

Sandras axle bearing carriers are almost ready with just one left to sort, this was on the mill today to remove the weld material that was added to repair the wear, it is being machined back to true.

the wee Rustons brake blocks are finished with the two Jims fitting the last block today with ferrodo material, they will be fitted in due course and we can then get her back in motion..

No 10 the wee Hunslet was sitting out in the sun today and was run up to temprature after having the radiator topped up with coolant, the little ailsa craig engine is running like a sweetie.

the station ramp fence is an ongoing project as it is repainted but dave is making a great job of it and is almost at the bottom of the ramp already...

Thruston cab was also being painted today, the interior is going to be cream which is the usual colour for all of our stock to make it a bit brighter inside. it wont be long until she is back together,

we strated the stripdown of No 29s bunkers which involved cutting out the old sanboxes with the workshops new plasma cutter, what a handy bit of kit it is going to be, we have ordered in the required angle bar to repair what is there and what is not and we have enough sheet materil of the correct size in stock to rebuild the sides that are missing and patch the exsiting.

Thats it for tonight folks, see you all Sunday and dont forget Big Dave is in steam this Sunday so please pop by and get a run behind scotlands newest traction.

Cheers, The Shed 47 Team.

15/05/2022

Good evening everyone.

A damp start to the day but by afternoon the sun was out and the visitors were coming through the gates.

We shall start with the narrow gauge news.
Big Dave was getting a rest today so for this first time since being put back together Sylvia was powered up and brought out the shed for passenger duties.
She did well all day and has a great wee sound to her.

Tony finished up the work on the Banana 🍌 van floor.
It is now again solid and ready to used for whatever it shall now be used for.
He also gave the roof a wash down.

In the workshop JimR was continuing to drill out the ferrodo and old brake blocks so they can be attached to each other.
It's a slow job but it's getting there.

Again the Ruston was seeing some work. Dave has been on the needle gun again and cleaned up more of the cab panels. Robin then came in with the wire wheel to clean it up and then gave the bare metal a coat of grey primer.

MOD 251 was pulling the brake van for the passenger runs today.

We had a donation today from Jim Chalmers of two tool boxes and tools and a big box contains various nails and fixings.
Also a bench that has a bit of history as the front legs actually came off an Edinburgh Tram.

Right that's your lot for tonight hope you enjoy 😉

Cheers the Shed47 team 👍🏻

14/05/2022

A wee extra post this weekend.
Some of the Shed47 team headed to see our friends at Doon Valley Railway
We were on a mission to source some piston rings for no29 from the stock they have in their possession.
Unfortunately none were to be of the correct specifications we are needing. 😔
Whilst there the guys were kind enough to give us a tour of the facilities and stock they have.

I would definitely recommend a visit once they start running in a few weeks time.

I will leave you with some pics from our visit below.
😎

11/05/2022

A quick reminder of yet another cracking event taking place on the site this year,

11/05/2022

Good evening folks, a late one tonight (sorry)

A busy day today with the workshop in full swing,
the guys were busy fitting the rustons rather worn looking brake blocks with ferodo material to help build them back up a bit and get them functioning again.

the machine shop was busy with bushes being made for sandras axle carriers, the new pins were also fitted into two of the carriers with new bushes.

The crack in the rustons gearbox mount has been repaired with two metal straps that are bolted into place. the painting continues in and on the cab and we managed to find a bit of origional paint which was cleaned and sampled to allow us to get a match.

Hunslet no 10 has its engine hood refitted and bolted into place, its looking great and is not to far away from being completed.

the narrow gauge guys did some pway work in the form of some track leveling involving the wonderfull job of jacking and packing, at the close of play they had covered a fair length of the line.

Dave continued painting on the station fencing with more of it being sanded and then some areas primed before getting its coat of white,

Jock was busy at the rail access point between the toilet block and mess hut, he has been sorting out the access gate metal work prior to the whole lot getting a coat of paint to freshen it up.

And last but not least we were donated a job lot of roof trusses which are going to come in handy in the near future so watch this space.

Thats it for tonight folks, see you Sunday for the next one,

Cheers, The Shed 47 Team.

08/05/2022

Hey all.
What a cracking day today for the VW event at Lathalmond. The weather hasn't been on their side for the last couple of outings but the sun shone in all its glory today.
Unfortunately I never had time to walk the show for pics as for always we were busy doing railway things.
Talking of railway things,MOD251 was going hammer and tong today as the visitors kept flowing with lots of smiling faces enjoying both standard and narrow gauge runs.
Big Dave over on the narrow gauge proving popular as ever.

On the work side of things Jim Patterson was in from the off getting down and dirty with the Banana 🍌 van floor ripping out the old boards to be replaced with new wood. His apprentice Tony turned up for the backshift to help out 🤣

In the workshop Chris was turning more pins as well as a smaller pin and a bushing for Ruston handbrake.
He then got on with turning out more bushings from Brass for another job. These will be finished on Wednesday.

Staying with the Ruston now,all the parts for the handbrake lever and linkage were prepped for refitting.
The bushing for the release lever was welded into place then dressed off and the smaller pin that was turned for the pawl mount had a he drilled out for the split pin.
The whole lot was then reassembled ready to be tested but we have found the rear brake shoes are worn beyond any kind of usable limit. So a solution is being sought out.

The other remains Jim's were working on the piston rings for number 29. The less worn of the rings have been moved to right hand piston as they fit within tolerances. We are now planning a trip to our friends at Doon Valley Railway to source replacement rings for the left hand piston.

A set of escape ladders have also been fitted to brake van.

That's it for today's update,please join us again for the midweek drama 😁

Cheers the Shed47 team 👍🏻

07/05/2022

Well folks, the time has come and there are plenty of vehicles to see, we look forward to seeing you all tomorrow.

04/05/2022

Well Here is a wee surprise for you all, and for us i might add, after 24 years of slumber the Little Ruston DS48 has moved under it's own power, the guys have managed to turn this job around in what seems like no time at all and although there is plenty still to do before it is put into traffic we cant help but feel a sense of pride in being able to acheive what we do with our band of volunteers.
Thanks to everyone who has managed to get the project this far this quickly and heres to all the volunteers who make our wee railway what it is.

04/05/2022

Good evening all, an action packed update tonight so lets get into it.

The front coupling hook for the Ruston is now one peice again and looking good, the socket in the buffer beam required work before we could fit it so the welder was busy today buttering up said hole and squaring it off to resemble its origional form, with that done a wee bit more material was machined off of the coupling hook and it was fitted to the buffer beam, we now nee a spring for it and it can be fitted permanently.
The brake rod for the Ruston had suffered some wear so this was also buttered up with weld and dressed back to a decent thiknissity again.
the tapered key for the drive sprocket on the front axle was also a bit on the thin side so with the welder in action this was also thickened up a bit and dressed to a nice taper before being refitted to the axle.

A pair of brackets have been sourced and adapted to be fitted to the brake van to allow us to move the de-training ladder to tne number one end where they can be accessed by train crews if needed.

the wee Ruston was running again today to check the oil pressure in the engine and oil flow in the gearbox, both of which were totally fine and allow us to move to the next stage, the throttle lever and control rod were also fitted in the cab to allow easier running of the engine.

The machine shop was in full swing with the mill removing material from the Rustons coupling hook and the lathe was busy turning out new pins for Sandra the narrow gauge locos axle carriers. two new pins have been made and next will be the bushes they fit into.

the drive chains for the Ruston were fitted after Jim and Jim set about freeing off some of the links that were a bit on the tight side, we are confident these will loosen with use in the future.

the station fence is undergoing a repaint and will be worked on for the next few wednesdays weather permitting to get the station looking nice and fresh.

Work started on getting Ruby the narrow gauge locos wheels back under her, some jacking will be required but we will soon have her back on the rails again and in service.

Hunslet No10 is looking great in its fresh new NCB green livery, even its negine has had a makeover, it seems a shame to hide it under the bonnet but it will be tucked away soon as the pannels are replaced.

Thats it for tonigh but stay tuned for a rather exciting up[date shortly.

Cheers, The Shed 47 Team.

03/05/2022

Regular steam returns to Dunfermline for the first time in over 50 years!
We reopen for the 2022 season on Sunday 3rd April and every Sunday until the end of the season in October 1230-1600. Here are all the dates.

01/05/2022

Good evening all we hope this finds you well and trust you are enjoying your bank holiday weekend,

Another productive day on site today with plenty of work done and quite a few visitors to boot.

The wee Ruston has had some tlc and the cab painting has begun, the interior was descaled and wire wheeled befor having a coat of grey to protect it, the engine / gearbox coupling is now repaired and has been refitted today, the hand brake lever is needing some tlc and the pawl rod needs built up with some weld to give it some strength.

The shop had its new peg boards fitted to the walls to allow us to display more stock, these were donated as transportable cases by one of the members and have been deconstructed to suit our needs.

the narrow gauge wagon has had its metal work removed and the axles are now loose, this it to allow the fitting of springs to make it more passenger freindly.

the banana van was clewaned out to inspect the floor condition and 10 boards have been marked for replacement, this will complete the work on the van and it can then be outshopped and put into traffic.

soem of the contents of the banana van were converted into fire wood as we build up stocks for the winter months.

we still have two items of lost property in the station, a pair of kids gloves and a pair of glasses, if anyone has lost them give us a shout .

And last but not least the station dog was again the star of the show with one member of the public even buying her a soft toy wich she took great delight in playing with,

All in all another great day at the shed and a huge thanks to the volunteers who make it all possible,

Cheers The Shed 47 Team,.

29/04/2022

A promo video we were able to help out with recently,

27/04/2022

Good Evening Again to all of you and welcome to another update,

First job was to get the fire lit this morning but not the ususal fire as todays was outside, we managed to get rid of a large ammount of brushwood and some seriously rotten timber etc which has cleared the east yard up a bit.

The Narrow gauge waggon chassis that will become a second pasanger accomodation has been turned turtle to allow work to begin on its underframes.

The site for the new signalbox has been cleared and will be getting prepped for work to begin soon, watch this space.

the narrow gauge 6 foot between the running line and the siding has been cleaned up and all of the soil and stone has been removed and its looking a lot better.

The Ruston drive splines have had some weld metal added and were dressed back down, the external splines were easy enough to do and Jim made short work of dressing them with the angry grinder and a file, the internal splines had to be machined on the lathe once buttered up with weld and then filed, they should be finished on sunday all being well.
The Rustons gear selector was also refitted today after Andy chased the bolts with a die nut to clean up the threads a bit, another step forwards for this wonderfull little engine.

The Bogie waggon is parked along side the workshop and the guys got busy with the wire wheel and needle gun to descale the last of the steel work and get it ready for paint.

The area around the toilet block has been cleaned up with the path weeded and the windows and cills cleaned up, the staff rail access point gate between the toilets and bothy had a missaligned latch which Jock sorted out today, the office windows in the bothy were also treated to a clean and the old carpet removed from the mess which went in the direction of the fire.

I think thats your lot for tonight and we will be back as ever on Sunday with another update from the shed, until then take care,

Cheers The Shed 47 Team,.

26/04/2022

Michael Gove could greenlight the UK's first coal mine in decades

could be a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel for heritage railways coal supplies.

Levelling Up secretary Michael Gove is reportedly preparing to give the thumbs up to a new colliery in Cumbria, set to use coal in the production of steel rather than for residential use.

24/04/2022

Good evening all.
What a splendid day in Fife it was again. 👍🏻

First up,we had special guests up from Northumberland this morning

Trevor and his wife made the journey up in their campervan to come and visit and hear the Ruston48 fire into life.
For those that don't know Trevor is the very kind Individual that donated the lovely wee Ruston48 to our group to get up and running as it had been lying down at Aln Valley Railway for the past 20+ years needing restored. So it is now here with us and will be a cherished item of stock.

We shall stick with the Ruston to start off today's works.
The two Jim's started to dismantle the gearbox coupling as there is excessive wear on the splines that will need built up with weld and re-profiled. It was a struggle but after a while she was free and ready to be worked on.

Also the Hand brake lever and mechanism was removed for overhaul along with the sander foot pedal bars. A couple of broken split pins had to be drilled out of the handbrake lever pins.

The coupling chains got a coat of primer along with the gear selector lever.

In the woodwork shop Another Jim(yes we have lots) 😂 was making up some pegboard frames for the station shop so they can display some of the wares without there being as much on the shelves.

The station ramp also saw a bit of work this morning, as a few slabs have settled over a couple of years leaving a slight lip at the top of the ramp. So first thing we lifted the first four slabs and raised them to meet the platform edge again.

Apart from that it was a normal running day Sunday with a steady flow of visitors to take rides on the standard and narrow gauge lines.

Of course Big Dave was up to steam and performing well for the crowd.

I believe that's your lot for tonight so join us again next time for another thrilling installment of Tales from the Tracks 🤣

Cheers the Shed47 team 👍🏻

23/04/2022

First event of the year comming up next month folks, make a date in your diary...

22/04/2022

Good evening folks, why don't we have an extra Friday post I hear you ask? Ok then, we will!
As part of the inaugural World Wickham Day here's some info on the Wickham trolley that is resident at Shed47.

Built 1952, D. Wickham & Co. Ltd., Ware, Herts.

This vehicle, a type 18A trolley, was built for British Railways at Crianlarich, on the West Highland line. It was supplied along with an unpowered identical looking trailer, and was used to carry track workers and equipment over this remote line. It was equipped with extra/more powerful heaters than usual due to its intended area of operations.

This vehicle ,Works No.6049, Wickham's Order No.43131 arrived in February 2020 at Lathalmond on long term loan from the Scottish Railway museum Collection Trust at Bo'Ness, for full return to working order. Work is yet to start, but plans are being formed to acquire the necessary parts so hopefully we'll see progress in the near future.

Its companion trailer is on display in the Museum of Scottish Railways at Bo'ness, and is fully restored.

20/04/2022

Good Evening folks, here we go again with another midweek update..

an early start today and loads done,
the door cill was painted on the banana van and it was moved outside to allow the Ruston into the workshop,

The Rustons cab roof has been removed for repairs, its engine was fettled again to sort the decompresion and valve clearances, lots of loose parts belonging to the ruston were cleaned up and set aside, the gear change assembly was cleaned out and given a coat of grey paint,
the air filter was rebuilt and is now ready to refit too and a temp starter switch was wired up.

the coal bunkers for no29 were assesed and work will begin on Sunday to start stripping them down for cleaning before they are rebuilt.

Narrow gauge loco hunslet No10 is sporting a new green jacket and looks great, the propper east ayrshire ncb green too.
Sandras bearing carriers have had some measuring done for spacers to be made that sit between the bearings, these have to be spot on so the bearing dont get over tightened.

the crossing gate got a second coat of white paint and the turn table got a second dose of cresote as well as the turn table locks getting a fresh coat of red.

the gents side of the toilet block was given a serious clean up with the legs that support the sinks and pipe work being cleaned up and the paint splashes etc removed from the walls.

The water Tank was picked up this evening by williamson haulage and is off to CV Charmichaels to have a new bottom fitted.

Thats your lot for tonight folks, see you on Sunday for the next installment of how to succeed in the preservation and restoration of all things railway........

Cheers, The Shed 47 Team.

19/04/2022

An extra wee video to brighten up your Tuesday, sorry about the rotation of the camera.

17/04/2022

Sipat loco Big Dave heading to couple up with the passenger wagon.

Just because it's Easter here's another one 😉
https://youtu.be/mGO4ySsVcg8

17/04/2022

Ruston48 first start up for many years at Shed47 Lathalmond Fife.

Unfortunately Jim was quick off the mark and we were caught off guard, so missed the initial turnover.
https://youtu.be/sIIVPOyvNoE

17/04/2022

Good evening all.
What a day for Easter Sunday.

We had some wild animals loose on the trackside today for the kids to spot while on their journey. Also every child that travelled on the loco today received an Easter egg courtesy of Shed47.

Once again MOD251 was strutting her stuff on the brake van rides with many happy customers who also got to travel on Big Dave our Narrow gauge steam loco who made many runs up and down the line today.

As ever some work carried on before we opened and during.
No29cs water tank was cleared and moved out the shed ready to go to Carmichael's fabrication to get finished. We have decided to out source as it is going to progress the job on a lot quicker while we concentrate on the many other bits to do.
Once the tank was out side the shed was swept out and the two bunkers were brought in ready for fettling.

In the other half of the shed Tony was refitting the banana 🍌 van door cill,screwing it in position and sealing it,while round the other side Norrie was fixing a small dent in the roof with a repair panel.

Along at the turntable more woodwork was going down and guys started applying wood treatment to preserve the life of it.

BIG news time. After a small hiccup that had to be reversed this morning I am now glad to say the Ruston48 engine is back up and running again.
I'm not going to say it was easy,because it wasn't,but there was smiles all round when she fired up.
The radiator was then connected back up so she was getting cooled and she sat idling no problems until out temp fuel tank ran dry.
(Video following soon).

Well that's about it for a fun packed Easter Sunday. Join us again on Wednesday for the midweek update.

P.S. a couple of items have been found during clean up at the end of the day.
A pair of Adult glasses in a case and a pair of kids gloves.
If you are the owner of any of these items please message the page or contact Shed47.
Last photo of the pics shows the items.

Cheers the Shed47 team 👍🏻

13/04/2022

Good Evening folks, Another busy day at the shed with loads of goings on today,

We start with the couplng hooks for the Ruston, one required buttering up with weld to bring it back to its square profile which took a few hours and quite a few welding ords but came good in the end, the other hook was one recovered and brought in by one of the volunteers, this has been milled to fit the socket in the buffer beam and will be geting its shank welded on to suit, it wont be used for pulling loads just a cosmetic to replace the missing one.

The banana van doors are now complete and the last of the blocks and furniture have been fitted, it is now pretty much ready to be outshopped which will clear the road for the next item,

the guys were busy working away on the ruston engine again today and had everything setup for a test fire unfortunatley the pump timing has been set arse for ellbow and so will have to be re-done which is quite an involved job but worry not it wont take long and she will be running.

work has started again on the bogie waggon and the needle gun was out in force today, the timber is on site for it and we are going to be ordering up fastners soon so watch this space for updates on its rebuild.

No29's water tank repair sections are now in the workshop and the area around the tank has been cleared so that can mean only one thing... work was also done on the boiler today with the fuseable plug seat being tapped out to allow the next size of plug to be fitted...

the new crossing gate was given its frst coat of white paint and it is looking good, weather permitting it will get its next coat next wednesday and that will be job done.

Thats it for tonights update so we will see you on Sunday when we will be running trains once again and will also have an easter treat in store, more on that to follow soon,

Cheers, The Shed 47 Team.

10/04/2022

An extra wee video treat from just before close of play today, the guys were testing the oil pump on the ruston and it passed with flying colours, (Engine was turning on the starter) wont be long till she is a runner again.

10/04/2022

Good evening all.

Hope you've been enjoying the weekend weather.

Big Dave was out and getting filed with water and up to pressure first thing this morning.
He was then ready for the day ahead giving folks runs down the line.

Work on the Ruston48 continued as usual with the oil pump being refitted.
A temporary fuel tank was then put in place and the fuel filter was also refitted.
Next will be to get some power to the starter so we can turn over the engine to double check all is working as should.
The coupling chain also had a scrub with the wire brush.

A bit more done on the drainage at the side of the shed.
The last part of the cess ditch was dug out to connect to the outflow drain,and as soon as it was the water started flowing freely.
Pipe was then installed and backfilled with rock.
A hole was knocked through the concrete trunking to access another drain that the shed downpipe will be connected too.

More hardware was fitted back onto the banana van 🍌 door and some more primer painted to the frame.
Also the sign writing was started on the remaining side.

Jim from Redwells joinery brought in the posts for starting work on the Bogie wagon and also started work on the standard gauge turntable replacing the old boards.

MOD251 was ready and waiting for the standard gauge passenger runs and did not disappoint with a good few runs up and down the line today.

Another donation this week. From Roger Pickering of a piece of the old Elgin waggonway rail 😎

That's your lot for tonight,Jon us again for the midweek update on Wednesday

Cheers the Shed47 team 👍🏻