We’ve had an impressive influx of new volunteers over the past few months. What better way to get them started than having them work on our 150-year-old steam loco No. 90?
A few weeks ago we started removing the firebars from 90’s firebox. These are metal bars which hold the coals in place and let ash fall through, much like in a household fireplace. As the firebox was dark and dusty, this was a messy, tiring job. One volunteer went up through the ashpan underneath. He then lifted out each bar, and passed them to another volunteer through the firebox door. We then labelled each bar with tippex. This way, we know that they’ll fit snugly when they’re put back in.
Our contingent from Cork, guided by Downpatrick regular Mark, then set about removing the remaining nuts holding 90’s massive ashpan in place. After much huffing and puffing with spanners and hammers, out came the angle grinder to cut the nuts off. We undertook some diligent cutting, carefully avoiding all of the studs so as not to damage the threads. Then, we used a jack to lower the whole assembly into the pit below. Meanwhile, stalwart volunteer Jeff was hard at work cleaning up the manifold. The mainifold controls the steam auxiliaries like the injectors. We labelled each firebar with tippex.
With our members coming from as far as Cork and Derry/Londonderry to lend a hand on 90, nobody on this island can say that they’re too far away to volunteer with us! If you’re interested in getting involved, please do get in touch via our volunteering page.
