Writing this piece in March which is proving to be decidedly wintry, we hope for better working conditions soon, as handling freezing cold tools and materials is not much fun. Despite this we've seen good progress on the boiler cladding, which has occupied many man-hours to get to its present position.

The boiler barrel is clad with four complete steel sheets, each ring being split into two semi-circular sections. The join lines run along the top and bottom of the barrel. Six of the eight sheets are in position on the boiler and looking good. Although the sheets are rolled to the diameter of the boiler, making the cladding isn't as simple as wrapping sheets around a cylinder, as the front section of the boiler is tapered. Even the taper is not a simple geometric cone; the top of the tapered section is roughly in alignment with the parallel rear portion, whilst the underside tapers upwards quite steeply, giving a distorted cone. It's not just the tapered shape that complicates the cladding, as on the underside of the front section of boiler there has to be a flat section to accommodate the inside expansion link, part of the valve gear. Even then there is not much clearance. Also because of the taper, the sand box filler pipes are very close to the boiler and a recess has to be cut in the cladding to prevent fouling by the pipes. An additional clearance has to be made to allow for boiler expansion which is approximately ¾" (20mm) when up to temperature. So you can understand why the job is taking so long!

The sections of cladding around the manifold shut-off valve and the shoulder for the front right hand side of the firebox have been completed. The sand pipe deflector plates have been made up. These fit round the sand box filler pipes and are intended to stop spilt sand finding its way into the moving parts of the loco. The plates still need to be welded to the running boards.

With three quarters of the barrel cladding in place we took the opportunity to offer up to the barrel the nameplate plinths, which were made up some years ago.  Locating them correctly has been a challenging exercise as there is no local datum point from which to take a measurement. There was much adjustment and lively debate before all were satisfied that the plinths were at the correct height, and horizontal in relation to the barrel and running boards.

Both outside cylinders have been completely de-rusted and have received several coats of paint. After taking advice from other locomotive groups, and undertaking much research, we have selected what we hope will be a suitable lagging material for the cylinders. This is a laminate of aluminium sheets and insulating material, and appears to be suitable for our needs. We've made small pads to fit in all the spaces and hope it will work successfully. Who would have thought we'd need dressmaking skills on a Merchant Navy? Once this is fitted, the cylinder cladding can go on for what we hope will be the last time.

The floor of the smoke box is sacrificial, and we have removed the last section of plate from in front of the tube plate. We have welded the smoke box door sealing-ring into position.  This ring provides a surface against which the door closes to form an airtight seal. We will now be able to correct the alignment of the smoke box door and get it to close properly.

In the machine shop we have managed to make progress on a number of tasks. The dome-headed pin for the tender-end of the drawbar has been finished off. The support for the handbrake handle has been re-machined to remove wear and corrosion, prior to making the vertical shaft that operates the brakes. Castings have been obtained for the brake hangers; these arms hang down either side of the tender wheels and provide a mounting for the brake blocks. The original parts would have been forged, but we have opted for steel castings.

We have taken delivery of six ends for the three tender vacuum reservoirs, which are mounted prominently on the rear deck of the tender tank under a steel cover. The tank ends are dished to withstand the pressure, and have been produced by a process called 'metal spinning' which forms the required shape in the metal without applying any heat.

Finally, at last we are giving serious thought as to how best we can fit out and complete the boiler. This is the last major fund-consuming item in the restoration of 35006. Plate work repairs and fitting of a new firebox tube-plate were carried out nine or ten years ago, but there is still a long list of jobs requiring the services of a skilled workforce, and we have no choice but to contract this work out.

We have nearly sufficient funds to re-tube the boiler, but to get to the stage of hydraulic and steam tests (and the start of the ten-year 'ticket') we are going to need some serious money . If you would like to help us overcome a major financial hurdle in the restoration of this magnificent locomotive, and make significant progress towards completion, just send an e-mail with your name and address to 35006@gwsr.com. Full details of how you can contribute will then be sent to you.