Working party update February 16th 2022

The team gathered for the first time since the return of 240FLM from the paint shop to begin the process of cleaning all the dressing pieces of aluminium and steel that had been removed before the appliance was taken in for a respray. Concurrently, a professional company attended to remove the 67 year old windscreen and fit a new rubber seal as the original was well past its usefulness and was clearly on its last legs.
Several other jobs were progressed with the electrics to the rear number plate being upgraded to modern LED and the persistent problem of the front cab doors misalignment has now been addressed. Ash fillet pieces have been crafted and the final few pieces should be fitted soon. The problem had been that the original timber under the alloy skins was no longer providing sufficient grab on the fixings for the hinges so it was proving impossible to pull the doors back into their original positions and stop the awful draughts! With the fillets installed and painted, the closures will once again look correct and hopefully the cab will be wind and water tight.
The hand cleaning of all the removed alloy trims is well underway prior to the refit, however, it was felt that mechanical cleaning will be required for some as they are very tarnished so that is in hand for the next working party.
With storm Eunice approaching, it was a day cut slightly short so that members could head off home before the weather deteriorated but nevertheless, a very productive day.
Some pictures below suggest the quality of the finish we now have to the exterior and a full report will be published once the appliance is fully rebuilt. It would be fair to say that as a group, we are VERY pleased.

Images are copyright Peter Weight. 240FLM TL preservation group.
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