Working party updates for late June and July 2022

Small but valuable progress continues with the last phase of the restoration of 240FLM.

Over the last 2 months, replacement and stronger timbers have been added to the framework that supports the roof of the pump housing. This roof section holds the 4, very heavy hose ramps and it was felt that the original timbers were perhaps just not going to provide the longevity needed. At the same time and with the recent discovery of another historic photograph, we could see that the hose ramp retaining straps needed to be laid in a slightly diferent way so we took the opportunity to correct this.

Work has continued with the refitting of the many and varied brackets in the lockers and it is quite a puzzle to determine "what goes where". Obviously, some brackets just simply suit a particular piece of equipment whereas others will fit a variety of items. It is just going to take time to get this right, especially as the appliance inventory evolved over its 15 years of service with equipment changes.
The nearside locker is just about finished, as is the rear hose locker. The offside foot locker has all its bottom fittings in place and that just leaves the top hangers to fit, however, this is going to be a real challenge  as its an awkward location for getting to and actually screwing things in, especially at our ages!
Hopefully we will have that lot finished by the end of August at which point we can complete the restow.

One of the hydraulic jacks continues to give us problems with unexplained oil leaks so we are working on a process of elimination as to what the cause is.