The long wait is over...! The tender wheels arrived back at Aviemore on Wednesday 8th February looking very good. They were primed, undercoated and given a top coat of gloss black within a couple of days. Other preparations for rewheeling were completed very quickly and the job was done on Saturday 11th February. Within the same day the tender was fully loaded with coal (the water tank was filled a couple of days earlier) and the completed vehicle was run over the weighbridge for axle and wheel load distribution checks. The result was very good and with a bit of redistribution the weights will be close to perfect. It won't be too long now until engine and tender are recoupled and then we can get on with some serious running-in...
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| The lorry draws into the yard with 828's tender wheels plus the pony truck wheel and coupled wheels from 46512.. |
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| Primer coat applied... |
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| Roddie McRae and Martin MacLeod admire their handiwork - undercoating complete.. |
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| Steve Robinson and Ken Plant enjoying the relatively warm winter sunshine as they apply the top coat to the wheels.. |
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| Looking good and ready to be fitted... |
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| Meanwhile inside the Shed the loco waits for the day when she is reunited with her tender... |
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| Paintwork looking good thanks to the efforts of John Greig and Norman Girvan... |
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| Tender axleboxes and bearings ready for refitting... |
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| Shunting the tender into the Carriage Shed - the last movement as a four-wheeler... |
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| Getting ready to roll the wheels under the tender... |
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| The team is confident...!!! |
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| Job done - the tender is back on its own six wheels... |
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| Axlebox covers refitted and ready to roll....a very welcome sight..!! |
