The machining of the six driving wheels continues. With each centre bore hub machined out to size and polished, attention has moved to the Crank Pin bosses; all six have been had this location bored and whilst in situ the centre hub dimensions were accurately measured using a Faro machine.
As noted in May, these are needed for finishing of the plain axles; the delivery of these is now keenly awaited, as when received we will have all the components of the Intermediate and Rear Coupled wheelsets. In the meantime, the final machining on the reverse face of each wheel will now be completed, so that each wheel is the required final thickness.
At Shildon, minor components such as spacers are being prepared for the Cannonboxes which are already onsite, and a start is being made on machining the Coupled Axleboxes - these are for the Front Driving wheelset.
With the Smokebox wrapper in situ on a temporary cradle for the Open Day, other smokebox parts have been progressed. The Smokebox Door is on order from Purdie Dished Products while the manufacturer for the Ring and Seal Groove has been selected and an order being prepared.
Finally, one of the lesser-known tasks under way is to paint the frames in order to protect them from corrosion. This is being carried out professionally by leading specialist in the field of heritage painting, Phil Anderson. So far, from the bufferbeam to the intermediate driving wheel location has been treated.