A visit to Bowers found much work in progress with 33035′s generator. The field frame has been cleaned and tested to check the insulation and cabling, and has been finished off in anti-tracking paint. The brush gear has been dismantled and each brush box is being cleaned and polished up. Finally the armature has been cleaned and heated up in the oven several times to bring up the insulation level. Although we have decided it is not economic to repair the ETH generator section, the other two sections – the main traction generator and auxiliary generator – are receiving the full overhaul treatment. This includes fitting with resi-glass bands in place of the old type wire bands which were found to have lost their tension, and would have been another major failure waiting to happen.
Also in Bowers was the impeller casing and impeller blade from the turbocharger, which have been thoroughly cleaned of oily grime.
Meanwhile back at Wirksworth, the large hole in the engine room left by the generator is being cleaned with copious lashings of solvent. Various removable parts have been removed to Barrow Hill for cleaning, including the engine governor which is being stripped down and examined for wear.
Restoration work on Sherwood has also been moving forward, with all pistons cleaned and checked, and just two more liners to clean. A start has been made on preparing the cylinder block to receive the first liner.
At No2 end, Carl has made a start on removing the cab floor plates and needle gunning the framework beneath. It doesn’t look quite as bad as 45 105, but there is still some further excavation of rust to see if the cable ducting is still intact. The floors will be recovered in new lino.









































