Keep calm and fire up the fowler!

.... Just some thing that a friend sent me the other day that made me smile (it didn't have anything to do with steam engines apparently, it was football related?!?!?) either way ... A good motto!  

The fowler is sat in its place in the kitchen and has been for a a while now, full of anti freeze to clean/ de-scale and protect the boiler over winter, so hopefully next. Year when she pokes her head out again she should be clean and free of muck, dirt, scale, rust and all those bad things. The Foden will get the same treatment as soon as I've stopped playing with it, testing and all that!

So work continues (unfortunately!) .... Monday and Tuesday I was on a corse so I didn't get chance to do much, but I did end up with a free weekend working on engines so things have moved on, 

The Burrell is getting a lot of attention and now some paint! First thing to get the treatment is the cylinder block, it's 99% complete so I decided to cover it up so it don't rust or end up looking shabby, I also painted and riveted on the makers place and I have to say.... I'm realy pleased with how it turned out!

It's moments like this that remind me why I do this, that happy moment where you look at something you have achieved and think, "yea I like that, that's just how I wanted it" . The rest of the Burrell is still at home waiting for finishing / painting so more will follow shortly,

Other things I have got on with is a small piece of plate-work.

( I hate plate work! Out of all the jobs it's the worst, my cutting/shapeing skills are limited. So give me something to machine fine, ill get it done, give me sheet metal to make guards and it comes out a little meat fisted!) 

So "not the prettiest thing I made yesterday" 

But it works, all I need is a handle/lock and I have a gear guard inspection hatch, one more thing off the to-do list!

As I mentioned the weekend was free to work on the beasts so we got down to business....

Out came the angle grinder and the welder to make a effort on the trailer for the foden.... The damn thing keeps getting bigger!!! The trailer from swan neck to wheel set is 7foot long! First thing was to get the wheel set system sorted, old low-loaders would stop, jack the trailer up, remove the wheels and install a ramp And things would come off the back, so we had to make some fittings to remove and attach the wheels. Mostly box section that slides inside the other to attach them and give the rear set some stability, 

Once we clamped it up, and got it all square the electric glue gun came out and stuck it all together! Also we had to cut off the spring mounts and re-weld them on square to the trailer as they were all over the place! 

So before long the trailer was one solid piece ( it won't be for long , it's gunna get cut in half to make it easier to transport!) so Ovcorse it was time to get the engine out and take some pictures.... I mean..... Test fit the trailer to make sure it was in the right place! 

That should give you some idea of just how big it's got! It's enormous! ( just enough room to get a 2" fowler on the back!!! ) 

So now it's in one piece, the trailer was stripped and painting started! 

Now just need to deck it out and make the seat arrangement! 

So that's a lot of work done over the weekend, and this is Probily getting boring so ill let you all get back to your lives! 

Wheel of morality, turn turn turn, tell us the lesson that we must learn,.......

"If you have nothin nice to say.. Say it through the form of interpretive dance!"

......... Good night everybody!