Metal Filler


We are working to preserve as much as we can of the original ironwork.

John, the railway's engineer, has taken a look at it all and with a few exceptions thinks it's fit to keep, considering the light use the wagon will get and the importance of preserving as much as possible not only of the wagon but of its history.


I have begun work on the axle-guides to give them a flat surface to face up against the inside of the sole-bars. Using a two-part filler I am building up that face of the guides before we begin painting them. Yesterday we also took a look at the bearing edges of the guides where the axle-boxes run up and down. There is a fair amount of wear in them both in the thickness of the metal and in the width between the guides. We may have to make sleeves for the axle-boxes to run up and down the guides or build up the metal of the guides. We'll see.