Another day covered in grey gunge. Jim and I spent the morning getting parts prepared and mixing grey gloop from four cartridges of mastic. Jim carried on rubbing down and putting cellulose primer on the rubbing rails. Stephen arrived at lunchtime and after lunch we got the A side monitor canvas installed with plenty of grey gloop to keep it in place and waterproof it. This went a lot quicker than last week as we had put the pins part way through all the beading before we installed it. The confined space on top of the monitor makes hammerring the pins accurately, quite difficult.  We then covered the canvas with a final layer of waterproofer before putting a second coat on C side which we did last week. We also trimmed the C side canvas and it looks good. The drip rail can be fitted next.

Jim finished priming the rubbing rails and put a coat of white primer over all of C side which now is looking good all in one colour.

Away from the tram we have done our bit for the engineering industry by ordering two pieces of forged steel for the axles from a firm in Sheffield. These have a delivery time of eight weeks so I am hoping that the drawing can be ready for when the axles are made. The aim is to have the wheelsets by the autumn.

All this on a day when England got through the group stages of the World Cup, talk about agony and ecstasy.