Yet another day of progress with four of us working.   It could be called a tram tidy up day.  Mike Waring spent the day rubbing down and filling the floor latts upstairs then covering them with protective film so that they stay clean for painting, which is the next job.   Jim and Richard spent the day fitting vent windows in the saloon and over half of them are now fitted.  This is quite a fiddly job as each one has to be offerred up, marked, drilled and then fitted.  Jim works outside the tram using a piece of wood to hold the vents in place from the rear while his partner fits the screws from the front.  The end result is that the tram looks better. I spent most of the day under the tram.  the first job was to take one of the suspension rods out so that its damaged thread could be repaired and then the nuts were fitted in the saloon so that the mudguards and seats can be fitted. Then I started on the brake return springs which needed fitting.   The brake beams had to be removed then the springs fitted, the beam refitted and everything tightened up, all under the tram with very limited clearance.  Too many Christmas dinners don't help in confined spaces.  Once the springs were fitted the remaining brake pull rod was put up and then Mike helped me fit the cross stays.  These can't be fitted until the brakes are in as they restrict access.   The end result was a much tidier tram floor as all the steelwork disappeared downstairs. Jim was then able to do a tidy up inside and it looks  lot better. Jim and I then trial fitted a decency board at one end and sorted out the positioning of the brackets.   All in all a good days work.

Away from the tram design work on such things as the lamps progressed and Mike and I went to Crich yesterday to study Chesterfield 8 and the bell system on Blackpool and Fleetwood 2.  Now we only need to make the bell system.  That sounds easy when it's written.