Another good day.   For once it wasn't raining so I got the running gear out of the top garage so that I could have a go at fitting the brake rigging. Paul appeared early and spent the day glazing the two doors after he had made the glazing beads. This wasn't as easy as it sounds as the originals were assembled around the glass and the beads were integral with the doors.  Anyway after a lot of work beads had been made to replace the ones that we had to chop out to remove the original glass.  The new glass was fitted and bedded in then Paul gently pinned the beads in.  Jim and Stephen spent the morning fitting two of the vent windows. These looked rather nice.

Fitting them was a tricky job as the small brass screws have to be put in with the hinges in the roof structure and someone propping the vent in place from the rear.

I spent the morning fitting the missing spring to the suspension (it had been found after any months in my garage at home) then set to work to chisel out the temporary cross member in the chassis to make a seat for the sway bar bracket.  After lunch with assistance from several people we then fitted the sway bar, brake rods and brake pull rods. The result was worth it.

The cotter pins fitted and the brakes moved when the pull rods were pulled.

The adjuster nuts were tightened and when we rolled the running gear back into the garage it made a very satsfying tram type sound.   This means that apart from a few nuts and bolts the running gear is complete. While we were doing the brakes Jim started filling, rubbing down and priming various parts of the body ready for undercoating in due course.  All in all a very satisfying day.

After the high point of making a complete seat last week it was back to more mundane jobs.  It was a very cold wet day and Jim and I made a start on fitting the vent windows in the monitors in the saloon.  This was thought to be a quick job as they had all come out but as with many things it turned out to be more difficult than we thought .  (Someone hadn't numbered them properly when they were removed).  Anyway we made a start then were interrupted when a rep from Williamsons paint at Ripon called and we spent an hour discussing paint samples/schemes etc.  All signs of progress.  After lunch Paul arrived and started fitting the glazing beads he has made for the doors.  The first ones went in and next week hopefully the doors will be glazed.  Jim and I carried on experimenting with the vent windows and eventually placed one window in each opening so that we got the best overall fit.  One was trial fitted and we then spent the last 2 hours making some moulding for some little stops that go in the window frames.  We need 34 of the 36.  Then it was home time. Away from the tram the seat frames are now designed and the drawings go to the pattern maker tomorrow.  Steady progress.

A great day of progress.  Today after much effort three of us were able to sit comfortably inside 107 for the first time.  All the original seats were taken out in 1901.  We started off with Jim and I putting more latts on A side seat back. This took us up to lunchtime.  161 screws in total.   Ian started filling holes and punching in nails on the exterior in preparation for painting.  After lunch Jim and I trimmed the seat back to length, then tried to fit it.  Paul arrived and helped but there were a few fit problems.  the seat frames were then trimmed very slightly in various places and we evetually got the seat to slot into place.

Here is the finished article.  The ends still need properly trimming and the protective endplates that screw onto the screens have to be fitted but we all thought it looked rather good and on testing was surprisingly comfortable.   All in all a very satisfying days progress that kept us inside out of the rain. It was good of the Secretary of the Tramway Museum Society (Crich) to test the seat for us.

Another day of good progress.  As usual Ian continued with the painting and varnishing of components.  The brake rigging is now fully painted and ready for fitting.  He then moved onto the remaining seat latts and by late afternoon they were all varnished and stained.  He also rubbed down and varnished the C side seat nosing.   Jim and I were joined by Richard Syms who had first worked on trams in the 60's when at University in Leeds.  The three of us made major progress with the first seat back.  We finished trimming the frames and then indiividually fitted and numbered them so that they all go in their allotted place.  We then screwed the measuring latt into place and trial fitted it.

It started to look good with just one screw in and two offcuts checking its position at the right hand end.  The measuring latt is a spare piece of latt that has the positions of the frames marked on that we used to space the frames on the bases.  It is screwed onto the frames upside down in a carefully marked position.  To make sure it was in the correct place a jig was made.

Here is the said jig.  The bottom two latts are dificult to fit as they are angled so the third latt is used as the starting point.  The other jig is to mark out where the holes need drilling.

We then set up a production line to mark drill and countersink the other 14 frames which went very quickly.  We then screwed the other 14 frames to the measuring latt.  The next two normal latts were then screwed on from the rear.

Here the first two normal latts have been screwed in and the first of the lower pair fixed.  Jim is rough trimming the ends to length.

This is the final result of the day's work with 4 latts screwed in.  The measuring latt will be removed after a couple more have been fixed and the permanent latt, of the correct colour inserted after the holes have been drilled and countersunk.  A good day's work.

Not on a Wednesday this week for various reasons but we did get some work done today. Ian continued with the never ending painting and varnishing. Top coat on the brake rigging and then varnishing seat latts.  Still more to do of the 56 that are needed.  Jim and I spent the day on seats again.  Jim spent most of the day finishing off the seat base on A side and cutting the ends to fit.  It was nice to have something to sit on during coffee breaks.  I started on the back for A side. The first job was to make yet another prototype and check the final fit of the joints.

Here prototype 11 shows what the final result is going to look like.

The back of the short section shows all the countersunk screws. 

The final design was chosen and then later in the afternoon Jim and I started trimming the pre cut frames to fit.  Each will be numbered to ensure that it mates with the corresponding frame on the base and fits snugly.  11 of them down and 4 to go next week. 

One of the resons that we didn't go on Wednesday, apart from the snow, was that we had spent Tuesday as part of an LTHS working party at Crich, painting the bandstand in the new park.  For more info follow this link.