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00:03Devon. Hedgerows. Cream teas. Buckfast fortified wine. And the South Devon Railway. Not only a
00:13picturesque line, but encompasses quite a heavy industrial scene up at their Buckfastly station.
00:24How do you take it? Take what? Your scones. What? Ah, now this isn't... No, two of those are correct,
00:31two of those are not correct. Right. Right, come here. What's happened here?
00:38You've spread your cream evenly, then your jam adheres nicely to the cream. This is a mess. Yeah. It's a
00:44shambles.
00:45But I thought I'd do both, just in case. I never really had scones with my parents. I was more
00:52of a lime marmalade on toast chap, with the crusts cut off.
00:56Oh, you had to have those off, did you? Yeah. Can you do crusts now? I can. Can you? What
01:00age did you manage to do crusts? Teens? When I went to uni.
01:16I'm Francis Bourgeois, and I love trains. Oh, my God. Oh, my God. It's such in my mouth.
01:22I've roped in my petrol head pal, Chris Harris, for an epic project. That's impressive.
01:28Rescuing a dilapidated locomotive. This isn't a quick fix. No shit, Sherlock. Look at the size of it.
01:34Francis hooked me with engineering. That is the coolest phenomena ever fitted to a machine. Look at that.
01:40Then blew me away with weapons-grade enthusiasm.
01:44Nice one, Danny.
01:47And I'm all in for a restoration race against time.
01:51You just rolled beautifully. Yeah, seven times.
01:54We've just six months to fix this loco to replace her failing sister.
01:59We have to get this locomotive ready for when she needs to come off. It's a race against time.
02:05Yeah. This is British industry.
02:08My dream is to see her back on the railway.
02:11I feel like an infant reattaching to its mother's teat.
02:14Mine?
02:15I can live vicariously through you.
02:17Just to witness that moment.
02:20Brilliant. Absolutely brilliant.
02:33Just two places in the country can replace our loco's tyres, but only one has otters.
02:40South Devon Railway, Butterfly Farm and Otter Sanctuary.
02:44What a lovely combination.
02:45I know.
02:46I'm actually going to keep that in mind for when I visit with Amy.
02:49Today, on the other hand, it's all business.
02:56Business using bungalow-sized tools named after ancient Greeks.
03:04I like big machines, Francis.
03:07Look at the size of that thing over there.
03:09Who would have thought, in a sleepy Devonshire village, that such heavy industrial work would be taking place?
03:17Staff here are expert metal fabricators who specialise in manufacturing loco parts and replacing tyres.
03:26It's quick fit for trains, isn't it, really?
03:28That's what it is.
03:29It would be quick fit if quick fit was only using antiquated machinery that required a particular touch.
03:36Hello.
03:37And that particular touch belongs...
03:40I'm Nick.
03:41To Nick.
03:41Nice to meet you.
03:42Nice to meet you.
03:43Chris.
03:43Nice to meet you.
03:45Who's about to remove the tyres from our recently arrived wheel sets.
03:49What we need to do is basically shock the tyre off by putting lots of heat in.
03:53What sort of temperatures are we looking to achieve?
03:55250 degrees.
03:56I was expecting you to say 500 degrees.
03:58No, no, no.
03:59So the tyre starts to expand, then you get an air gap between the two.
04:02I always find it incredible how the one thing that keeps that outer band on the inner part of the
04:10wheel set is purely friction.
04:12It's just an interference fit.
04:14An interference fit.
04:16Each burner packed in like that, tight against the wheel.
04:19Involves heating the metal tyre until it expands enough to drop over the wheel pan.
04:24Yep.
04:25As it cools, the tyre shrinks, creating an immense frictional hold.
04:30Nick is reversing that process.
04:33It looks oddly ritualistic, this set-up.
04:36Happy with?
04:37Yes, that's quite perfect.
04:40You've just got one of those lights for an oven.
04:42This is not high-tech, is it?
04:45I think it's rather marvellous, Chris, how we were scrubbing away at this wheel set up in Scotland,
04:51and now we're down in Devon setting it alight.
04:55Amazing process.
04:57Are we going to witness a sudden pop?
04:59No, no, no, it won't be that sudden.
05:01It's not forceful, it's gentle and laid-back.
05:04And perfect for drying our wet clothes.
05:07That's like a British gas advert.
05:08Well, we had a British gas man come here and look at this.
05:11He must have been utterly horrified.
05:13That is pretty mardy, so how am I supposed to insertify that, I think, and walked off?
05:21The heated metal expands until a gap forms between the tyre and the wheel pan,
05:27breaking the interference fit.
05:29A depth touched by me on the crane, and it's hammer time.
05:36Look at that!
05:37Come on, Chris, Chris, push the button right the way down.
05:41Wow.
05:42Now that was...
05:43That was ten minutes.
05:45Victorians were incredible.
05:46The idea, if someone worked out, heat it up, cool it down, and you get that,
05:51that will hold 100 tonnes.
05:54Yeah.
05:54Yeah.
05:55It's unbelievably simple.
05:57The process has its roots in Bronze Age metalwork.
06:01I can't believe that came away so easily.
06:03But the interference fit, sometimes called shrink fit,
06:06really came into its own during the railway era in the 19th century.
06:11Up you go.
06:12Nice and slow.
06:13That's it.
06:14Bye.
06:15You're getting the hand of it.
06:16I'm feeling the same pressure as if I were to have been handed a newborn baby.
06:21All right, down you go.
06:23Next, we need to flip the wheel set to get at the opposite tyre.
06:28Nick's removed tyres from five wheel sets already.
06:32This next one will be the last of 12 to come off.
06:36We had a little competition a while back to see how many tyres off we can get off of one
06:39day.
06:39Did you?
06:40Who won?
06:41Who do you think?
06:43Do you want to drive?
06:44Yes.
06:46We'll do this before lunch, can't we?
06:48Chris, I'll be right back.
06:51What's he talking about?
06:51Oh, he's gone off to see something.
06:53I don't know.
06:54What do you mean he's gone off to see something?
06:56Francis?
07:02I'm just taking the opportunity to see two of my favourite engines here that have come to the South Devon
07:11railway for the diesel gala just this weekend gone by.
07:16Diesel galas, imagine a festival, but for diesel engines, and instead of going to see, like, Doja Cat or Metallica,
07:27you're going to see 47 715 or 33 002.
07:35So, by complete chance, two class 56s are here at the South Devon railway.
07:43Come on, Francis.
07:44Get these set up.
07:45One of us is doing all the work.
07:47Right.
07:47Let's get this turned on.
07:48And you're missing the heavy metal bit.
07:54Oh, that's fabulous.
07:56That's 12 out of 12 tyres removed.
07:59The 56 is pure bogey pornography.
08:06Sounds very rude.
08:07Can you carry on doing that while I go and find his AWOL with the last 56?
08:11Yeah.
08:11One of my favourite noises is after starting up when the compressor kicks in.
08:14Compressor kicks in, yes.
08:16So, he's bound to be in here, isn't he?
08:19I thought, well, it's going downhill.
08:22Maybe not that much thrash.
08:23No, we saw you.
08:25Francis?
08:27We've got work to do.
08:29Yeah.
08:29And you're, what are you doing?
08:30To have an 09 in amongst two 56s and a 47 is quite rare.
08:36We're here to do wheels and tyres.
08:38Right.
08:39OK.
08:39Come on.
08:40Get down.
08:41I'll forego an intimate exploration of the engines, but there's one thing I refuse to miss.
08:46I appreciate we have stuff to do, but it's not often you get to see this kind of thing happen.
08:52I'm hoping that Danny, who is a 56 legend.
08:57Is he?
08:57Yeah.
08:58I'm hoping he'll put the power down.
08:59Is he going to show off?
09:00Yeah, look at this.
09:06Come on, Danny.
09:10This is a ton.
09:15That turbo charges out.
09:18I'll admit that was worth the price of admission.
09:21That was special.
09:21But special won't shod any wheels.
09:24Come on, you digress too much.
09:26Get down there.
09:27And before ours can receive new tyres...
09:32Hello.
09:33Gary.
09:34I'm Gary.
09:34Chris.
09:35They need a ride on Gary's mega profile follower lathe.
09:39That's absolutely gorgeous.
09:41Which will shave metal from the wheel until it's perfectly true, ready to receive the new tyre.
09:47Right, let's crack on.
09:49If you run the machine, it won't run.
09:50What do you mean it won't run?
09:52The starter button won't start the machine.
09:55You've got an inch button, which is working.
09:58Yeah.
09:59But the actual starter button for it to run is not working.
10:03Is that a recent issue?
10:05Yeah.
10:06What about our wheel sets?
10:10Because I think...
10:10Well, until we get the electricity so we can run it, we're not going to be able to actually finish
10:15the wheel set.
10:16I'll try and say that for you.
10:17Tough titty.
10:18Yeah.
10:19We're on a promise here.
10:21Bonas, so I'm going to be happy.
10:24The wheels have come off, and not in a good way.
10:27We're due in Scotland with the finished articles tomorrow, and we've no idea how long it will take to find
10:32a specialist electrician to fix the lathe.
10:35It's not an ideal outcome from a wheel set perspective.
10:39You think?
10:41Someone needs to break the bad news to Guy, and I know who, Francis.
10:46You could charm him round.
10:48Right.
10:48Yeah?
10:49Yeah, give him a bit of a softening first, and then, by the way, the wheel sets might be...
10:56Late.
10:57Yeah.
10:58Come on.
11:16While we've been busy down south, the painters have been flying in Bonesse, led by a master with the brush,
11:28Jordan.
11:32So, the sooner we get this fixed, the better.
11:34His team has a monster task with a chilling deadline.
11:37We don't paint below 5 degrees.
11:40If it's too cold, the paint won't adhere to the steel, and as we're getting closer and closer towards winter,
11:46and we're in Scotland, those temperatures don't necessarily happen often.
11:51It's dropping below 5 degrees overnight and getting close during the day, so the guys are flat out welding, filling,
11:59and sanding.
12:00We're going to begin to put the undercoat on now.
12:03If the weather overtakes them, this restoration is on ice till next spring.
12:08We're on a tight timeline.
12:14Guy runs a tight ship.
12:17I'd hate to be the one to tell him the wheels aren't coming.
12:21It's just not muddy.
12:26I've rushed to Bonesse ahead of Chris, armed with a sweetener for Guy.
12:38Guy.
12:39Hi, Francis. How are you doing?
12:40Greetings from Devon.
12:42Yes, how was it?
12:43Good to see you.
12:45Some of the local produce from the South Devon Railway.
12:50I like that.
12:51A bit of caffeine mixed with a bit of alcohol.
12:53Mm-hmm.
12:54There's a few people around here who'll drink that, that's for sure.
12:56Thank you very much. Much appreciated.
12:57You're welcome.
12:58What brings you with gifts?
13:00So, the wheel sets.
13:03Mm-hmm.
13:05Tyres were coming off.
13:09One of their lathes wasn't playing ball.
13:12So, they've advised that this is going to have a bit of a knock-on effect.
13:18Potentially a couple of weeks, maybe a bit longer.
13:21But it depends on whether they actually get it fixed.
13:25And with such an antiquated machine, apparently they had someone down to look at it.
13:32And they couldn't, they didn't know what was up with it.
13:34So, that's not so good.
13:37Buck fast, I'd much prefer wheels fast.
13:40Right.
13:41Yeah.
13:41I'm sorry to be the bearer of bad news.
13:44We'll keep fingers crossed.
13:45Yeah, absolutely.
13:45Um, and painting today?
13:49Painting today, yes.
13:51Jordan's downstairs, waited with bated breath for you to help him with the first, so this
13:57will be the first coat of gloss.
14:01Yes.
14:01British Rail Blue.
14:03Make sure you get it right.
14:08Wow.
14:10It's fantastic.
14:12How's it going?
14:13Hello.
14:14What's this?
14:15Jordan.
14:16So, you've been working on this?
14:18Absolutely.
14:18I've done a lot of filling, a lot of prep, and thankfully now, it's all done.
14:22Right.
14:23I'm on to the painting.
14:24I can teach you the process.
14:25I'll then put you on to this side.
14:27Great.
14:28So, these are the doors that have come off the middle.
14:30I've sanded them all down.
14:32I've undercoated them.
14:33We're going to tack cloth them.
14:34So, these are the tack cloths.
14:36And they're basically just like a piece of fabric that's got a residue on them, and that
14:39picks up all the dust.
14:42Dust, particularly metal dust, is the enemy of a good finish.
14:46So, while Jordan and I paint, the rest of the Bowness Avengers are banished from the shed.
14:53Do you think it's worth wearing a beanie?
14:54If you've got a beanie, put a beanie on.
14:57I don't have a beanie.
14:58I've got a beanie.
14:59Please, may I borrow your beanie?
15:01Okay.
15:02It's probably a good idea, as I have awful dandruff as well.
15:05Yeah.
15:07So, we're going to remove all the dust and residue off each of the door panels.
15:11So, I'll do one and you can do one.
15:15You can see there is some dust there, yeah?
15:17Yeah.
15:18You want a nice, even coat.
15:20Just go up and down, nice and straight, applying an even pressure as well.
15:25Is that okay?
15:25That's fine.
15:27So, these kind of like pock marks that are forming, is that just the air bubbles?
15:31That's exactly right.
15:33You just gently move up and over like that.
15:35Oh, wow.
15:37Like that.
15:38And then meet back down like that.
15:41All the bubbles pop out.
15:42Bravo, Jordan.
15:43That looks fantastic.
15:45Right.
15:49Perfect.
15:55That's it.
15:55I think that might be the most thrilling bit of TV that might ever be filmed.
16:01Yeah.
16:02People say it's boring to watch paint dry.
16:04I beg to differ.
16:05But that's just the warm-up.
16:07The real test is to paint the entire side of the beast.
16:11Because it's all one uniform piece, any overlap will look quite sort of liney.
16:17Once we start, there is no stopping for either of us.
16:19We're just going to have to continue.
16:21I am feeling the pressure.
16:22You're just working it one foot at a time,
16:24just making sure you're doing your best in that section.
16:27And if you just do that every foot for the 20 or so metres we're about to do,
16:31it will all go great.
16:33A lot of trust has been put in me to do a very important task.
16:45I'm ready whenever you are.
16:46OK.
16:55Which?
16:56Completely your choice.
16:57You begin this.
16:58This is the start of it.
17:06Why is it so air bubbly?
17:07It's just because you're applying a bit more pressure than you were originally.
17:11But that's absolutely fine.
17:12OK.
17:12Then laying off.
17:13Exactly.
17:22How daunting was that?
17:24I went into like a mode where nothing else mattered.
17:27Complete flow state.
17:29Yeah.
17:29That's exactly how it is.
17:30So we need to carry on now.
17:32Once we start, we can't stop.
17:37Even though it is a brute, right now I'm feathering the brush
17:42as though I'm kind of stroking a newborn kitten.
17:47Being here with it now, it feels like I'm almost undressing it in a way.
17:51It feels a bit intimate.
17:52But in the 80s and late 70s, there would have been someone in Inverness, TMD,
18:00doing exactly what we're doing now, using exactly the same techniques.
18:04I'm not only connecting with the locomotive,
18:07but I'm connecting with its heritage and everything around it.
18:10It's spiritual.
18:25Would you like the honours of finishing as you started it also?
18:28Oh, yes, please.
18:33I've done it.
18:35Finally.
18:36Oh.
18:40Nice one.
18:41It's all right, then.
18:42What an experience.
18:44Yeah.
18:45That was one of the most intense three hours of my life,
18:48but so rewarding.
18:49I've done this whole side,
18:53and I can stand on a platform and think,
18:56God, it looks great.
18:58Oh, yeah.
18:59Oh, yeah, I did that.
19:01Very special moment in my life, you know,
19:05painting 37025.
19:07My work here is done.
19:11But Jordan doesn't have the luxury of stopping now.
19:14The temperature's dropping every day,
19:17and he's got to get three coats of gloss on the cab,
19:20the roof,
19:21every shutter and window frame.
19:25And while he weaves his magic,
19:29I'm working on my own masterpiece for Chris,
19:32who's due at our B&B in the morning.
19:48Right, Chris,
19:49I've pulled something together
19:51for a matter of Class 37 education.
19:57I've taken great pleasure
19:58in writing every single Class 37.
20:04All 309 of them.
20:06Stop, rewind.
20:15How long did that take?
20:17About four hours-ish.
20:20Amazing.
20:22Amazing.
20:27Do you mind if I, like,
20:29just take you through?
20:30Mind?
20:31There are people in your world
20:32that would pay £10,000
20:34to receive a private lecture
20:36on a Class 37 from you.
20:38Floor's open.
20:40So,
20:4237001
20:43renumbered to 37707.
20:46The Dash 7s were nicknamed
20:48heavyweight tractors.
20:49They put weight
20:50on the frame of the locomotive.
20:52They also modified the generator,
20:55so they replaced it
20:56with a brush alternator
20:57and did some rewiring
20:58and other refurbishment.
21:00That was unfortunately scrapped
21:01in September 2011.
21:0437002...
21:05Sorry.
21:07Do you intend to spend as long
21:08on each of these chassis
21:10explaining them?
21:11I'll up the ante
21:12where the ante needs to be upped.
21:13So, 37002
21:15renumbered 37351.
21:17That's a Dash 3 subclass.
21:20Not to be confused
21:21by the Dash 0s
21:22that led up to
21:24what looked like
21:25would be a Dash 3.
21:26Why were they renumbered?
21:27When there was a bit of work
21:29that had been carried out,
21:30for example, re-bogeying,
21:31fitting with an alternator,
21:33if you wanted a locomotive
21:34that had ETH fitted,
21:36you'd go for a Dash 4.
21:38What's ETH?
21:39Electric train heating.
21:40So, where were we?
21:4237002 was scrapped
21:43in November 2007.
21:4537003.
21:46So, this is our first
21:47preserved Class 37,
21:49preserved by the
21:50Class 37 loco group.
21:5237004,
21:53scrapped June 1996.
21:5537006,
21:56another heavyweight tractor,
21:58scrapped in July 2009.
22:2437007,
22:25renumbered 37604,
22:283711,
22:29scrapped August 2009.
22:301989.
22:31OK, that's quite early
22:32to be scrapped, isn't it?
22:33It collided with a Class 303.
22:35It had a bent frame,
22:36so they needed to scrap it.
22:37In the interest of time,
22:38I'm going to start abbreviating,
22:39so I won't do the 37.
22:41OK.
22:4314 was renumbered to 709,
22:45scrapped September 2011.
22:5120 scrapped 2009 in Spain.
22:55Wow.
22:56British locomotives
22:57were brought over.
22:58Some 37s went on holiday
22:59and they never came back.
23:00022,
23:01renumbered 37608.
23:03That's a good 37.
23:04Yeah.
23:05The thing that I have amiss
23:05are the names
23:06that they've carried.
23:07Oh.
23:08Do you wish you'd done names
23:09rather than numbers?
23:11No.
23:12And of course,
23:1437025,
23:15that's our beast,
23:16preserved at the
23:17Bowness and Coneal Railway.
23:1926,
23:20scrapped July 2029,
23:22preserved at the...
23:2830,
23:28another heavyweight tractor,
23:30scrapped January 2008.
23:3231,
23:33scrapped.
23:33Right,
23:34so you've upped your pace a bit,
23:36I like that,
23:37but we've done 31.
23:38You've got 300.
23:40Yeah.
23:43I'll go quicker.
23:4532,
23:45preserved at the
23:46North Norfolk Railway.
23:4736,
23:48scrapped 2023.
23:50A recent loss.
23:51Sad to see it gone.
23:5237-037,
23:54preserved at the
23:55South Devon Railway.
23:5675,
23:57has two different faces.
23:59One side,
23:59it has a split headcode box,
24:00the other side,
24:01small beady eyes.
24:0276,
24:03absolute beast.
24:0486,
24:05that is a machine.
24:06099,
24:07they cut off
24:08its split headcode box.
24:10That's not right,
24:10is it?
24:11No.
24:12607,
24:12it has a lovely throb.
24:14109,
24:14owned by a legend,
24:15Chris Guntrip.
24:17116.
24:18Had a wonderful cab ride on 116 recently.
24:21Nearing the end now,
24:22Chris.
24:22Oh,
24:22sorry,
24:22just looking at the floor.
24:24305,
24:24renumbered 407.
24:26I had that on a lovely journey up the West Coast Mainline.
24:28I told Amy I would get off at Crewe,
24:30but I stayed on until Preston.
24:33I was in deep shit.
24:3537-403,
24:36we've both had that for haulage.
24:37And of course,
24:3937-308,
24:41owned by the legend,
24:42Tony Middleton.
24:44And there we have it.
24:46All 309 Class 37s.
24:50Have you considered taking this to the end of a fridge?
24:53I'm more interested in showing it to Guy.
24:59Thankfully not raining.
25:00Is that permanent marker,
25:02or is it, uh...
25:02No, it's whiteboard.
25:04Well, you should lacquer it,
25:05or you'll lose it.
25:06I also want Chris to see the fruits of my labour
25:09with the paint roller.
25:15I've encountered so many beautiful BR Blue engines.
25:19I've filmed them and photographed them
25:21all over the British Isles.
25:25But I've only had a hand in painting one.
25:30And Jordan has taken our masterpiece
25:32to the next level.
25:44Oh, God!
25:46Look at this!
25:47G'day, Jens!
25:48Oh!
25:49Jordan done good.
25:51Yeah, he did.
25:51He certainly did.
25:51What are the yellow calls?
25:53Warning yellow.
25:54Warning yellow.
25:55Indeed.
25:55It's very close to signal yellow on a Porsche.
25:57Oh, yes.
26:00Wow.
26:01This is a great colour.
26:03Yeah, I love it.
26:04I'm having this colour on a car and so are you.
26:07Really a thing of beauty.
26:09I've got a present for you, Guy.
26:11As I understand, you're a numbers man.
26:13Yes, 025, preserved at Bowness and Caneal Railway.
26:17Indeed.
26:18Yeah, I love it. That's cool.
26:20Thank you, Francis.
26:21As for 025, the delay goes on
26:24and we're nearing the point where our entire restoration stalls
26:28for want of some wheels.
26:31So, ideally, at this point,
26:32we'd be fitting the new wheel sets to the refurbished bogies.
26:37South Devon Railway, their lathe is apparently still out of action.
26:41So, I mean, what should we do?
26:44Don't worry. There's always loads of things to be doing here.
26:47Do you think there's a space in the property, Guy?
26:50I'm sure we'll find a space for it. Don't worry.
26:52I'm more worried about the space between my ears.
26:56Good Lord.
26:58Because I've just had a message.
27:00This is a nightmare for me, this is.
27:01Reminding me that I'm meant to be in Bristol in 15 minutes.
27:06I really don't like tech at all.
27:08I've got to improvise and fast.
27:10Ha! Right.
27:11So, I'm going to post-record now.
27:14Er, he's doing his car podcast.
27:17Hello, and welcome to the car podcast with Chris Harris and his friends.
27:22It's been an interesting day,
27:24because I failed to turn up this morning for the recording.
27:28And he's...
27:29An hour, and then he'll be back.
27:32Very busy man.
27:34Oh-ho!
27:35It's only issue.
27:36Salt spreading.
27:41Hi, guys.
27:43Er, Chris is doing his podcast.
27:46Erm, and in the meantime, I was just wondering if there's anything I could help out with.
27:50You can get that Lexabox ready if it, and the bogey.
27:54OK.
27:54We haven't formally met before.
27:56Is it Stuart, right?
27:57Yeah, I'm Stuart.
27:58A.K.A. God?
27:59God, there's some people, yeah.
28:00Not everybody.
28:04After four decades of volunteering here, Stuart's been dubbed a deity.
28:10The guys here call me God, which I feel is maybe a bit excessive.
28:16During the week, my job was looking after the fleet of locomotives that worked with Caledonian sleeper trains between London
28:21and Scotland.
28:22Yeah, the driver, yeah.
28:23He's not happy with that.
28:25I've gained a lot of knowledge over the years, which I'm always happy to pass on.
28:30So the first thing we need to check is the clearance inside the axle box.
28:34It's the will of God today that I check on the axle box.
28:38This supports the end of the axle and helps the wheel rotate smoothly.
28:43So what we've got in here is two sets of roller bearings, and they've got to have a certain clearance.
28:47OK.
28:48Two bearings inside the axle box are separated by a spacer that must have a precise clearance to avoid friction.
28:54You'll be able to move it backwards and forwards a tiny amount.
28:57There's a very slight amount.
28:58If wear and tear causes too much clearance, the axle box isn't safe.
29:03So I'll get the measuring device.
29:05Ooh.
29:06We need a combined measurement of forward movement.
29:12Three thousandths.
29:13Yep.
29:14And backwards.
29:15Fourteen and a half thousandths.
29:17Yep.
29:18So a total clearance of 17.5 thousandths of an inch.
29:23So is that within the tolerance?
29:24No, it isn't actually.
29:25Is it not?
29:26No, you've got to have at least five, and the maximum should be 15.
29:30So we've got 17.5.
29:32Yeah.
29:33We have to take the axle box off.
29:34OK.
29:35And then there's a spacer ring, so we need to change that spacer ring to a bigger one.
29:39And that'll take up some of that clearance.
29:41OK.
29:44What you can do is you can spin the whole thing round.
29:47Ah!
29:47I was going to spin myself around then.
29:50Yeah.
29:50I don't need to struggle.
29:51Yeah.
29:52Bit of a pain about the lane at the South Devon Railway, isn't it?
29:55Yeah.
29:55Could have done without that.
29:58Dinner is served.
30:00Right, now, presumably...
30:02Before we go any further, we need to get the lifting platform under it.
30:06It's an honour.
30:08An honour to work with God.
30:10Perfect.
30:12Get a side each.
30:13There we go.
30:14So this is the spacer we need to change.
30:16Yeah.
30:17So if we take the spacer out...
30:19Is there a range of different spacer sizes?
30:22Yeah.
30:22So it needs to be 2.5 thousandths of an inch more than this.
30:27Yeah.
30:28The spacers that we've taken out are too small,
30:31and now we're just looking to find spacers 3 thousandths of an inch wider.
30:37And while God hunts for those little blighters,
30:39I can drool over some magnificent axle bearings.
30:43A tapered roller bearing here, tapering inwards,
30:47and another tapered roller bearing here towards the middle.
30:51And this in the centre here is where the spacer is.
30:54These are spinning at the equivalent RPM
30:57that makes the locomotive go at 80 miles an hour,
31:00whilst bearing one-twelfth of the weight of the locomotive.
31:05Spreading its bulk across 12 wheels in six axles
31:09gives a Class 37 a relatively low axle load,
31:13meaning it can work anywhere,
31:15from main lines to slower heritage lines
31:18and even lightly-built highland lines.
31:22The roller bearings themselves are made of hardened steel,
31:26but the grease is actually what's really important,
31:29because the hot axle box can spell bad news,
31:32and it's the grease that keeps things within the operating temperatures.
31:36There's a warning light that comes on on the motorways.
31:39The dreaded end-of-year enjoyment, it's all gone.
31:42Can you take your car out again, because it's going to rust?
31:49Let's try that one.
31:531.07.
31:55That's too small.
31:55We are having no joy finding the right-sized spacer.
31:591.056.
32:02So that's no use.
32:03And face yet another major setback.
32:06We can't assemble it like that.
32:07No.
32:08Not giving up yet.
32:14OK, this is promising.
32:151.06.
32:17So that might do us.
32:19We have a winner, I hope.
32:21Do you want to pay a review?
32:23I'll pay a review if that's all right, yeah.
32:25Measure twice and all that.
32:27I think this shit will do.
32:29Yeah?
32:29Yeah.
32:30So usually Chris would be my peer review.
32:32Right.
32:34But he's with his other peers now.
32:36Right.
32:38And he's been with them for longer than his allotted hour.
32:41And we love you all, so this is the end of episode 63.
32:45We will see you with 64 next week.
32:47Bye-bye.
32:49We just finished it.
32:50Did you hear me going goodbye?
32:51Yeah.
32:52Like what we're doing now.
32:53We are replacing a spacer on some roller bearings.
32:58Oh, now we're talking.
33:01And what we're talking about is massive.
33:04I'm still just staggered at how big it all is compared to a motor car.
33:07Yeah.
33:08I'm glad Chris is here for the spacer replacement.
33:12Not least to lend some muscle for pushing the axle box cover over the bearings.
33:17No one will slide it on.
33:18Aye.
33:22Give it a bit more.
33:23Give it a little nudge now.
33:25There you go.
33:26There.
33:26Nice.
33:27Right, these are just pinching the washers now.
33:30Get them as tight as you can with the spanner.
33:32And then we'll give them a bit of extra with a hammer.
33:34Hammer?
33:35Yeah.
33:36So the correct procedure is to torque them, which we'll do later once we get the torque wrench.
33:40So instead of getting the old torque wrench to a certain number of metres, you just hit them with a
33:43hammer?
33:44Yeah.
33:45But the trick is to hit them all the same with a hammer.
33:47Ah, okay.
33:48So there was a skill to that?
33:49Yeah.
33:49Okay.
33:51You'll feel it start to...
33:54That was a 10-Newton-metre hit.
33:56Yeah.
33:57Oh, my God.
33:58Yeah.
33:59Fantastic.
34:00Oh.
34:02That the roll?
34:03Yeah.
34:03You happy?
34:04Yeah.
34:04Shall we now check if it's with intolerance?
34:07Yeah.
34:09So we're getting 7,000ths.
34:11Right.
34:12And we're plus 11,000ths.
34:15That's 18-Newton.
34:16That's not any better.
34:19The clearance has got worse.
34:22Not better.
34:24So if we've replaced the spacer, there must be something else.
34:29Is this abnormal?
34:30That shouldn't have happened.
34:32Yeah.
34:32I'm really worried by your face, Stuart.
34:34Um, yeah.
34:35I don't know what we're doing now.
34:38Just let me try to take these a bit.
34:40Ah.
34:43Well, it could be down to my puny hitting.
34:47I'd say that's 7 1⁄2 on both sides.
34:49We're on 15.
34:50That's fine.
34:51So you're happy with that?
34:52I'm happy with that.
34:52Well done.
34:53Teamwork makes a dream work.
34:54Oh, God.
34:55A godly hammer blow on the axle-box nuts, and we're golden.
35:01This calls for a pastry-based celebration.
35:04I come with pork pie and good news.
35:07Ah.
35:08OK.
35:10Hi, it's Gary, South Devon Engineering.
35:13We've got our blue lathe fixture now.
35:17So everything's up in the lint, and everything should be on time now.
35:22The wheels are back on Project 37.
35:25This calls for more than a pork pie, Francis.
35:27I may have one.
35:28But will we celebrate with fish and chips?
35:30Yes, please.
35:31Yeah, as well, yeah.
35:31Yeah, please.
35:33The good thing about fish suppers at Bowness...
35:36Your international side's got some fantastic individual players.
35:40...is you don't need to know about rugby in order to banter.
35:43Stuart, they used English Electric 507 traction motors on the 455, not the 538s.
35:50Meet the bits they've got in common.
35:52Mm.
35:52Yeah, yeah, yeah.
35:53The lathe is working.
35:55The lathe is working.
35:57I want to meet the person that fixed that thing.
36:00I think it might have been a Stuart-esque hammer.
36:03Hammer in the right place.
36:04In the right place, yes.
36:06Fish and chips.
36:07The wheel's on track.
36:08Look at this.
36:1070s locomotives, top trumps.
36:12It doesn't get better than this.
36:14European locos, that...
36:16Oh.
36:18How can you tell they're European?
36:19There's only one picture.
36:21Distinctively German.
36:37The new day's a lot brighter after the good news from Devon about our world.
36:44I think this is part and parcel of the restoration process.
36:47What, things have got to go wrong so you feel good?
36:49Yeah.
36:50And we're toasting their imminent return with a pre-work brew and the best view on earth.
36:56Must be the most famous railway bridge in the world.
37:01The fourth rail bridge voted Scotland's greatest man-made wonder.
37:07This cantilevered marvel is a Victorian masterpiece.
37:15Fabulous.
37:16There's some resemblance in it that's like Weetabix.
37:20Yeah, the shape is wholesome.
37:22Morning cereal.
37:24It looks a little bit fragile in some areas, like you could sort of snap a bit off and eat
37:29it.
37:29Yeah.
37:34The only other bridge that's painted that colour is the Golden Gate Bridge, and that beats it.
37:44This was completed in 1889?
37:46You think about what they went through to make that, and we've got Wobbly over a wheel set.
37:53Yeah.
37:54The fourth bridge has to be continually painted.
37:57Yes.
37:58That's become a metaphor to describe never-ending work.
38:02Yeah.
38:03I'm going to tell you something quite personal now.
38:05All right.
38:07So, I'm quite a ha-shoot man.
38:08Yeah.
38:10And many years ago, I thought that I'd have my back waxed.
38:15And the woman said that would be like painting the fourth bridge.
38:19She said, you'll do one bit, and then the next week you'll need to do it, so don't bother.
38:24If that makes the edit, I wish I'd never told you that.
38:28Have you tried laser treatment?
38:34You know you say they're always painting it.
38:36Are you seeing anyone painting it?
38:38No.
38:38Maybe I should go and investigate.
38:40I think you should.
38:41In the meantime, I think we've got words here, haven't we?
38:43Yeah.
38:44Come on.
38:44I'm freezing as well.
38:45Come on.
38:48I'm going to make it my mission to go up this bridge and find the answer.
38:53But Chris is right.
38:54We've got work to do ahead of the triumphant return of our wheels.
39:07It's beautiful.
39:08First job of the day is remove the driver's seat.
39:12Let's get in this cab.
39:14Before we take it out, I'm going to sit in it.
39:17I like this.
39:18I like this bit.
39:18The seat you're sitting on isn't original.
39:22The original 37 seats, from a comfortable perspective, isn't really a premium product.
39:28It looks like it.
39:30They're sort of short, leather-backed, with kind of nice armrests, but certainly not as comfy as these.
39:36This is comfy.
39:38May I?
39:39Yes.
39:43This is the second best cabin I've been in.
39:47Ask me what the best is.
39:49What's the best?
39:50The abandoned Buran Russian orbiter, their shuttle.
39:57Oh, wow.
39:58That's at Baikonur.
39:59They have a cockpit that you can go in and press the buttons.
40:02Crikey.
40:03The Class 37 runs it a close second, though.
40:06I really like it in here.
40:07But that won't stop me taking bits off.
40:11It does feel like one is slightly removing the identity of the entire vehicle, taking the seat out.
40:19Yeah.
40:20Four nuts on either side.
40:24You know how on some seats you can see the layers of...
40:28Yes, mung.
40:30What's mung?
40:31Mung is a good word to describe the build-up of matter.
40:35Ready?
40:36Yeah.
40:40Well, that is, don't you?
40:42That's bum dust.
40:43That's like 30 years of human mung.
40:50The plan is to re-upholster and return this seat.
40:53But I may have a better idea.
40:56These seats are used in the London Overground trains.
40:59I sold one of these on the TfL Museum shop for about 950 quid.
41:05Same seat?
41:06Same seats.
41:07Money like that could buy a brand new seat and have cash left over for the cause.
41:41So, could be an option.
41:42What are you into I should know about?
41:43What are you into I should know about?
41:44Right.
41:45Shall we remove the base here?
41:48I'm slightly worried now.
41:50Take that and I'll take the seat.
41:51Right.
41:52OK.
42:04Have you got it?
42:06I should have a good idea.
42:09I'll take the seat.
42:11I'll take the seat.
42:19I'll take the seat.
42:25I'll take the seat.
42:33I'll take the seat.
42:42I'll take the seat.
43:11I'll take the seat.
43:30I'll take the seat.
43:30I don't have.
43:31I don't have.
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