Bob Tiller visited Loughborough on Monday 12th April and took some pictures of the excellent work that has been done by Brush Traction to the bogies and underframe.
As well as changing No.2 traction motor, both bogies have been cleaned and painted with the cab footsteps having been covered with checker plate rather than fit new timber as original (see 33 048 report).
The underframe has also been cleaned and painted with repairs performed to the structure in the areas affected by the fire. Damage to the traction motor blower ducting has been repaired and new cabling has been installed to No.2 traction motor connection box to replace that destroyed by the fire. A revised means of attaching the cables to the underside of the loco has been devised meaning that the cabling is now visible rather than being carried inside a fibreglass duct which was also lost in the fire.
Various pipework has also been repaired and the underframe air receivers were due to be examined although the result of this is not known at the time of writing.
The traction motor damaged in the fire has been examined by a repair contractor and will be overhauled to become a spare unit. The picture of the TM following removal from the bogie was taken by Mike Jacob.
Delivery of new flexible traction motor bellows is currently awaited and expected during the latter half of the coming week. Following fitting of these, the loco is expected to be re-bogied probably during the last week of April prior to movement to its next port of call, Cranmore Traincare, in early May.
It is now likely that tyre turning will be conducted at Bristol St. Phillips Marsh Depot on the way back to the WSR from Cranmore sometime during the Summer.
All pictures related to 33 057 at Lougborough are published with special permission from Brush Traction.
