56’S FETTLES & FIXES
Mid-May saw the beast – Walsall 56 – trundle down from the Scania Hall to the new yard to show off its new advert panel, neatly done by Allan Rushby with help from Kevin Hill. It was the first time it had been outdoors since Kevin finished the magnificent paint job last year. And the first time it’s moved under its own power for some considerable time.
2005/6 saw me spending time replacing all the water hoses, usually on my back under the bus in the Scania Hall. This involved following 72ft of steel tubing going from the front radiator to the rear engine and back again, replacing all the joints with new silicone hose. The fuel pipes running from the pump to the cylinder heads were discovered to be perished and expertly replaced by Jeremy Price. I also silvered the engine to tidy it up a bit. Then came early spring 2007 and it was warm enough to try filling the cooling system. This was the point that I discovered another 36ft of ‘breather pipe’ connected to the system as water poured over the floor. Once that was replaced, amazingly it held the water and the oil showed no signs of any contamination.
About this time, Dave Parry connected up the starter motor cable to the cab and new batteries were fitted. So for the first time in about 20 years, the engine could be turned over from the cab. There were still obvious problems with the fuel system as the bus stubbornly refused to start. A temporary solution to lay in a bypass line from the tank to the pump was fitted by Dave and incredibly it burst into life and ticked over without any assistance from the accelerator.
The trip down to the yard attracted the attention of all and sundry to view the spectacle and the trip back up in reverse took a bit of courage but things are looking up for 56 at last. (Despite the large trail of oil it left on the new road!)
Dave Taylor
TITAN TASKFORCE
Work has been continuing aboard the 1685 Group’s 1948 Brush-bodied Leyland PD2 Titan. The lads have done considerable work in the lower deck; this is worth summarising although bits of it may have been recorded before.
The extensive wood trim has been polished to extraordinarily good effect, meaning only a handful of pieces have needed re-varnishing. Meanwhile, the ceiling has been cleaned thoroughly and the many chromed fittings polished up. Work has now moved downwards.
All the seats were removed to give a clear working area for new moquette on the side panels, still to be done, and bringing the floor up to scratch. Holes in the floor around the rear axle have been repaired and new lino laid where necessary. Wheelarch panels and the conductors’ locker have been refurbished, and will be completed as appropriate by new leathercloth. The floor is being repainted.
The upstairs is now full of seats and seatframes from downstairs. Main seatbacks and cushions have all been reupholstered and look superb. The upholsterer is now doing the awkward squad – the seatbacks and cushions over the wheelarches.
Malcolm Keeley
Chapel Lane, Wythall, Worcs B47 6JX
Tel : 01564 826471 e-mail us
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