What Has 12 Wheels, Weighs 115 tonnes and Flys...

During the period of Wednesday 15 Sept to Friday 17 Sept, our Goodmates from Goodwin Alco (Steve), Far North Engineering (Peter) and Jason the Lithgow fitter came down to Canberra to give Gav a hand to remove the bogies from 4468 (and disassemble them) in preparation of rediscing the axles. All photos credit to Steve Preston.

Here is 4468 sitting at loco without any brake rigging attached.













4807 shunts '68 to the crane road.













Fitting the lifting bars













No. 1 end sitting on blocks and temp bogies.













No 1 end lifted





















Start of lifting no. 2 end













Up she goes





















Off the bogies













Gravity wont get you high.













Damn, that pesky toilet chute is in the way!



















Here they come out.



















Rolling out













No bogies.













Putting in the temporary set.



















Removing the keeper plates













Moving around to where they can be got at more easily and out the way of other projects.













A Lithgow Fitter!













Removing the bogie frame off the axles













Wheelsets remaining with traction motors attached.













The engine wont go far on those bogies.













The second A-Team (or does that make them the B-Team???) - Gav, Peter and Jason.













Keep on ALCOing until next time.

Traction Motor Tasks

Prior to removal of the bogies from the engine, it is necessary to disconnect all the various wires, brake hoses and traction motor bellows.

Saturday 11 September 2010 saw 4468 being shifted out of its home in the shed to the loco pit so Gav, Pat and Paul could work on this very dirty, yet important task.

In this shot, 4403 is fired up and shunting 4468 into ARHS loco.


















Duffman performing the role of shunter uncoupling 03 from 68.


















Underside shot of 4468 in the pit of ARHS Loco.


















An AEI253 traction motor.


















Artsy sort of shot looking out of the pit onto loco 1210.


















A close up of the No.2 end draw gear pocket and the end of the bogie.


















Here is Gav disconnecting the wires from one of the traction motors.






















































Pat also getting very dirty under the engine disconnecting traction motor wires.


















Just for good measure, one more shot of Gav.


















Onwards and upwards with Alco power until next time!

Cold Canberra Winter Days

Saturday 4 September 2010 saw a genuinely cold canberra day host a few hardcore 4468 workers. Present were Pat, Lindz, Gav and Paul all in attendance.

Work continued on the metal locking strips, needle gunning and painting the buffing packages (having been needle gunned a couple of weeks ago)

Here the second and third buffing packages that have been painted up. This is the package inside casings.


















... and the outsides also painted up.


















Cold day, but Lindz is setting up for the job.


















The rubber compression block interiors of the buffing packages all painted up.


















Yet more panelling removed from the north side of the engine.


















Pat in his hi-vis vest continuing to remove more NFG metal locking strips.


















4468 and 4403 meet in the yard outside the workshop.

















Very cold day indeed with lots of rain and grey gloomy clouds.


















Happy days until next Alco workday.