PV 675 taking shape.

The PV van is starting to come along nicely now. Since the last post on the van I have managed to get alot done, Here's what Ive done.

A couple of weeks back now I welded the underframe with my MIG welder (after changing the wire and gas). This came about from a discussion with my brother about welding alluminium with my MIG welder and we came to the conclusion that there would only be one way to find out if it would work...... HAVE A GO.
So I did. This was my first time welding aluminium and it wasnt as bad as I thought it would be. Ill have to buy some more S trucks so I can improve my alli welding skills.

Welded up underframe.



After I welded the underframe I then began to work on the body. I cut out the body sheets to size about 2 weeks ago and started to glue it together. Tonight I glued the last of the supports inside the body and that has finished building the body. Now I will have to turn my attention to detailing the body.

Completed Body ready for detailing.

Tonight I have also decided on the number for the PV. A while back I stumbled onto some information on the internet about the PV vans including a list of numbers that a few (maybe it was a complete number list???) PV vans were numbered. Using this list of PV van's I have decided to number mine PV 675.

Thats all for now.

Until next time.......

Name Change.

Just thought I might let everyone know Ive decided to change the name of my blog. Ive been thinking about it over the last week or so that the original name of the blog was a bit long and a mouthfull as well. So now we have The Waratah Railway Workshops.

Over the last 2 weeks or so Ive managed to get a large amount of work done to the PV Explosive Van. Once I return back Home after this weekend and get a little bit more work done on it I will give you all an update on my progress.

First Job in the new shed.

Its been a few weeks since Ive made a post so here goes.
Ive been very busy with moving here to the new house and working some very long hours with the new job.
Ive managed to partially set up the new workshop but its no where near organised yet!

Tonight I completed the first job in the new workshop. I made up a very simple tool to remove some stuck injector cones in an Injector.

To cut a long story short ive been having a fair bit of Injector trouble with my loco 1248.
At the easter AALS convention at Edgeworth I purchased two Injectors from a supplier that was selling various parts at a trade stand there.

The first injector was a Warrick Sandberg injector. I baught this one because Warricks injectors have an excelent reputation for reliability etc, So I figured I would buy this to hopefully solve all my injector trouble...... When I baught this injector from Oldmate with the trade stand he told me "That injector is untested and brand new but doesnt come with a test certificate like my ones do".
Anyways I tried the injector on my engine straight away......No go it didnt work.
So i fitted the other "cheep" injector and continued to keep running.

Now a few months have past and I happend to be speaking to Warrick and mentiond that I had purchased one of his injectors from Oldmate, and he replied "ive never sold him any of my injectors, let me see it" so he had a look and within seconds said "well I can tell you this is not brand new".
Im not impressed that Oldmate who had the trade stand has sold me second hand parts knowing they are second hand and tell me they are new.........

The Sandberg Injector.

Today I was speaking to Warrick about this injector and what could be wrong with it. He told me an idea of a way to get the stuck cones out to work toward getting to the bottom of the problem. So after work tonight i made up the little gadget to get the cones out.

Ive used a piece of scrap steel to clamp onto the cones to remove them without damage.

The injector cone remover gadget shown clamping a cone.



So now its apart tomorrow its back to the drawing board to work it all out.

During the week Ive also had various other parts turn up in the post for different projects that I have on the go. I had the rest of the Warm white LED globes for Lower (and maybe Upper) Quadrant signals, And the remaining parts that I was waiting for from railcraft for the PV.

Allthough only a couple of parts turned up I thought I might show you some of the parts ill be using on the Van.

PV parts from Railcraft.

Thats about all for now. I hope to keep moving with the PV soon. Id like to see it finished.