'Ivan' Restoration 2 (September 2006)

In 2006 a group of young members were encouraged to take on the restoration of GNR(I) 20 ton brake van No.81, affectionately known as 'Ivan'.

A start is made at clearing out the old ballast in the ballast tanks, which bring the van's weight up to 20 tons. And look who has joined the brake-vanning team, seconded from the signalling department!

An amazing discovery - not only have around 15 brakeblocks been removed from the ballast tanks, but a big end of some long scrapped GNR(I) steam engine has been unearthed!

Mark inspects the find. Amazingly there is a 61 year old trimming still in the oil hole!

Work begins on overhauling the brake gear. Firstly the handbrake standard was removed and stored until a new floor can be put down for it to stand on.

James is removing a pin from the brake gear so that new ones can be made at tech class. There isn't a lot of headroom.

Another end to a working day on the brakevan. Hard work, but good craic!

On the Belfast end of the van the steelwork is being prepared for painting. Here James wields a wire brush held in an angle grinder.

Meanwhile Mark with some help was doing a bit of digging.

At the suggestion of Peter, a chain hoist is being used to hoist out brakeblocks.

The angle of the van has prompted suggestions that the axleboxes are stuck in the guides, and that nothing less than dropping the wheels will cure it! Meanwhile James removes old roofing bolts in preparation for the priming of the roof girders.

James and Ben apply universal primer to the van steelwork.

Ben punches out the penultimate row of roofing bolts with a big hammer. There are four specially shaped pieces of wood which need to be replaced before the new tongue and groove can be put into position. Countersunk coach bolts are also required.

Edward lends a hand with the 'dig'. At the moment work concentrates on the landward side of the van due to the ominous looking asbestos sheet on the other side!

Mark continues digging. The evidence of that day's work can be seen in the bucket of the JCB.

Axleboxes, firebar supports and gears are emerging from the ballast tanks!

At the "Locomotive Skills" class at BIFHE, some not so elderly protagonists manage to coax an ageing lathe into life to make some new pins for the brake gear. At the controls is Ben while a disembodied arm dispenses diet coke onto the job.

One quarter of a qualified mechanical engineer checks the job in hand.

2 part-finished pins being compared to the drawing prepared especially for the brake van project. Hopefully the drawing was right about what size they need to be to fit the van.

And the pins will hopefully fit in here to secure the lower brake pull rod in place.

On Friday 22nd September 2006, another roof girder was cleaned and primed in preparation for the new roof. The plan was to get the roof on and then rebuild the Belfast end verandah using the partially complete Larne end verandah as a pattern.

Meanwhile, Edward continued the dig in one of the ballast tanks, a job later made easier by an air-powered chisel. Eye protection was being worn because of the rust flying around from the cleaning of the girders.

A disturbing composite picture of the underneath of the van (Belfast end) showing just how much rust was under there. This would need cleaned off and painted as well. The adjuster on the brake rod looks rusted solid!

The DCDR offered spare parts from their similar van and an expeditionary force set off to see what parts and information could be gained from their doomed vehicle.

Doorposts, hinges, bulkhead tops and many other wooden parts are in much better shape on the DCDR van than on IVAN at Whitehead, and have been marked for recovery.

A door that will need very little work to bring it up to standard. IVAN does have two of these doors but one survives only as a very charred frame, the panelling having burnt away.

Roof timbers, too rotten for us to use, but in good enough shape to show us how the roof was constructed. It seems that two 8" boards were used for the middle two boards, and 6" tongue and groove out from that to the gutters.

A peep in at the brake gear, which is in much better condition than IVAN's. A good deal of this would find its way to Whitehead.