My Ding a Ling...

Well, having tripped over the new bell several times as it sat in my lounge, I thought that today (after a post end of term lie-in) would be a good day to get the bell onto 326. So a quick hop up the A1 was in order.

Once the short ladder was up the side of the cab, the tool kit came out. Firstly, the two tone horns needed relocating. When the bells were removed and these were fitted by the Home Office, they were mounted inside of the bell hanger on the cab roof so needed moving to the outside to make room for the new lump of brass.

Before - horns inside the bell hanger:

After - now on the outside:

Then it was off with the neat aluminium cover for the bell hanger and leather strap. These were obviously blocked off when the bells were removed to keep the rain out!

Once done and after a bit of faffing, the bell was on - no easy task given the weight of it and carefully operating at the top of a ladder!

Looks much more the part (even if they never had bells on Op Fresco!)... Probably the first time in 25 years that it has been fitted with a bell?

The view from the inside:

Once that was done and the work was admired, it was time to remove the bell again for the winter (given the value!) and to tidy up the tubing. The outside cable ties will be changed to black in due course:

Once that pleasing task was done, I then spent a few minutes placing orange cables ties on much of the fire kit to identify it when it's out. At big shows such as Derby when a lot of kit comes out of many vehicles, it will hopefully make it easier to find my stuff!

The last thing to do was to get the starting handle out to give the engine a few turns to keep it lubricated and to change which valves stay open:

I also brought the hearth kit home to keep it dry over the winter, however, the addition of three large silica bags to absorb any moisture appear to be doing the trick!

After that, it was time for home. A short and simple but pleasing few hours!

Ding dong merrily on high...

Well, after keeping my eyes peeled on eBay and elsewhere for a bell, I have come up trumps!

Green goddesses were built in an era before 'blues and twos', having twin orange flashing lights above the windscreen and a bell mounted on the near side cab roof, operated by the person sat in the cab passenger seat via a leather strap dangling from the bell through a hole in the roof! As the world moved on, bells became less common, until the 1980s when they were finally removed from the green goddess fleet and replaced with flashing blue lights and two tone air horns. However, the bell hangers were left - handy for mounting the horns!

Well, although 326 remains (and will stay) in Op Fresco livery from 2002/2003, I did think that a bell might be a nice touch as a nod to the past. Proper GG bells - with the crown and ER cipher and date stamp - do pop up occasionally, but they are expensive so I wasn't going to pay too much! But I keep my eyes peeled nonetheless.

Cut to last Tuesday when a saved search on eBay ('fire bell') brought up a genuine GG bell. With a starting price of £50 and no bids! I immediately bid and hoped with nearly 5 days to go, it would stay that way. It did, until Saturday afternoon when I was outbid by £2. So, with bidding at £102, I upped mine again, securing the top bid. Time ticked on, so slowly. Minutes then seconds left. Would I be beaten or 'sniped'? I hovered over the bid button, but time ran out and it was mine - £104 plus postage. Result!

Anyway, it arrived today - a proper, pukka GG bell. Heavy, shiny, loud. I just have to swap the air horns to sit outside of the bell hanger, remove the cover from the hole in the roof and get it up the ladder and on!

The bell as it arrived:

The proof it's real - the crown and ER cipher with December 1952 date stamp:

Built to Spill...

Well, I finally today got around to doing a job I'd been meaning to do for a while - replacing the oil in the main gearbox. Although it's fairly new, the smell tells me it's probably EP90. Many older gearboxes - certainly those on Land Rovers - don't like this stuff as the EP (extreme pressure) additives can damage phospher bronze components. I've no idea whether there are any in goddess gearboxes, however, looking at the EFS paperwork, it clearly states that the main and transfer boxes need AG90 (no EP additives) whilst the differentials etc need EP90. So with another bottle of Morris AG90 having arrived, I set about changing the oil after a good run to warm it up.

Now, when I did the transfer box in the summer, it was half the capacity. So, when the drain plug was removed, a tsunami of oil shot out - everywhere. Had I used my large drip pan? Nope. So having wrestled the plug back in, I set about trying to mop up lots of by now cold, sticky EP90. Masses of it! With that done, and as it was getting dark, I dropped the remainder and started the slow process of getting the new oil in - finishing in the dark!

Once I had slid it back in the barn, I then had to grovel for some detergent to try to remove the rather noticable oil slick from the concrete pan. Luckily, they had some 'Gunk' on the shelf so with a quick scrub and a hose down, I could go home.

Hopefully, there is no damage to the gearbox as it has been getting noisier. However, there was a good deal of metal residue in the oil as you can see from the picture. I'm hoping I've change it in time!

Window Shopping...

Well, a small crowd of us visited LW Vass this morning to see what they had and what they'd salvaged from the recent closure of Williamsons up in Oldham. They don't usually open on a Saturday but Peter, their fire equipment sales manager, kindly agreed.

We had a good couple of hours mooching through the stores which contain a whole range of equipment and spares ranging from brand new, modern equipment to older ex-AFS green goddess stuff. In the case of the latter they have most normal kit ranging from suction baskets to nozzles to webbing belts and axes to first aid hoze nozzles to brand new featherweight pumps in boxes! They also have a large number of what has been the holy grail in the GG world - ex-AFS ground monitors.

Well worth a visit, although much of this older stuff won't appear on the web so a call or email to Peter is best!

This is this morning's shopping basket - a hydrant key, webbing belts and axe holders, electric gloves, spare seals, blanking cap for the stand pipe, male-to-male and female-to-female couplings, spare hose bandages. Oh, and of course - another ground monitor!

Pop Locker...

I took these shots over the summer but forgot to upload them! Essentially, I took them showing the lockers in their much more complete state with virtually all the kit deficiencies rectified, so the vehicle is almost in the configuration that it was for Op Fresco in 2002/2003.

Locker 5 - the tools locker - now complete with two axes, a shovel, a saw and a pry bar:

Locker 2 - this was pretty much complete when I bought it but a few extra nozzles now:

Lockers 2,3 and 4 - this mainly contain hose including 4 new lengths of Duraline for regular use as this needs no drying unlike canvas hose:

Locker 6 - this now houses the collecting head which is an 'extra' as GGs wouldn't have normally carried these:

Locker 7 - now houses a couple of deck chairs (not original!!) as well as the strainers as these have been displaced from locker 9:

Locker 8 - original except for the nurse valve acquired this summer. These weren't usually carried by GGs but are useful for show purposes when pumping in relay - which is what they were designed to do! The ground monitor is an addition, too - this locker had the storage holes but in the latter days weren't carried. Great for squirting lots of water safely! The hearth kit was a chance find at Witham SV (who sold them off in 2005/2006) - complete, as new and a bargain at £35!

Locker 9 - the gerry cans are still at the back as is the water container. This locker should house the strainers but it currently serves to store the oils and lubricants etc. The correct GG fuel filler funnel is new and was en eBay find.

Forever Autumn

Well, after a significant period of no activity, I finally had the time to get to the barn to run both 326 and 32 (the petrol carrier). I hadn't visited for 7 weeks and 326 hadn't turned a wheel since the end of July!

Anyway, after a few pumps of the accelerator, 326 fired into life and burbled away for a good 20 minutes to blow away the cobwebs and charge the battery.

No real jobs to do other than pop the absorbent battery mat underneath the battery, although that reminds me that the isolator switch still isn't finished! I only started this time last year!!! Hey ho....


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The Bad Oil...

 

I'm sure gear box oil shouldn't be black!

 

 

 Red thing on the right? That'll be the nurse valve. Rare as stuff that is excreted by rocking horses.

After a few weeks of neglect, the on-going servicing tasks continued apace today! Predictably this involved parting with more hard-earned cash and ordering yet more oil from Morris Lubricants. The target this time was the gear box and transfer box which require AG90 rather than the EP 90 used in the differentials and steering box etc, presumably because of phospher-bronze components which don't work well with the extreme pressure (EP) additives. The main gearbox was full with new oil having been serviced last year when the clutch was changed (although it's filled with EP 90 so I will change this soon). The transfer box, however, was a different story!! The oil (EP 90) was black with an awful lot of fine sediment in. So, this was drained and bottled then replaced with new AG 90. This took ages to pour in - trying to use a straight funnel to pour two litres of thick oil into a filler hole which is vertical takes some time and patience! Anyway, another job done....

I then tried to get EP 90 into the steering box using an oil gun but this proved to be troublesome and I suspect I ended up wearing more than went into the nipple! Hey ho, a job to be completed another day!!

I then dropped the newly-acquired nurse valve into the locker. These were used when 6 inch pumping from machine to machine in the AFS days to prevent too much pressure building up in the pump. I borrowed one at Derby Fire Show but as it is useful to have one, I acquired one from a fellow owner yesterday.


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Derby Emergency Services Show

Well, after much planning a good few green goddesses and other ex-AFS vehicles assembled back in mid-June at Markeaton Park in Derby along with their more modern counterparts for the Derby Emergency Services Show.

One of the larger fire shows in the country and equally inconvenient for many RSOLES, it was the aim to get as many of the ex-AFS fleet there as possible including 326 and the new petrol carrier which had been worked on over the spring.

After much juggling, the majority of the vehicles arrived on the Friday with me arriving later in the evening in 326 after being stuck on a course in Birmingham for the day. Great day to have a course there, no traffic problems at all! Tony had already collected the petrol carrier that day.

After camp was pitched, old and new acquaintences were made and remade over a few beers before day one.

Despite the show having a leisurely start, the Saturday started with the road run for local children. So a number vehicles headed for the childrens' hospital to collect the passengers before a 3-4 mile circuit of Derby arriving back at the park.

Gathering for the start of the road run:

Then, the normal show routine began with bouts of eating, sitting and chatting accompanying the demonstrations in the ring. I helped crew the wartime demo, the AFS pumping demo coming at the end. Having never pumped with 326 using the 6" hose, it was good to have a go and whilst aspects of the demo need refining, it all basically worked. After some evening training and more beer, Sunday arrived and took on a similar pattern. The AFS demo went much more smoothely although all too soon it was time to pack up and go home. A good weekend - good company, good fun.

Tony's AFS command vehicle and wrecker:

326 and another goddess with the petrol carrier:

The first outing for the petrol carrier!:

There is another report from David Moore's NFS-AFS site here:

http://nfs-afs.org.uk/2013/07/07/derby-fire-show/

Additional pictures on Flickr can be found here:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/mj_100/sets/72157634141372659/with/9063277030/

Ancient Oil...

A successful day and another few bits and bobs done. The priority today was to service the main pump at the rear of 326. Although I have used this a couple of times, I have never really paid any attention to it other than to briefly check the levels... So, with the special 'Liquimatic No 6' hydraulic oil and K99 water resistant grease having arrived from Morris Lubricants in the post (these were the oils and grease recommended for use when in service with the EFS), I was all set.
 

With the pump being mounted at chest height, it was either a climb to get into the top of the pump through the top cover or a crawl underneath... Awkward either way! The main pump was drained easily enough - the drain plug was easy to find. The primer was a pain - there was a lot of water in there to start with and it took ages to drain, a torrent then a dribble, then another torrent. In the end, a cloth underneath on the floor and leaving it over lunch did the trick although flushing some new oil through did help!

 Water pouring out of the primer drain tap:

 The 'draining cloth over lunch method' - saves sitting underneath holding a bottle and funnel....:

Once drained, both parts were filled with new oil up to half way up each level glass. Then the pump gland lubricator was removed and the old grease scooped out before being replaced. Once done, the priming handle mechanism was well-greased and now works much more smoothly.

Primer assmbly cleaned and greased:

 

Level glasses filled half way up:

 

Then, one of the outlet taps was re-packed and for the finishing touch, I repainted the drain cock taps front and back light blue as they were originally:

Then, with all the three prop shafts re-greased yesterday (half a tub of grease gone!!) I checked the front swivels (fine) and the front and rear diff; the rear needed about 200ml and the front 250ml. The front looked a bit dirty so that can be changed at a later date although the lack of drain plug did confuse me but apparently undoing the diff cover at the bottom will drain it. Strange but simple I suppose!

A few other odd jobs done such as putting on the height warning above the windscreen and the first aid hose 'on / off' labels (as I always forget) and it was time for home.

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Lovely Day - Reprise...

Another lovely sunny day, and a lazy start with having been camped next to 326 in that other British design classic, the Vango force 10 tent.

After a big breakfast butty and a cup of tea, it was almost time to enter the main ring and join the other 20-odd engines for a few laps, all the time deafening everyone with 326's very loud two-tone horns!

Once done, the lazy routine resumed with a chance to wander the show, chat and relax in the deck chair in the sunshine. Then, we popped out this afternoon to play with 327's lightweight pump with James, the owner and a few others. It worked perfectly so a variety of nozzles were played with along with the ground monitor. A happy half hour vanished in a maelstrom of water and spray.... There were also some great demonstrations in the fire arena in the afternoon including a 'civil disturbance' scenario involving two very impressive ex-London Fire Brigade appliances.

A good run home with the obligatory fuel stop ended a super weekend.

Onwards to the Derby Emergency Services Show in three weeks time!!

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Lovely Day...

Well, a great day at Earl's Barton Fire and Rescue show near Northampton today. Weather glorious. A good 60 run down to here this morning, although a little late as the car had a flat battery!! Anyway, that sorted, I arrived in time for the turn around the main parade ring. A few old faces to catch up with including Ron Bradley who did the restoration work on 326 last year. Now sat here in the evening sunshine, with a nice pint of cider - lush, as they say in cider country.

The pic shows PGW 326 parked next to what was PGW 327 (a previous owner bought the vehicle for the plate and re-registered it) but it's still 327 in spirit!! Ex-AFS GYL 37C is in the distance.

Hopefully another good day tomorrow.

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Ooh Aah (Just a Little Bit)...

Well, after an absence of a couple of months I thought it was time to go and visit 326 to do a few jobs now the snow and cold weather have passed.

First job, and perhaps the most time-consuming as it took two trips, was to load all the locker kit back on! After I purchased 326 back in late 2011, I took all the fire-fighting kit off for safe keeping as the lockers are a misnomer as they don’t in fact lock! Last summer, having seen an advert for a green goddess for sale in Ireland which has discs made that fitted into the handle recess and which then locked with a padlock, I took a spare locker handle to a foundry in Loscoe near Ripley in Derbyshire (R&FD Castings). They were fantastically helpful and had a wooden mould made up from which they then cast some very nice aluminium discs. That done, the long quest to find suitable padlocks started. None seemed to fit until at Easter this year, by chance I found that a Squire No 39 fits perfectly! So I managed to get ten of them – all on the same key, which is handy as that saves multiple different keys!! Anyway, all done – kit back on and secure.

 The locker discs in place:

Tools back in apart from the axes which need some wax to stop them rusting:

Too many nozzles now - I need some more wooden stands for them to keep them in place:

At last - the ground monitor is in (it's only been sat in a cupboard at home for 17 months....!):

 

Once all that was done, I then changed the oil in the filters on the rocker cover breather and also in the main air filter. I have no idea when this was last done but it was filthy, a deep mahogany colour and full of sediment. Fresh oil much needed!

Rocker cover breather filter off:

Yuk! very old, dirty oil:

The main air filter - a bit of a puzzle to get out:

 New oil:

I then finally got round to wire brushing and painting the exhaust with silver exhaust paint. A simpler job than I’d anticipated, it might mean that the exhaust lasts a little longer – it looks less tatty alongside the under-sealed chassis and axles!

The last job – replacing the chrome ring around the dashboard that’s been sitting around the flat for ages. It was held on with tape as the fixers had fallen off. Having got some more, it’s only taken just over a year to put it all back together!