Saturday 19 December 2009

Dec 2009 - Chassis Steam Cleaned

On 12th December the tram chassis was steam cleaned to remove years of dirt and grease and reveal areas that require repairs. This exercise has revealed a need for work on the radius plates at one end of the tram and repairs around the centre platform steelwork. Some areas may require localised shotblasting but in general the chassis is in good condition, attributed to the tram's limited mileage since becoming a works tram in 1971.

The next phase of work will be the shotblasting and cleaning up any surface rust prior to protecting the underframe with red oxide paint. Blackpool Transport will be commissioned to undertake the steelwork repairs. After this, 624 will be prepared for fitting a new saloon floor.

624 shunted at depot

After lying at the back of track one since August 2006, 624 is extracted from the depot by car 715 for steam cleaning of the tram chassis.