The second half of 2007 kicked off with a real advance. After 14 months of inaction due to the difficulty of liaising with the owner, the operation to recover the Swift wheels fitted to the remains of a Routemaster in Essex was concluded. The details are boring, but thanks to Chris Sullivan's intercession and the friendly RM40 Group the plan came to fruition over the first weekend of June. Since my first visit during the Cobham weekend the bramble thicket and nettles had grown to even worse proportions, so a key part of the equipment were shears and long-handled loppers which were used to cut (literally) a tunnel through the brambles to reach the offside of the rear axle. The jacking and replacement with some expendable 10R20 wheels that originated with Richard Roper's Regent in Halifax went very smoothly - although the remains of the entrance platform made the chassis unit rear-heavy and it tended to tip up rather than jack neatly. The operation was ably assisted by my father and Keith Wright.

The nearside, easy to reach. Photo © J.Wilkins

There's part of an RM in there! Photo © J.Wilkins

Inside the bramble tunnel. Photo © J.Wilkins

It was interesting to find that MBA581 had migrated to the site (and it was observed to carry three Swift - and one Merlin - wheel rims on the back axle). The sub-plot of the weekend was the removal of furniture from our old house in Hitchin in the hired van. It will be very odd (and inconvenient) to lose the connection with London's country when the house is sold finally. The journey home took in the Three Counties Museum project collection which is very close to the M1 at junction 12. A good weekend, even if spent far away from SM106.

It is good to be able to report some progress after such a long spell of inactivity. Maurice came up for the weekend, so we were able to make progress on two fronts at once. He removed all the half-shaft fixing studs and cleaned up the offside hub, shaping a scraper from some duff beading so that he could clean out the grease guard without un-rivetting it. That was a major job saved! The whole was then cleaned with liberal washing and brushing in paraffin and taken home for painting the following week. I spent my time putting silver on the offside axle and chassis, continued GRP repairs to the windscreen pan (until I ran out of resin) then painting Chinese Green on the front dash. We spent part of the evening trying to work out how to re-make the complex metal inner windscreen pan, including attempts at forming a cardboard model, and concluded that the two bends would automatically form the profile we needed, although it would need to be done on a shaped former. Fettling jobs continued the next weekend, so now the windscreen pan is completely repaired and painted in primer, and the dash is ready for re-instating the windscreen support angles. I also chased up the re-manufacturing of the front body riser, and discovered that we had vanished into a classic black hole of project management. Two people each thought the other was looking after the job, and the chap in charge of making it has been off work for months having a hip replacement. Must do better in future! The good news was that it had been awaiting collection for some while, so it has now gone off for finishing ready for installation.

Another quantum leap forward was facilitated by the straightening of the damaged front chassis cross-member - a job that has been hanging around for much too long. Along with fabrication jobs, David Williams had made a start by blacksmithing the area where the 'c' section had been caved in under strangulation with the towing chain. Taking the bend out was beyond him, so re-installation was not possible. Many years ago the rudder of our boat CAPABLE was straightened by the simple means of standing one leg of Wincham Wharf's mobile crane on it (suitably packed-up, of course). In the end, the machine was closer to home than expected - in the form of a DAF eight-wheel, rigid, flatbed truck with a large-capacity hoist belonging to Jim Ricketts Haulage. As before, one leg of the outrigger was lowered onto the carefully packed cross-member which could be seen to bend steadily back into shape as we attempted to lift the wagon into the air. The straightened item was taken home, degreased, cleaned up with a Scotch stripper and painted. It looks lovely! The last work-session before our Summer holiday was spent bolting it back into place. As the main chassis rails splay slightly, they had to be drawn in so I could put the bolts through. Never underestimate the force that can be applied with a tourniquet, in this case made with a webbing sling that I had on board for a rainy day and the tommy bar from my socket set. It was also time to replace one of the struts that supports the front dash above the chassis cross-member, some force was applied with a scissor-jack to raise the bodywork by about 6mm so that the bolts could be inserted. On completion it was possible to offer up the strut that supports the threshold, and discover that the fixing holes now line up. It was disappointing to find that Blue Lake had shortened the other part that supports the upper upper step above the nearside end of the cross-member. It had been re-used as a dropper for the new low entrance step, and simply pruned so that it was (slightly) less likely to ground on the road. I am finding the value of the photos that I obtained of the same area on SMS369 at Cobham. The key part is now the new riser, and then it will be possible to rebuild the entrance step. There's nothing like a bit of progress! The other news is that the farm is now sold, subject to contract, so we are waiting anxiously for a call from the purchaser.

Returning from holiday at the end of July brought unwelcome news. SM106 had to be removed prior to the sale of the farm and she had to go by the 12th of August - just less than two weeks hence. Despite scouring the countryside in the evenings, no positive leads emerged and it was only in the week before the deadline that I was able to arrange a tow and a temporary home. Both were down to the timely action of Andrew Scarratt, of whom more later. The imperative for the two remaining weekends was clearly to maximise mobility and prepare for the move. A great deal was achieved in those three working days - fitting the offside brake camshaft and rear hub (without oil-seal), assembling as much as possible of the front step area, securing the nearside towing bracket with a new set of half-inch UNC bolts, cleaning and fitting the rear brake drums, mounting all the wheels, linking up and adjusting the handbrake, attaching the fuel tank and fitting as many pop rivets and bits of moulding as necessary to secure the loosely-applied panelling. Thanks to members of the Friends of Classic London Buses I was able to collect together a full set of wheel-nuts at the last moment. It was also necessary to pick up and stow all the parts which were stored near or under the bus and strike the scaffold tower and workbench to take home. While doing that I chanced upon the nearside wing-mirror, so I bolted it back on and made it face the right way. I decided to pull the bus out of the way (easy to move with the car - or even by hand on level concrete at a pinch ) so that I could pick up the bits easier - and was suprised to see that she really looked the part. Two years' work has nor been wasted. I also had to ask the only person that I knew who could move the spare engine and radiator- Jim Ricketts once again. For safety I invested in a useful-sized battery and a flashing yellow beacon for the back end.

The offside, August 12th. Photo © J.Wilkins

The entrance step, coming together. Photo © J.Wilkins

The nearside. Photo © J.Wilkins

Finally, on Thursday 16th August it all came together. Andrew, Joe and I set off for Anglesey at 17:00h in Mighty Muriel, his 1943-vintage, ex-RAF AEC Matador, while Jim was on his way for the spare engine. We passed him on his way back near to Brynsiencyn and found a reception committee awaiting us. The plan that emerged was to pull SM106 out forwards as far as possible ready for a shunt back up the side of the sheds to the top yard where I would swing the bus round to face the road gate. The plan went well until I realised that the front nearside of the bus was in the manure heap. The plan was revised so that we crossed the top yard and used a field gate to get some room for pulling forward in a turn through the road gate - which went well except that the towbar ended up at a crazy angle and we had to unhitch Muriel and straighten up. After that it was basically plain sailing all the way to Glanwydden near Llandudno. It was a draughty ride as there was no windscreen or cab window, and rather hair-raising due to the sloppy steering of SM106. I soon came to appreciate the nearside mirror, and thought how sensible it had been to spend ten minutes fitting it, while regretting that I had no offside mirror despite the mounting sticking bravely out in the correct place. I felt particularly exposed high on the Britannia Bridge as the wind whipped down the Menai Strait with a fine view of the tide-race far below. The only difficult moment was the right-angle bend in Brynsiencyn where I bumped up the kerb, and very tight clearances on the lanes close to home. The only issue on the road was the driver of a blue Subaru with a fat exhaust (is there another variety?) who crossed the double white lines on the road to overtake us on the Llandudno link road. Impatient **************** . SM106 was tucked up in her new, temporary home by 21:15h, which was a very good result under the circumstances, and a credit to Andrew and Muriel who coped easily with the 27 mile route. Probably easier than dragging artillery around Italy or North Africa, or was it Lancaster bombers? What I need now is the services of Channel 4's Kirsty and Phil to find me a new home - what a programme that would make....

AEC's, head-to-head in the top yard. Photo © J.Wilkins

Ready for one last push. Photo © J.Wilkins

Three months later, give or take a few days, the situation has stabilised considerably. The search for new premises has not yet yielded a result, but has turned up some interesting prospects, including a derelict, Victorian railway goods-shed and a redundant coach garage. The current location is far from ideal, given that it is a large barn with open ends through which the wind and rain blow, and the roof has some large and small holes. It is therefore impossible to work on the bus except when the weather is good (this is Wales, remember), and she has to be sheeted to keep the rain out. For company I have a real, narrow-gauge Lisbon tram, a replica Llandudno tram, Muriel the Matador and a collection of living vans. Plans are afoot to replace the barn roof and cover the ends, which will be a big improvement. Frustration at the lack of recent progress led to a useful afternoon's work recently, when I converted some of my stock of metal into a new window surround for the nearside rear and proceeded to fit glass using the shabby remains of the original weatherstrip. Since SM106's rear is accessible for the first time, a wonderful opportunity is presented to work on this long-neglected area.

The shortcomings of the present accommodation will permit only minor work and less-invasive procedures - like electrical systems for example. A second battery has been purchased to go with the one bought for the move, giving me 24V on tap for the first time, and a nifty 300 Watt inverter runs my fluorescent work light nicely. Now that I can see what I am doing inside the bus, I can attend to items like the missing engine-stop solenoid (which has been sourced) and why the START and STOP buttons are ineffective. Ineffective when the rear doors are closed, that is. When the rear doors are open pressing START causes several of the cab-side relays (associated with the door-opening logic) to click over, while persistent use causes the circuit-breaker to trip. Most other circuits are just fine: the de-mister blower runs and the horn works. It is clear that there is a deep-seated electrical malaise, and diagrams to accompany my Maintenance Bulletin 52, Part 3 will require finding from somewhere. It could possibly be that the disconnected door switches are part of the mystery, but it does not seem very likely, and I am not ready to put the cabside back together yet. It is also possible to collect parts ready for a time when progress will resume, so I have bought a whole sheet of 'Checkmate' aluminium for the new step risers and trim panels, and enough 1.2 and 1.5mm sheet to complete the outstanding panelwork. Since it came from Preston it was essential to get maximum value from the delivery charge. Quite a spending spree!

SM106's new home - after the storm. Photo © J.Wilkins

The console - black wiring is original. Photo © J.Wilkins

Rain forced me to work undercover recently, although the covers had been compromised by the season's first proper gale. The wind was still strong enough that I could not even re-secure the sheets so a serious appraisal of the console wiring was commenced. Thanks to Keith Wright I was armed with a wiring diagram for a 2MB chassis whose philosophy is very similar. In fact, the modifications record in the margin states that the drawing is extended to vehicles coded 1SB, which the diligent Swift student will recognise as the code allocated initially to the new 10 metre build that was named SM in production. I was soon able to check over the wiring to the START and STOP switches around which there was a great deal of modification to attach the extra (Blue Lake) oil and temperature gauges for a kick-off. Other connections were so perverse that I concluded that someone had been fiddling and reconnected the wires almost at random. I then found some wires that were not attached at all and became a little more worried. After I had removed everything that did not match the diagram I consoled myself with the thought that even if it still did not work, things must be better if the circuit breaker did not trip after a while. The START circuit passes through the gear selector head so that it is inhibited when in gear, before going off to the rear where a solenoid ensures that the circuit is broken if the alternator is charging. All of that seemed fine when I used a test-lamp to check the operation, but I was left with two wires with no obvious connections, one from the gear selector head and the other from the multi-way plug on the front bulkhead.

Having now sourced a replacement fuel shut-off solenoid, I connected it in circuit, but the STOP circuit was also not operating, but here I suspected re-routeing for a rear-mounted emergency stop button. I really didn't fancy getting underneath in foul weather to trace the wiring backwards, but I will have to get down to it soon. Exactly where the supply to the gear selector head is interlocked with the doors, I cannot fathom as that is on a different diagram. The other interesting feature is the contactor unit which should pull in and energise all the circuits which would drain the battery - e.g. automatic gearbox control, temperature warning, heater and door controls etc. The contactor is also connected to the STOP circuit, so it will shut off when the vehicle is stopped. Again, this is part of the body and is not shown on my diagrams. I also decided to pull out and replace the throttle cable, having determined that it is a standard part from Teleflex Morse. It took about 30 minutes, undoing and marking all the clamps which held it in the chassis side-member by the air lines. The other step forward has been the fitting (slightly incorrectly as it turned out) of the re-manufactured front riser, but it will have to come out again now for painting and correct insertion - which should not be a big job as it has been drilled and fettled for all its fixings already.

Poor weather prevented work over the Christmas break until Boxing Day, when Maurice and I descended on a fine morning to set two pairs of hands to work. It's necessary to have help when everything is at the opposite end of the bus from the button that should energise it! In the end, it was proved that the fuel shut-off solenoid circuit was working now that the console had been partly sorted. I had been simply unable to see the lamp which I had wired in place of the solenoid itself. A badly-designed experiment! Wiring the unit in was rewarded with a satisfying clunk when the STOP button was pressed. Turning to the START circuit, we probed about in the binnacle and gear selector and proved what I had feared, namely that power was no longer being supplied to the gear selector. One guess was that a local supply had been organised to replace the feed from the automatic gearbox control unit which is interlocked with the doors, and fed from the contactor. While examining the START switch and the 'spare' wires it became apparent that one of them was the return from the gear-selector neutral-position switch, and the other was the feed wire to the starter solenoid. On the MB diagram there is no break in that circuit, so the SM differs - but we hooked the two ends together and pressed the START button. We both received a suprise when the lights went out and the starter whirred into life at the back end! The voltage drop had simply caused the inverter to shut down, so the lights came back on again immediately we released the START button. Great celebrations and a cup of coffee were in order. We then finished removing the front riser and called it a morning - all that we were allowed. We look forward to great things in 2008.