With the domes repaired and resealed a hydraulic test was done.

This involves bunging up all the intentional holes, filling the boiler to the brim with water, pressuring it and looking for unintentional holes

At Boston Lodge the mains water pressure is often above 100 psi which makes a basic hydraulic test just a case of connecting a hose.

With all looking good reassembly could begin. Here the tank assemblies are back on as is the cab. The cab sides remain off whilst all the plumbing is knitted back together.

This view is the drivers side.

This view taken at the same time as the one above shows the fireman's side of the engine.

Merddin now starts to look like an engine again and has moved into the front of the erecting shop.

Appearances are deceiving though. It might have started to look complete but it was soon cured of that!

Somebody had the wheels away and left it on bricks!

If you look at the boiler repair pictures showing the engine surrounded by the scaffolding you will see he's still on his own bogies.

Despite attempts to cover them it was inevitable that they would get covered in grinding and cutting gunge requiring the bogies to be cleaned.

The bogies were removed in turn and not only cleaned but given attentions amounting to a light overhaul.

This was frustrating as I was rostered to drive Merddin on his return to service but the date kept going back and eventually went beyond the end of my holiday.

Apart from my not getting a go it made total sense to do the maintenance work as it now means Merddin is done and ought to run through to next year without attention