July 2008: Dave Ruston begins shotblasting the frames to remove old paint and rust

Shotblasting takes the frames back to an even surface of bare metal to allow painting

Shotblasting is also a hot, sweaty and unpleasant job. Even in what he calls his "romper suit", Dave still manages to get covered in the fine metal grit used in the process

And this is the end result. A nice smooth and even metal surface. It needs to be painted almost immediately to make sure that no corrosion takes place

Compare and contrast 1: Russell's frames before shotblasting. The boiler is at the back of the restoration shed, having also been overhauled and had the tubes replaced

Compare and contrast 2: a view of the frames after shotblasting and painting in a first coat of primer

Another view of the driving wheels. Overhauling the wheels has proved a lengthy task, as cracks were found in two of the centres.

Russell's pony truck wheels are also back in Wales, looking very shiny for having new tyres fitted. PICTURE: Michael Chapman

A close up of the weighbar shaft, which connects the motion on both sides of the locomotive, and the reversing screw control in the cab. Fitting this proved harder than anticipated, as it turned out that the bearing housings that hold it in place had been fitted wrongly when the locomotive was built in 1906!

A close up of one of the arms that are connected to the weighbar shaft, and help set the direction of travel. Note the stamp "901", Russell's works number, which is a feature of many of the original parts of this loco

Dave Ruston examines the brake pull rods in the machine shops

A close up of part of the brake pull rods. The centre of the circle is an inner ring of metal called a boss, which has been fitted during the restoration to make the hole circular again and compensate for 100 years of wear. Fitting the boss requires precision machining to the thickness of a human hair to ensure it stays in place

A close up of the back of Russell's boiler, with the newly fitted firebox door waiting for its first steaming...... PICTURE: Michael Chapman

August 2008: The decision has been taken to replace Russell's axleboxes, as some of the old ones were showing their age. Restoration engineer David Pritchard prepares some working drawings for sending to contractors, using the original 1906 outline drawings on his left

August Bank Holiday 2008: Things have moved on with Russell's driving wheels, which have now acquired a coat of gloss paint. The frames are in the background

Russell's newly painted driving wheels take a short trip along the line at Gelerts Farm Works (to free up space over the pit where they'd been stored). Geoff Jenkins gently moves them back into the shed.

Sparks fly in the early evening as Dave Ruston dismantles Russell's cab. PICTURE: Mark Holden

A closer view of the cab as it is reduced to its constituent parts. PICTURE: Mark Holden

These are the slide bars, which are mounted above and below the piston as it emerges from the cylinder on both sides. The groove visible in two of them is apparently to collect any surplus grease, oil and dirt that builds up on the surface, referred to by the restoration team as the "crap collecting notch".

Russell's pony trucks have central axleboxes, which have now been refurbished. The whole assembly is seen here on the machine shop table. The axle goes through the hole in the centre, and the wheels on the outside.