Latest News

May 2018

First main cylinder cladding section now cut out and rolled, just one circular cut out left to
do in the middle and locate the positions of all the other fixing screw holes.

 

View from above of the new cylinder cladding sheets trial fitted.

 

April 2018

The first section of new cylinder cladding made and temporarily fitted to the right hand cylinder.
A section of original cladding borrowed from another engine has been temporarily fitted
around the outside of the cylinder to provide a pattern and to see where the top and bottom
sections join on, see photo below.

 

Old cladding section fitted to the right hand cylinder as a pattern for making a new section
and to find out where the joins come between this section and the top and bottom pieces,
see also photo above.

 

New blastpipe base casting just delivered.

 

Old blastpipe base which the new casting seen above will replace. Note the corrosion
around the edges such that the bolting holes are almost breaking out through the sides
of the flange.

 

March 2018

Cylinder drain cock linkage brackets fitted to the bogie stretcher and bottom of
cylinder to check for alignment

 

The valve rod guides white metalled and proof bored awaiting final machining.

 

Door support bracket fitted rivetted to the smokebox door ring, the last rivetting job on the smokebox
apart from attaching it to the boiler barrel.

 

We have now taken delivery of the oil box tops for the connecting rods, the long one being
for the little end and the square one for the big end.

 

The last of the back pressure valves now completed, these long ones are for the valve rod
guides on the rear steam chest cover.

 

February 2018

Snifting valves now fitted to the cylinders.

 

New back pressure valve fitted to the bottom of the cylinders.

 

January 2018

Refurbished back pressure valve fitted to the top of the cylinder bore, there is another
one that feeds oil into the bottom of the bore and a third one fits to the piston rod gland.

 

Two original refurbished back pressure valves ready for fitting, six are needed in total
so four new ones to make.

 

Here you can see the pair of lubrication elbows which are positioned at each valve head.

 

Lubrication elbow fitted to the steam chest.

 

New lubrication elbows for atomised lubrication to the steam chest.

 

New blanking plug fitted to the rear cylinder cover.

 

New Blanking Plugs for the rear cylinder covers.

 

New Blanking Plugs fitted to the Steam Chest.

 

New Blanking Plugs made for the Pyrometer and Indicator take off points on the top of
the steam chest.