March 2025 Update

By Pete Maddicks & Tony Howard. 

I would like to thank all the boys for keeping me updated on all the work going on last month. 

The first Saturday of the month fell on the open house weekend, therefore no work, the boys spent the day explaining about the loco and the working of the loco department. 

We have started to take bits off the loco ready for the boiler to come out. Over the Easter Holidays, 19th to 21st, it was also the enthusiast's weekend, and more importantly the 20th was my 70th birthday! We had three visiting locomotives for the weekend, two Jubilees and a Grange, running an intensive service to Hampton Load. At Bridgnorth 7714 and 1450 were running a shuttle service. 

Saturday 5th April 
Jacob L, Kevin S, Simon B, Steve M, Tony H.
Open House Weekend, so no work on the loco. General public were allowed access to the Shed, workshop, and the Yard.

Sunday 6th April. 
Peter D. 
Same as Saturday. 

Monday 7th April. 
Bob L, Charles L, Dave L, Dave Mc, Peter D, Peter M, Si B, Steve T, Tony H.
Dave L and Steve T worked on the infill cladding.  The rest of us were involved in removing the cab roof.  Once it was off, we turned it upside down so it could be painted inside. Other small jobs were undertaken on the cab roof that could only be done with it off the loco. 

Saturday 12th April. 
No work today. 

Monday 14th April. 
Bob L, Dave Mc, Jack K,  Jacob L, Peter M, Phil H, Steve T, Tony H.
Bob L painted the inside of the cab roof. Phil H and Dave Mc were sorting out the steel steam pipes. Phil H and Jacob L removed the superheater header from the smokebox assisted by Peter M driving the Crane. The threads on the studs in the superheater header had gone rusty so Tony H gave them a coat of grease and put all the nuts on them to protect from damage. Tony H and Steve T then carried on drilling and tapping the holes that will secure the infill cladding.

Thursday 17th April
Peter M. 
Peter M on site today to move the cab roof out of the way so 1450 could be shunted out of the paint shop. 

Saturday 19th April. 
Jack K, Peter M, Simon B, Tony H. 
Job today was to remove the bolts that secure the rear balance pipes to the water tanks. Firstly we had to get pieces of wood to pack the heavy pipes so they would not drop. Packing was put under the pipework and also alongside the sand boxes. When the bolts were taken out the pipes dropped slightly, but the packing did its job.
After the scaffolding tower was signed off, we carried on drilling and tapping the top of the right-hand tank for the infill cladding, just three more to be done to finish that tank. Jack K was working on the copper pipework, bending into awkward shapes.

Tuesday 22nd April. 
Brian H, Dave L, Dave Mc, Jack K, Peter D, Steve T, Tony H.
The final two holes were drilled and tapped in the top of the right-hand tank for the infill cladding. The cladding was either sent for painting or used as a template for the left-hand tank. Peter D found six short 1/4" Whitworth screws to fill the holes on each side of the cab roof. Brian H and Jack K were working on the awkward shaped bends in the water feed pipework to the clacks.

Saturday 26th April. 
Jacob L, Peter M, Simon B, Steve M, Tony H. 
We needed to fit thirteen 5/8"Whitworth bolts to finish bolting the large steel floor plate into position. Some were difficult to reach to get the nuts on. Simon B and Tony H took on this task. Eventually, all the bolts and nuts were firmly bolted down. The wooden cab floor is now ready to be installed. Steve M got his tin of Brasso and a cloth and made a start polishing some of the Copper pipework.

Monday 28th April. 
Bob L, Charles L, Dave L, Dave Mc, Peter D, Peter M, Steve T, Tony H.
We had a shunt earlier today, so the loco was further inside the shed.  That meant the scaffold tower needed moving so we could carry on working on the right-hand cladding.  We also needed a tower to make a start on the infill cladding on the left-hand tank. Dave L and Steve T made a start on the cladding, once the tower was built.
Tony H bolted together the box-like structure that fits in the cab just forward of the reversing lever. Dave Mc and Charles L, got inside the firebox to find the correct position for the operating system for the drop grate. Peter M found a piece of cladding at Bewdley, didn’t know where it fitted, but found today that it fit in the cab.