June 2024 update

By Pete Maddicks and Tony Howard

Well, here we go again, another month and we are halfway through the year, but we are making good progress on the fireman’s side tank which is now in undercoat, and temporary back on the loco. The tank has been put back on for three reasons, 1: To make sure that it fits perfectly, 2: So the pipework can be made and fitted, and 3: It is the safest place to keep it. We would like to thank Ronan, paintshop foreman, and all the paint shop volunteers for all of the work that they have put in to get the tank to such a high standard. A start has been made on the riveting on the driver’s side tank. The copper pipe work is advancing, the 2” main vacuum pipe up to the brake valve has been replaced, and now fits. So as you can see progress is great, but there is still a lot to do, with your help we will get there. 

Saturday 1st June.
Peter M, Simon B, Steve M, Tony H.
Earlier in the week, we received an email with a list of jobs to do on the next two working days. The vacuum cylinder was tested and passed by full-time staff. Our first job was to disconnect the gauge and pipework from the cylinder and with Peter operating the Crane, put the vacuum reservoir back into place and connect the relevant pipework up. Once in place the large floor plate was put back. Next job to temporary fit the Steam Fountain so the pipework to the injectors could be cut to size. The final job was to remove the left-hand sand box, the right-hand one had been removed earlier in the week. This also was for pipework to run both water and steam to both injectors. The use of the overhead crane made all these tasks a lot easier.

Monday 3rd June.
Bob L, Charles L, Peter D, Peter M, Phil H, Steve T, Tony H.
A drawing was obtained of the position of the damper doors operating levers in the cab. Charles made a template out of wood so the pipework can be bent to avoid them. In the boilershop Bob removed the lifting eyes and the mushroom air vent. After sand blasting them he made a start painting them. Phil brought the newly machined regulator steam valve back. He then arranged for the regulator box and the blower ring to be machined by the full-time staff. Peter D  and Tony looked at the right-hand tank, and as a start it was planned to do a session of riveting this evening they noticed that quite a number of bolts needed to be moved/ altered so there was a bolt in every other hole. We must have been running short of nuts and bolts back at Bewdley when the tanks were built. Luckily we had plenty from the other tank.

Saturday 8th June.
Bob L, Dave Mc, Jacob L, Peter M, Simon B, Steve M, Tony H .
Arrived to find another list of jobs attached to the bunker. First job was removing the small horizontal vacuum pipe. Second job was to remove some of the bolts that fix the large floor plate in the cab, and to just put a few back in to hold it in place, and to easily remove it as it will be have to be removed a few times due to the steam pipes running under the floor, needing to be made.
It was decided to lift the floor plate and remove the angle iron that is fixed under it and give it a Coat of Waxoil. The angle was bolted back in place and the floor plate was temporarily fixed with two bolts that are easily accessible. More work was done on the left-hand tank in the paintshop. The Blower ring has had the work done on it and is now temporarily fitted to the bottom of the chimney,  ready for pipework to be made. The large copper pipe for the steam pipes has been delivered.

Monday 10th June.
Charles L, Dave Mc, Peter D, Peter M, Tony H.
Work was done in the paintshop and boiler shop on the water tanks. In the paintshop more scraping the paint between the rivets. Peter M fitted the water gauge, with the help of Ronan who volunteered to squeeze into the tank to fit the nuts to the bolts. In the boiler shop work on the right-hand tank was taking the spreaders and baffles out and the outside panels had the paint removed in readiness for riveting.  This will save having to do what we are doing in the paintshop on the left-hand tank. Bolts were then replaced in every other hole. This was also done on the angle at the base of the tank.

Tuesday 11th June.
Bob L, Dave Mc, Peter D. Jack K.
A start was made on riveting the right-hand tank.

Saturday 15th June.
Kevin S, Jacob L, Peter M, Steve M, Tony H.
The internal splasher on the left-hand tank was removed for painting. Steve carried on removing the paint from the part of the tank that protrudes into the cab. The front of the tank is now painted in undercoat green. Kevin brought the new flange that had been made at his place of work. This was bolted in position on the blower ring. Kevin, Jacob,  Peter and Tony looked at the pipework on the vacuum retaining valve. One of these pipes needed modified and also the nuts that fixed them to the three outlets on the retaining valve. Tony found a suitable threading tap and cleaned up the threads. A new piece of pipe was bent to suit and a new ferrule will have to be made.

Monday 17th June.
Bob L, Charles L, Dave L, Dave Mc,  Peter D, Peter M, Steve T, Tony H.
Firstly a welcome return to Dave L. Good to have him back.
More work on the right-hand tank in preparation for riveting. More painting on the left-hand tank. The bar that secures the water tanks at the cab end was temporarily fitted. This bar fits behind the backhead cladding. It has a length of allthread welded on each end.  A hole will be drilled into the back plate on each tank for this allthread to go through. Nuts and washers are fitted and tightened to secure the tanks when they are finally fitted.

Monday 24th June.
Bob L, Bryn T, Charles L, Dave L, Dave Mc,  Peter M  Steve T, Tony H, Phil H.
The left-hand water tank was temporarily fitted to the loco to check clearances for the boiler cladding. Also to find the centers for drilling the 1 inch o/d holes for the supporting bar that was fitted last week. Some fettling is needed on the backhead cladding for it to fit correctly.
Work carried on with the copper pipework and also riveting on the right-hand water tank.

Saturday 29th June.
Dave Mc,  Jacob L, Kevin S, Peter M, Simon B, Si B, Steve M, Tony H.
We removed every other round-headed bolt holding the water tank to the frame so the head and plain shank could have a coat of Rustoleum. The tank was supported by the Crane, and the remainder of the bolts were slackened off but not taken out so we could get the offending piece of crinoline off to shorten the legs where it was too close to the tank. The L-shaped floor plate was modified where it fits around the water tank. It was replaced after the underside was given a coat of Waxoil.
The handbrake pedestal was re-fitted, and the rear balance pipe was bolted to the water tank.