This week 3 days again working mostly on 4253 for a change but we started on Gervase as well.Tuesday. The team started to rub down the cab paint work and the rusty pipework on Gervase to get things ready for the return of the boiler after its 10-year overhaul.The newly oiled superheater elements were loaded on the digger and removed to our container until required (not too long hopefully).The new plywood sheets arrived for our Bunko Booth removable roof repairs when the tender for 541 is lifted out for its journey to the Bluebell Rly.Lots more work for the foot plate was done refitting the regulator boss after it was taken down for measuring last weekend, the jockey valve pipework was put back up and the vacuum pipework from the bottom of the brake ejector had a coat of primer.The crinoline team were still hard at it beavering away with the multitude of bits that all need to fit together.Friday. we had the chimney sweep in (Kelvin) for one of our stoves (see pic).Work continued on Gervase’s cab repaint with a lot of the pipework rubbed down and primed.Work continued with the pipework from the brake ejector to connect to the train pipe under the floor of the footplate we have cut off the pipework we fabricated temporarily when testing the brake cylinder. The pipework we will make new as there is not much room under the floor as to get the right position for ease of connecting it all together. We had to reposition the drifting valve pipe as it was put in a long time ago when the cylinder was fitted.The steam heat pipe was connected from the pipework up into the cab so we can work out the connections to the Mason valve and the manifold shut off valve.The steam heat pipework was fitted all completely new on 4253 as it never carried steam heat equipment in its GWR and BR days as it was a freight loco only.The crinoline team had a good day getting ever closer to completion of their mammoth task. Sunday The team were working on various bits on 4253 ,541, Gervase and the removable roof on our workshop as well.The studs to hang the hydrostatic lubricator were attached to the boiler this to make it a safer fixing.We fitted blanking plates to the copper tube for the injector steam feeds thus allowing us to fill the pipe with sand for bending them to the correct shape.We also had to re-route the steam heat pipe slightly to accommodate the injector steam supply.The bracket that supports the pipework was bent to shape and attached to the fire hole door runner bracket we now need to make some holding clips.The bracket that holds the jockey valve linkage that was fabricated last week was welded together today.The gauge plinths were removed from Gervase and cleaned and made ready for varnishing. The last little just jobs were completed on 541 tender just a clean out and remove the lights from the water space to do.The plywood sheets for our roof repairs had a coat of protecting sealer applied getting ready for fitting them.Thanks to all who came to help this week on the projects . ... See MoreSee Less
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This week 2 ½ days working on 4253 due to the workers dinner at the Star at Rolvenden.Tuesday, we started a clean day with getting soaking wet getting the superheaters elements that were delivered on Monday into the shed to dry out.Due to the length of them 11ft.6ins long we could not bring them up the side of the shed on the fork truck.So, some good men were persuaded to undertake the task of carrying them through the shed to the cleaning trestles to let them dry out.A few other little tasks were done then off to the Star for our Christmas lunch we are still trying to work out whether its2024 late or2025 early lunch a great meal was enjoyed by all.Friday the team were back in action getting on with the tasks in hand the dry superheater elements had the surface rust removed and then covered with a good coating of oil before we put them away in store until we need them next week.The crinoline team were in full swing continuing with the finishing off the mammoth job of building all the bits that make up the crinoline framework around the boiler and firebox.This was a build, drill, weld, and tweak day which including trial fitting as well, lots got done. The crinoline team were even late for afternoon tea as they were on a roll and just wanted to get the bit done they were working on before they had tea. We got all the shiny bits out that we had stored everywhere to check we have all we need to get on with the pipework exercise.The warming valve for the lubricator was the first bit fitted to the blower valve then the valve was bolted back up on the back head.We started with bending the steam feed pipes to the jockey valve from the manifold shut offs we silver soldered the ends on the valve ends. Leaving enough pipe to make the other end connections later when the back head cladding sheet is fitted as all the pipework runs are in front of the back head cladding sheet.Sunday, the team engaged in various tasks on both projects 4253 and 541.The final bits of welding were completed on the beading on the new build tender corners and some bits around the water gauge.One of the first jobs was to trial fit 2 superheater elements in the boiler to make sure we had put the header in the right place.The pipe that comes off the bottom of the brake ejector was heated and set to the correct dimensions ensuring it missed the flare plate.It was then trimmed to length and then welded onto the connecting pipework that was machined and came with the ejector.We started to fabricate a bracket that fits on the regulator boss that the linkage to the jockey valve attaches to, why do steam locos take a long time to complete it took all day to make and next week we will weld it all together then fit it.The holding strip that the pipework clips fit to in the cab was cut drilled and bent to the correct shape ready for trial fitting.Thanks to all who came and toiled on the projects this week . ... See MoreSee Less
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