Week Four

Tuesday started with drilling the side support strips for the lower coal floor 

plus the rear panel on 5164’s bunker 

but we are now reaching the position where it’s getting harder and harder to access areas because of all the bits that are now bolted in.

The top baffle that supports the upper coal floor had the position of its fixing rivets marked and was then taken out to be drilled, 

cleaned up and then bolted back in place.

The 4253 crinoline and cladding team finished making all the firebox cladding mud hole door boxes and, after a successful trial fit, there were all given a coat of primer.

The mud hole door covers were also being worked on to ensure a correct fit.

On Friday, it was the turn of 5164’s bottom baffle to be drilled but this one had to be done in situ so was harder and took longer.  Once completed, all the bits that had been drilled were removed, cleaned and de-burred before being reassembled.

One of the top crinoline strips was removed so that the holes to attach a handrail could be marked, drilled and tapped and the driver’s side cladding sheet was trimmed ready for another fitting 

while the fireman’s side one was taken down from the boiler for its final cutting.

On Sunday, the mammoth task of building the backhead cladding with its twelve panels, umpteen joining strips and thirteen holes of various sizes was finally finished.  The last bit was cutting the bottom panels to shape and then cutting out the hole for the Firehole door.

This is a shot of the finished article which will now be dismantled and reassembled around all the backhead fittings.

With that finished, the rest of the day was spent on the bunker with the last of the fixing strips for the lower coal floor being cut, welded together 

and then tacked into place ready for drilling the fixing holes.  The upper coal floor was trimmed to size and then the inspection hatch hole was enlarged (at 14” square it was really only suitable for children).  

Two of the fixing holes then required welding up and dressing back 

with the additional holes now required to be drilled once we have the new closing panel.   Another hole for a second hatch in the opposite end was also cut out after which the panel was moved indoors and hoisted into the bunker.

Once positioned centrally it was tack welded to the support strip that had been cut and bolted to the rear panel earlier.  

Next week’s first job will, once again, be drilling a load of holes into all the support strips now fitted.

Week Three

During the week, the lower coal floor was removed from the 5164 bunker to have the final bit trimmed from the front edge so that it will butt to the support angle 

after which it was replaced and the upper floor panel lifted into place just to check the fit.

This will need trimming so that the supporting strips that will be used to rivet it to the sides can be welded on.  The rear panel support struts that were removed from the old bunker had the lower fixing holes welded up as they did not match the pre-drilled holes in the panel            

after which they were clamped in place, the position of the holes marked through the plate and then taken down again and re-drilled.

The 4253 cladding team started the making of the boxes to fit round the inside of the holes that access the mudhole doors to keep the insulation in place.  After much conferring and template making, a design was settled upon and a trial cut from thin steel and made up.  

One of the team bought in a spot welder to join the bits together which was then fitted and found to work well.  

Therefore, the production of boxes for the remaining access holes commenced alongside making and fitting retaining brackets to the firebox cladding sheets for the mudhole door covers.

We also need a cover for the lubrication shut-off cocks on the side of the firebox so a cardboard template was cut and taped together to give us a shape to work to

and while that was going on the opportunity was taken to strip down and check both shut-off cocks.

On Sunday, it was back to the 5164 bunker with the coal floors removed again so we could trim and position the water space baffles that fit between the centre angle support struts for the rear panel. The upper one was then clamped into place so we could mark and then drill a couple of holes so it could be temporarily bolted in.  The lower coal floor was then hoisted back in, positioned centrally and then the front edge was tack welded to the angle that will be riveted to the front panel.  

The side strips were then positioned and welded to the floor sides so we can now drill through the existing holes in  the side panels, into the strip which, in due course, will be riveted together.

The backhead cladding sheet for 4253 had the large hole for the regulator pad cut out using the plasma cutter

and, after cleaning up the edges, that section is finally finished.

Week Two

Tuesday started with marking out the position of the remaining angles to support the front shelf, drilling the holes, 

bolting up the angles and then repositioning the shelf to check the fit.

The old back panel support angles had some of the holes welded up as they didn’t match the holes in the new panel.  

They were dressed back, the angle put back up, the holes redrilled which enabled it to be bolted into place.

Meanwhile, others were working on 4253 with the backhead cladding having the newly cut holes for the washout plugs dressed for the ferrules to be fitted.

The bottom sections of the firebox cladding had some of the necessary bends put into them 

before being drilled to be bolted to the upper sheets.

On Friday, another of the 5164 bunker rear support angles received the same treatment of filling and then redrilling holes while a number of areas had the primer removed in preparation for welding.  The cladding team went up to Carriage & Wagon at Tenterden to use their large bending machine to finish off the lower firebox sheets after which they were bought back, trial fitted

marked and taken down again for drilling and the captive nuts to be welded on.

Sunday’s first job was to remove the shelf and rear corner from the bunker to enable us to trial fit the lower coal floor which needed a bit trimmed off the side first.

In order for it to be properly positioned, the top centre baffle was offered up and drilled so it could be bolted to the rear support angle 

after which the floor was brought inside so it could be lifted and dropped into place using the hoist.

This showed that a little more needed to be trimmed from one side as it wouldn’t sit properly so it needed to be taken out again,  However, it’s always easier to take a bit more off than to put a bit back on.

Fitting it again had it sitting perfectly at the sides but it still needs to be a bit shorter at the front to meet the strengthening angle we’ve added level with the coal door.  

Pulling it out again will be a job for next week.  4253’s backhead cladding had the holes for the gauge frame pads cut out using a large hole cutter 

while the firebox sides had the captive nuts welded on.

Week One

The replacement rear panel for 5164’s bunker still hadn’t arrived on Tuesday (it finally turned up on Wednesday) so the team continued with drilling the holes to fit the main bottom angles although found they had to put one of the pieces through the hydraulic press to take out a slight kink.

Once bolted back into place, drilling started again and took most of the day.

The cladding team found a few more bits they needed to make so measured up and then put them through the rollers to shape them.

On Friday, the drilling of the bottom angles was completed after which they were unbolted, all the swarf removed, the holes de-burred, everything de-greased and given another coat of primer before bolting it all together again.  The new back sheet was then offered up 

and found to fit OK although a few minor adjustments will be needed to the joining strips.  The cladding team started making templates for the rings that will need fitting round the mudhole door access holes to keep the insulation in place.

On Sunday, a start was made in cutting out the various holes in the 4253 backhead cladding sheets starting with the row along the centre to enable access to the washout plugs.

Once that was completed, the ferrules that will cap these holes were trial fitted and then the larger holes for the backhead fitting pads were marked out using a compass.

On the bunker, the corner pieces were offered up and then trimmed where necessary to get a good fit

which enabled some of the holes to be drilled to match yet more joining strips.

After this was eventually achieved, the curved joining strips recovered from the old bunker were then offered up and trimmed to fit with the new joining strips.

This is the finished fit which just needs the top edge of the corner piece to be trimmed to match the side and rear panels.

Finally, the positions of the remaining four support angles for the shelf section were marked and the shelf then removed to enable the fixing holes to be drilled.  Two were finished by close of play with the last two to be finished next week.