Final Week With the Santa Specials trains starting this weekend, the trailer was loaded up with all the Sales Stand gear and moved up to Tenterden where our new gazebo was erected, the raised floor installed and all the tables, wiring etc. set up ready for the weekend. Typically, it rained for most of Saturday which always adversely affects how … Read More
Week Four The long job of fabricating all the joining pieces between the shoulders of the firebox and backhead cladding continued this week with more bits being measured, cut, bent, screwed and welded together. The new oil lubrication pipe cover that fits on the smokebox side was trial fitted to mark the holes that need cutting out to allow the … Read More
Is it Finished Yet? Matt Taylor reunited with 4253 …. 42 years on! AGM Notice 5164 Bunker Rebuild Santa Specials RVR Track Bed Inspection Elephant’s Ears!
Week Four This week started with taking apart the old ducket from 5164’s bunker which involved a lot of drilling, cutting, rivet removal and hammering before it surrendered. We then offered it up to the new platework and it’s a decent fit that will just require a little trimming and fettling before we can integrate it. Next job was fitting the … Read More
Final Week An extra day was worked on Monday this week with 4253’s cab and fireman’s side tank removed so a few rivet heads could be dressed back to prevent contact after which the tank and cab went back on. On Tuesday, the steam manifold was lifted into place so the position of the opening required in the cab front plate … Read More
WEEK FOUR This week, we started with accurately positioning 4253’s chimney so the fixing holes could be drilled through into the smokebox. The chimney has to sit directly vertically above the blast pipe, hence the making of the two ‘spiders’ previously. These ‘spiders’ have a machined boss at their centres through which passes a closely fitting steel rod. One is placed a few … Read More
Final Week This week’s main task was drilling all the holes in the coal floor support strips for 5164’s bunker and there were a great many of them. A diagonal line all along the side panels and another line all along the rear panel. The cladding team continued fitting the mud hole door covers to the top firebox cladding sheets with … Read More
Crinolines and Cleating Firebox Cleating Backhead Cleating Boiler Report New : 5164 Bunker Project 541 Tender Goes Home!