Ian and John rivetting up the driver's cab side
This week 28th December 2009
John, Ian, Glen and I braved the cold and post-christmas lethargy to make a start on rivetting up the driver's cab side.
We managed to get all the 3/8" rivets put in, about 50 in total.
Smiffy has gone to New Zealand for a well-earned holiday.
Pages updated this week: Engineering, Gallery
The smoke box door with priming and painting in progress
20th December 2009
Many apologies for the long gap between updates. More than one person has asked if work has stopped on 46464. The answer is no, business as usual, other than the website editor being away working abroad for the past 8 months. I did manage to get some parts manufactured in the UAE, they pushed up my baggage weight and prompted a few questions from airport security in Abu Dhabi, but they let them through in the end.
Iain has held the fort over the summer, he and Billy have pushed on with fitting the driver's side running board and piano front, and have procured steel for the engine cab roof and got it rolled to shape. They took advantage of the summer weather to get most of the new platework primed, along with the new smokebox and the chimney. Aided by Ian, Glenn and Aaron, they have been stripping down the remaining lubricator pipework and driver's side valve gear. Ian reports that the majority of the bushes and pins stripped so far are in good condition with very little wear.
This week we had the traditional bothy Christmas dinner. I'm afraid that not a lot else got done, due to the weather and general lethargy.
Major items to progress in 2009 will be provision of additional storage space, arrange for the remanufacturing of the remaining missing parts, and to get the boiler sent away for repair.
Please click below for photos showing work carried out on 46464 over the summer and autumn, also one or two from my stay in the UAE.
Pages updated today: Summer 2009 update, Robin Taylor biog
STOP PRESS!!
The new smoke box after alignment of chimney
25th March 2009
Today we got the smokebox lifted on to the saddle and aligned to the rear ring, which is rivetted through the wrapper to the saddle. Sandy Mair came down with his forklift and carried out the lift for us. Once the smokebox was aligned, we lifted the chimney into place and checked it and the smokebox for level relative to the frames. We then fitted the blastpipe and used a plumb-line to check that the chimney and blastpipe were in alignment. Then we marked through the holes in the chimney and saddle onto the wrapper for match drilling.
Then we spent three hours putting everything away again.
Pages updated today: Boiler works
This week 22nd March 2009
During the week I welded on brackets to allow the smokebox wrapper to be pulled up round the rings and managed to get the smokebox door ring mounted.
Sandy Mair came down today and we trial fitted the chimney. Aaron, Billy and I also got the wrapper match drilled to take the front ring and drilled two of the holes for the boiler ring to provide locating points on the saddle.
Billy has finished building up the worn areas on the drawbar gear, this is now almost ready to go back together.
Ian and Iain got the cab floor support welded up, this holds the floorboards in place at the rear of the cab and has been kicking around the shed for a while.
Pages updated this week: Boiler works
The chimney trial fitted on the smokebox
Aaron and Iain with the new smokebox
This week 15th March 2009
I was down during the week and got the smokebox door welded back together, also welded up the remaining bracket for the drivers cab side and match-drilled it ready for rivetting.
Today Sandy Mair dropped off the steel for the new smokebox. We made up a template to transfer the various cut-outs and holes and Aaron marked them up on the steel with chalk and a punch. We got them all cut out and trial fitted the adaptor ring, which joins the smokebox to the boiler.
Iain also took the opportunity to prime the underside of the new running board sections, the smokebox door and door ring, and various brackets and brake pipes.
Pages updated this week: Engineering, Gallery, Boiler works
This week 8th March 2009
John and I were down on Wednesday, we got the second running board section finished. We had a go at straightening the rear buffer beam but it is going to need a bit of preparation to really get hot enough.
Today, we had to repair the engine cover, which had transformed itself into a giant flag overnight. Maybe I'm just soft after two years working abroad, but it seemed particularly cold this morning...
Billy is ongoing with making up a workbench for use outside, and we trial fitted the new running boards.
Finally, we made up a couple of angle brackets for the driver's side cab side, and match drilled them, ready for rivetting.
Pages updated this week: Infrastructure, Engineering
Aaron helping to trial fit the new running board
Billy straightening out the drawbar
This week 1st March 2009
A bumper day, with good weather and five of us on site. Nice to see John, back from Nigeria for a couple of weeks.
Today we match drilled the first part of the new running board, and removed the second section from the engine.
We also removed the driver's side injector bracket from the rear buffer beam. The buffer beam is bent and needs to be heated up and straightened out.
The engine drawbar had two bends in it, we heated it up in the forge and straightened it out again.
We cleared a bit more of the vegetation from siding 1B. Ian fixed the strimmer, which has speeded up operations.
Pages updated this week: Engineering, Robin Taylor biog
This week 22nd February 2009
Over the past six weeks we have been progressing the stripping down and restoration of the front section of the engine frames.
Iain, Billy and Aaron have removed the running board at the front of the engine and stripped down the vacuum piping. Billy (Dodds) has a lifetime's experience in railway engineering and we are very pleased to welcome him to the team.
Most of the brackets were corroded and Iain has had new ones made up. along with the new steelwork for those areas of the running board needing replacement
Aaron has cleaned down and primed the smokebox door components, ready for re-assembly.
Vegetation clearance in siding 1B is ongoing. We will need to level up the track where the CCT sits.
Pages updated this week: Boiler works, Engineering
How Billy Brake Pipe got his name
The CCT in it's new position
This week 4th January 2009
Due to holidays and work commitments, I was down on my own today, which makes you appreciate the Iain and Aaron's efforts over the autumn while the rest of us were away. Thanks guys.
Anyway, I made a start on clearing the undergrowth around the CCT to improve access and reduce the risk of fire once the drier weather comes.
I also repaired the inner skin of the smokebox door by welding up the damaged areas around the rim and where it meets the centre boss, and grinding them back. The additional plate which protects the lower third of the door needed heating up and straightening.
We wish all our supporters a Happy New Year and best wishes for 2009.