The cylinder covers installation has been completed.
Boiler band installation is underway.
Manufacture of the covers for the steam delivery pipes to the valves is well underway.
Loco moved to loco shed over pit to enable the axle boxes to be dropped and the wool pads inspected/replaced if needed and check that no sand from the sandblasting has entered them.
Sorry no photos for this update.
CURRENT PRIORITIES –
Complete inspection of axle box pads.
Complete the covers for the steam delivery pipes.
Continue with installation of boiler fittings in the cab.
Now that we have your attention, some advance warning especially for our wonderful and generous donors, who we will be in direct contact within the next week or so.
We desperately need to get 549 back at the front of our revenue earning trains and as soon as it is ready to go that will happen. We therefore expect we will only be able to a give a weeks’ notice at most as to when the engine will be ready for test steaming dates, including load tests.
If many of our donors miss out on the load test we will run a special train event for you as soon as we can.
At this stage we are looking to a return to service in early to mid April. So any load test will happen around that time.
ACHIEVEMENTS TO – 1 March 2024
Noticeable progress in the last week.
Noticeable progress in the last week.
All the cladding on the boiler has now been installed with the fiddley pieces in the cab fitted.
The reverser and brake pedestal have been reinstalled in the cab.
The fire hole door surround (that holds the actual door) has been reinstalled,
The oil burner control manifold and oil control valve have been reinstalled.
The oil burner alignment has been completed.
The cylinder covers have been repaired and installation commenced, which mainly involves drilling out the snapped off ¼” bolts that hold it on – a tedious process.
The oil tank level graduations for the sight level gauge have been painted on the tank.
The blower ring has been installed in the smokebox.
Cleaning of lots of pipework has continued.
Wire brushing the old paint etc off the electrical conduits in preparation for fitting and painting has been done.
Painting of various fittings (such as blowdown levers etc) has continued.
The front of the engine (buffer beam/cowcatcher etc) has had the primer applied.
Inside the cab the top area and cladding has been painted (Cumberland stone colour areas).
Boiler bands have been painted on the back ready for fitting.
An order was placed for two new oil burner units as the price was very attractive.
The cab with all the cladding and the firehole door frame installed (since photo taken the top of the cab area and cladding has been repainted in the Cumberland stone colour).The reverser and brake pedestal.Oil control steam manifold and oil control valve in the cab.Drivers side cylinder cover.Levels for the oil tank sight level gauge (note photo is a little blurry, the lettering is not).
CURRENT PRIORITIES –
Continue with installation of boiler fittings in the cab.
Work undertaken by our fitter during February is set out in the accompanying photographs. The smoke box is now bolted down and the boiler secured to the frame. The steam pipe holes have been ground out and the pipes fitted. Later in the month our fitter has done work on the long rod bushes and has obtained some further material for the fitting of the steam pipes. The springs have been refurbished by a local contractor and are now back at Newport ready for fitting. Our volunteers continue to beaver away at stripping and undercoating various components.
We have also undertaken preparations for the Steamrail Open Day and in the particular the smoke box front door has been fitted and work done on priming the cab roof. We are also doing a viewing platform so visitors can see some of the work on the loco more easily. Again, there are some photos of what our volunteers have been doing with this blog. We will use the Steamrail Open Day to really promote the progress on K160.
As always if you want to be involved in the project, please contact John Hoy (0419 372 696) and Peter Lorenz (0429 961 150).
Add a handrail across the front of the tender for cab riders to use.
Add the sight glass level gauge for the oil tank and a second one for the water tank at the front (cab end) of the tender.
More work on making some missing cladding in the cab – the section on the side of the firebox under and below the reverser.
The front of the tender (cab end). The new handrail is the one with the welder earth lead attached.
The oil tank level gauge can be seen on the oil tank and on the right hand side of the photo you can see the start of the level gauge for the water tank – just to left and below the welder earth lead. Our level gauges consist of a steel tube with slots cut in it to protect a clear plastic tube running up the inside. If the plastic tube gets too dirty or hard to see through we can easily and cheaply replace it.
CURRENT PRIORITIES –
Steam test boiler.
Complete the lagging of the boiler and refit cladding.
Just before we rested for the festive season our fitter undertook a number of tasks in the ongoing restoration of the locomotive. These included work to the damper, fixing a bend, filling draft holes and realigning the mount and sorting the shaft and wiper to deal with excess play and fitting these items. The dump grate and rod linkages were also fitted along with the gauge glass drain nozzle for the ashpan. Work was done to the rear spring compensator bracket which has been fitted and also involved cutting off split pins and fitting new ones.
As will be seen on pictures taken at the time of our Christmas BBQ the butterfly doors for the fire box are in place. Now that the boiler has been fitted to the frame some steel sheets and lose materials around the frame have been moved along with work to the sanding tubes and fitting the mechanical lubricator and removing the blow down valve. Since Christmas our volunteers have been back into it and some of the pictures you will see with this blog involve work done since they resumed in mid January including bringing some stored items from Maldon to Newport and in particular the compressor (many thanks to Danahers Mitre 10 who sponsored the pick up) – our fitter is back as of late January.
As always, if you want to be involved in the project please contact John Hoy (0419 372 696) and Peter Lorenz (0429 961 150).
Final hydrostatic test done and signed off by boiler inspector.
Another flexible stay has been replaced including seal welding.
The ground filling point for the oil tank has been completed.
The extra stay we have had to replace – this was one of the last to have the tell tail holes drilled out and it certainly told us a tale!
The new stay installed (above) and seal welded (below).
The ground accessible oil fill line for the fuel tank at the front of the tender (the pipework with all the brass fittings in the photo).
The ground fill line has a non-return valve as well as an isolation valve and is accessible from either side of the loco. Once we fit the sight gauge to the tank (underway) there will be no need to get on top of the tender during refueling and it will eliminate the handling of the fill hose up to the top of the tender. All this is with the objective to improve safety and reduce potential for oil spills.
CURRENT PRIORITIES –
Steam test boiler.
Complete the lagging of the boiler and refit cladding.
A New Year and some great progress has happened since the last update.
ACHIEVEMENTS TO – 15 January 2024.
Tasks completed in the New Year have included:
The fire box tube plate has had all the tubes seal welded (on Monday 15 Jan).
The stay replaced last year has been seal welded in the firebox.
Repairs to the front of the cab and the turret valve cover box have been made.
Works well underway to fit a ground filling point for the oil tank and also an improved water drain out of the tank sump (photos next update).
The oil burner has been re-installed along with the pipe heat unit.
More works on fitting up the cladding sheets around the firebox.
The fire box tube plate with all the new tubes now seal welded.
New angle on the bottom of the inside of the cab front sheet. The previous one had rusted through and the rivets had let go.The cab front sheet, showing the new support steel work for the turrent valve cover box.The turret valve box with its new top sheet.
Another view inside the firebox after the seal weld works had been completed. Note the oil burner back in position at the bottom.
CURRENT PRIORITIES –
Final hydro static test of boiler to 225psi with sign off by boiler inspector
Steam test boiler.
Complete the lagging of the boiler and refit cladding.
With no Wednesday sessions for a few weeks, both carriages have been transferred into the Workshop Compound. Individual team members intend to work the occasional day with the aim of getting primer/undercoat onto the lower woodwork on 61BW. While 30BCPL should see its underframe and bogies pressure washed and possibly painted black. Some other internal tasks will also be completed.
30 BCPL
Externally, the concertina curtains have been completed and tail discs have been installed. The Masonite underlay on the floor is nearing completion (see photo). We need the help of someone with skills in vinyl laying or know of someone with these skills who is prepared to assist at no cost (we would supply the vinyl and any other materials). Contact us through the website or leave a comment on the blog.
Inside of 30 BCPL – note the new Masonite on the floor
61 BW
All the timber on the lower side panels has been stripped and sanded and is close to receiving primer/undercoat. Some timber repairs have already been done and the roof works continue.
Seat Refurbishment: Recently, Tony has completed a rebuild of one of the long seat bases out of 63BW. He has done this using the traditional methods that he learned with the NSW Railways. Springs have been straightened, the original horsehair has been washed and reused, and it was finished with new hessian and vinyl covering. Twenty-six hours of work but we are sure you will agree that the difference is spectacular!!
Seat for 61BW before repairsSeat for 61BW after repairs
Thank you for your support through out 2023. We hope everyone has a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
VGR Mechanical Blog 