28/7/17 - Pansy

Some more boiler stays were touched up today...a couple of reheats were done and it's in the acid for a cleanup, looks good so far. Time to finish off some of the other bits!

Happy steaming!

Nigel

26/7/17 - Britt and Pansy

A quick job finished riveting on some copper strips top and bottom onto the barrel to keep the smokebox square to the boiler. Works very well and is strong. Will be required to clad the boiler as the whole unit will need to be done on the bench.

Pansys boiler was acid cleaned and prepped, and stays were touched up on one side of the firebox. I'd marked the boiler with whiteboard marker adjacent to the areas and taken a pic and printed it off showing areas needing a touch up.

Happy steaming!

Nigel

24/7/17 - Britannia

The rear frame extension needed to be removed to make some more clearance for the ashpan hopper sliding door. This was done and set up in the mill for a cleanup cut. At this time I noticed the rear buffing plate was bent due to some protruding rivet heads and the length of the frames and drag box and corner angles causing it to bend when bolts tightened. All the bits were measured,  milled and filed to clean up. Also there were some heavy burrs on the parts which were filed off.

There was an extra clip added to the bowden cable tube to hold it snug against the frame. 

Some copper strips were cut and made to rivet top and bottom of the boiler to hold the smokebox square. The smokebox/boiler assembly will probably have to be removed in one piece as I can't see how to install the barrel cladding when the boiler is on. No room for fingers and tools to tighten the straps. A trial removal of the boiler served to bend the regulator rod so it was straightened and these strips devised. Hopefully that will be the end of that.

Happy steaming!

Nigel

20/7/17 - Britannia

The smokebox ring was extended to attach the boiler via some curved brass blocks. Some M4 countersunk screws attach the boiler. This is to ensure thermal growth goes as per usual into the cab. The original drawings show it extends into the smokebox but we don't have a universal joint on the regulator spindle.

The boiler pads at the back were slotted out to allow the boiler to move.

The stretcher that joins the rear frame extension to mainframes was slotted to allow the bowden cable for draincocks to fit. The bowden cable fits snugly between the ashpan and the frame...as I've heard and seen the original design of pull rods running through the ashpan isn't a great idea. The bowden cable operates smoothly and doesn't need to be removed to remove the axles. The lever in the cab will be a later addition once we work out a good spot.

Due to the firebox not sitting square the ashpan doesn't sit centred on the frames and so a discovery was made when the whole lot was assembled that there was no room for the cable and tube on the Drivers side and the whole system had to be moved over to the Firemans side to get it to fit. The Every mm makes a difference under there. It was all swapped around and stretchers removed to accommodate and mount it on the other side.

Happy steaming

Nigel

Progress update

This week's work has been on a few different jobs such as V499's smokebox design drafting, machining up Princess Marina pony truck axleboxes and axle, a brief job to mill a steam engine baseplate casting, and the ongoing Britannia construction work to secure the boiler to the smokebox by extending the smokebox engaging ring.

On another note we are looking for an able-bodied model engineer to assist me with some steam projects in the shed. Must be able to use machinery and diagnose an engine, and in an ideal case  understand 2D CAD and be able to draw something up. If you're interested to discuss it with me further then send an email through.

Happy steaming!

Nigel

V class progress

If you've not seen the new build Victorian Railways 2-8-0 V class steam locomotive V499 then check out their website and Facebook page. The cab is almost finished fabrication, the design was completed late last year, and the smokebox design is now underway.

Check out www.vicsteam.com and www.facebook.com/vicsteam

I am glad to be of assistance to the project team.

Happy steaming!

Nigel

3/7/17 - Brass numbers

A couple of orders for brass loco numbers and a Foden logo for a steam truck. The Foden logo is 4" scale and the brass numbers 1-1/16" scale.

Happy steaming!

Nigel

4/7/17 - Britannia

Amongst other things today the cylinders were reinstalled back on the loco. In all the bits I managed to find 4BA screws with the same size heads and so they were shortened (various lengths) for the cylinder bolting flanges.

The gudgeon pins (cap head shoulder screws) had some end float and beside the obvious problem of being loose in the crosshead they required some collar washers machined up so the head doesn't foul the counterweight with the side play of the wheels.

The drain cock bowden cable clevis is underway and will be finished off early tomorrow.

Happy steaming!

Nigel