Many thanks to the East Lancashire Railway for this opportunity.
Friday 27 April 2012
Duke back at ELR
Many thanks to the East Lancashire Railway for this opportunity.
Saturday 14 April 2012
Friday 13 April 2012
71000 repair update
You will have already read about damage sustained to 71000 at Bury in late February, as a result of a shed yard collision.
The buffer, buffer plank and supporting gussets on the right hand side were damaged. The loco's front end was stripped down for repair by Colin Green and his team at Ian Riley's within days of getting the go-ahead from ELR. Thanks here to Riley and Son, and our engineers for doing the preparation work.
Simon Holroyd
Deputy CME
The photograph shows the right hand outer gusset lower section receiving attention before the upper section is tack welded into place. The gusset sections were formed to the drawing, then some heating and correction applied to make them fit. The picture shows one of Riley's men warming to red heat, jacking, then tightening with temporary bolts, in order to get new bits to line up with old bits. Although the misalignment is minuscule, thick steel plate like this requires quite a bit of effort.
The buffer, buffer plank and supporting gussets on the right hand side were damaged. The loco's front end was stripped down for repair by Colin Green and his team at Ian Riley's within days of getting the go-ahead from ELR. Thanks here to Riley and Son, and our engineers for doing the preparation work.
The buffer plank was bent but straightened out again in Riley's hydraulic press. Both inner and outer right hand support gussets were damaged beyond repair. Drawings were obtained from the NRM, new fabrications made and supplied to Riley’s in kit form, where they were fitted and tack welded together in situ using temporary bolts before removal and finish welding. Getting the gussets right has been the most difficult and time consuming part of the job. Another fitting session followed where all the holes were drilled through, matching the original holes in the frames and plank, and finally reamed in readiness for riveting.
The plank is now riveted back onto the frames via the angle brackets and next week will see left and right gussets riveted back on. Heritage painting have kept everything primed and ready for painting as the job has progressed. The final job will be the damaged buffer and as these are not available off the shelf, so some method of repair will be found, with new parts being manufactured as required. Working on 4472 has allowed me to keep tabs on progress and speed up decision making but, sadly, the work takes time and we have to let people down. Hopefully, within the month the end will be in sight and we will be back out at work.
On a more pleasing note the engineering team has attracted another new recruit. Ben Carr has already made inroads into the never ending jobs list, repairing a number of valves and associated parts - it's good to see so many young people coming on board. In the last year or so, Liam Clairmonte, Andy Quinn, Sara Lygo and Chris Saxon have all been snapped up by the support crew, and all make a difference. These young people all have the skills and motivation to take 71000 through another 40 or so years. If you are bored on a weekend, come and spend a day with us. See what you think!
The plank is now riveted back onto the frames via the angle brackets and next week will see left and right gussets riveted back on. Heritage painting have kept everything primed and ready for painting as the job has progressed. The final job will be the damaged buffer and as these are not available off the shelf, so some method of repair will be found, with new parts being manufactured as required. Working on 4472 has allowed me to keep tabs on progress and speed up decision making but, sadly, the work takes time and we have to let people down. Hopefully, within the month the end will be in sight and we will be back out at work.
On a more pleasing note the engineering team has attracted another new recruit. Ben Carr has already made inroads into the never ending jobs list, repairing a number of valves and associated parts - it's good to see so many young people coming on board. In the last year or so, Liam Clairmonte, Andy Quinn, Sara Lygo and Chris Saxon have all been snapped up by the support crew, and all make a difference. These young people all have the skills and motivation to take 71000 through another 40 or so years. If you are bored on a weekend, come and spend a day with us. See what you think!
Simon Holroyd
Deputy CME
The photograph shows the right hand outer gusset lower section receiving attention before the upper section is tack welded into place. The gusset sections were formed to the drawing, then some heating and correction applied to make them fit. The picture shows one of Riley's men warming to red heat, jacking, then tightening with temporary bolts, in order to get new bits to line up with old bits. Although the misalignment is minuscule, thick steel plate like this requires quite a bit of effort.
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