567 Victorian 4-4-0 New Build

I'd have thought that steam heat cocks would be too hard to find - a fair number of Mk 1s have been scrapped in preservation after being stripped for spares and most would have been so fitted, and then there's the ones that have passed through the scrapyards and stripped......

 

Email from Search Engine to say the copy service will stop w.e.f. 14.00 Friday 21 May UFN. Reason given is they want to take advantage of the government furlough scheme.

 

You'd be surprised what a pair sets you back, if you are fortunate enough to find anyone wanting to sell them.
Although there was a time when BR were scrapping large numbers of steam heat MK1s, that was 30 to 40 years ago.
Quite a lot of railways will have purchased dual heat mk1s released from BR some time after steam heating was abolished in the early 80s, and many of those probably were missing parts from the steam heating system.
Meanwhile, many preserved freight and industrial engines have had steam heating added, and I suspect many of the Woodham's rescues were missing theirs - add all that lot together, and it's not surprising that the stocks of spare valves rescued from scrapyards in the 80s are running out.

 

Going back to the question of finding a drawing of the bufferbeam mounted steam heat valve - Apologies if this is a question with an obvious reason why not that I'm missing, but... Could you not take a look at a valve by finding a loco on static display / under overhaul and taking the valve off and apart, taking measurements, and putting it back together? Unless it's constructed in such a way that you would not be able to get all the detail you needed this way

 

This is called "reverse engineering". You're welcome.

 

There was a problem at the general time of this posting - I was locked down in Brittany (France) and the nearest railway was the Chemin de fer du Bon Repos (Reseau Bretton re-creation), and they don't have steam heat cocks. Loco owners do not like bits being removed for study because parts then disappear, and they don't like the parts to be dismantled.... However, I have received SAR 25NC steam cock drawings (and a whole locos worth of other drawings - damn wrong gauge!), which are identical.
Yes I agree that there are loads of these out there, and when Mk1 coaches are scrapped, these are retained as spares..... Getting hold of them (and we only need 2) is like searching for the proverbial pile of rocking Horse ****!!!!
The SAR drawings enabled me to do CAD layout work - far better to tweak electronic lines than have to modify thick metric steel!

 

Whilst I am on the page, and obeying the caveat that the supporters must be told first - there are some physical manifestations of things to come - currently in wood....
I am also looking at the Ex ROD Tender with a view to creating designs (hence the steam cock post). But first we need gardeners to dig the remains of that tender out of the weeds (and trees) so that a proper technical survey can be done. It will remain out in the wilds because there is no room to bring it into the workshop at Ruddington Fields - it will need to be dismantled where it sits - maybe 567 needs a shed at the end of the (non existent) Gotham Branch???

 

A job for Batman perhaps? Sorry...couldn't resist!!

Keith

 

Batman, Robin, Superman, Wonder woman, or anyone who can volunteer to do a bit of 'Gardening' will be the first stage....

 

I'm sure there are several people who could give a few hours to help dig the tender out.....if there is a time and date for the working party?
I do wish that there were more regular updates, even if there is relatively little to report sometimes.....and" yes" I have said the same directly to the group.

 

Consider me interested in helping out the sludge-shovelling party, if it is on a weekend.

 

Well, until Ruddington fully unlocks - we will have to await the tender gardening job... As for sludge shoveling Rob't... Its more like solid sedimentary Limestone rock. Jack hammer job I think but thanks for the offer. It will be at a weekend - and you will be able to take a break to watch the trains go by.
Probably will cut off the scrap tender sides (after salvaging as much of the bits we can) - that will leave about 3" of hard limestone.... Then there is a well tank below the tank floor and that is solid!
Had some good news this morning - a wooden thing has been delivered to a foundry.... What it is and where will be published in the Supporters Newsletter, but we are on a roll!

 

"......We are on a roll!" could this be a clue? We want our newsletter now!

 

Well, we are on a roll in many directions as we will all see, but until the Supporter's Newsletter gets released I cannot reveal all to the world (or even a very small bit of it - the world that is!).
Phil, if you are unhappy - you could put a motion to the Supporters AGM. I know the back story to all this, and some of it is because we are still suffering from the sad loss of the very capable Dennis Wilcock... there are posts that remain unfilled. The result is too much paying work, not enough free time for the employed (not that there are GCR 567 ones!) - and the retired already have a load of work - even I am having to do other vital things!

 

From GCR 567 Webpage:
26 July, 2020 - Progresses during lockdown - As we are reopening the workshops at the GCRN, Ruddington, work has continued at a pace during the lockdown.

The group's ability to design and source using industry, much of which is now open has allowed great progress to be made

Of course our supporters continue to get the news first in our quarterly newsletter, one we are preparing at this time.

We offer the image to the below as a small teaser.

 

Interesting teaser, a casting pattern......could it be for a blast pipe?....too curvy for frame stretchers or is it for the front bogie??

 

Isn't it a driving wheel pattern?

 

That was my thought...

 

looks like the boss of a wheel pattern to me and my guide dog....

 

The bogie wheelsets were mentioned in the last edition of the newsletter, so that could be the answer.......
My guess is the next newsletter will be longer than the two page ones we have received recently!