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Jinty 47493

Discussion in 'Steam Traction' started by matt41312, Jan 2, 2014.

  1. std tank

    std tank Part of the furniture

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    Yes, the Crab will be available shortly, but let's not forget that the Super D and Jinty 47324 will be coming out of traffic this year.
     
  2. JMJR1000

    JMJR1000 Member

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    Yes, thats always one thing that gets me about the ELR, it's one of the most well known heritage railways (could rank it as one of the premier lines even), yet it never seems to have that much in motive power. To many, at first sight it looks as though it's got plenty, but a large portion of those engines are usually away on the mainline or some other heritage railway. I suppose that must be why they want to take over all of Buckley Wells, so that they can improve on their own engineering facilities and be capable of getting more motive power in for their own services.
     
  3. 26D_M

    26D_M Part of the furniture

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    Think most heritage lines are aiming for a more self sufficient mode, some with more success than others. Helps if you have wealthy benefactors!
    ELR has always been heavily reliant on hired steam. As we know availability is limited. Hopefully ELR will eventually prosper in the new direction being sought supplemented by privately managed locos with owners that want to be part of the project.
     
  4. Nemo

    Nemo New Member

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    The Austerity didn't work out then?


    Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD
     
  5. Nemo

    Nemo New Member

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    23 comes out for 10 yearly sometime this year.
    1638 has an extension on its ticket until September I think but don't quote me!
    65 is in service until it's next overhaul due in 2019
    6619 is having work done to enable a boiler certificate extension.
    376 is out of traffic awaiting a retube (why this wasn't done at overhaul I don't understand)
    32670 is out of service due to a broken regulator which got stuck wide open before the loco left the shed.
    32678 is in service until it's next overhaul due in 2019 I believe
    14 is in service until it's next overhaul due in 2020.

    Therefore we have a bad enough loco state as it is a the moment, with two coming out of traffic this year. At Santa's if one loco was out for washout and another failed then we would have been completely stuffed.

    However 1638 is going out for two periods of hire now that it is "back in black" to the Severn Valley Railway and to the Llangollen Railway.
     
  6. matt41312

    matt41312 Member

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    Basically we have made approaches of most railways, especially some of our neighbours. Unfortunately they are operating on a shoe string fleet, capable of covering their service requirements but without a surplus to hire out.
    We have identified potential candidates for 2015 already and will be following this up in the next 6 months in a bid to not end up in this situation.
    Unfortunately the Austerity we had lined up failed at the 11th hour and the repair is fairly significant and will not be completed in time. We hope a deal may be possible in the future.
    For information, we would love a Standard 4 or something bigger (we can run round a Black 5 at TWW now) but we also have to weigh up the operating costs associated with larger locos; steaming fees, coal consumption etc. A Standard 4 is probably the biggest loco we want to be running on a regular basis rather than just gala weekends.

    On the subject of 47493, the overhaul commenced three days after her last day in traffic. The blast pipe is now loose and the regulator valve is almost ready to remove. We will be holding work parties on it every other Sunday, commencing the 26th January, and in between providing maintenance to the operational locos. Last weekend was spent sorting out the shed so that we have an area set aside for 47493's overhaul in the near future.

    Matt
     
  7. Fireline

    Fireline Well-Known Member

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    I'm not sure we at the KESR are in a position to help at the minute. We've already done all we can. After all, the Spa have had Sutton on loan from us for AGES! ;)
     
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  8. matt41312

    matt41312 Member

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    A quick summary of what we achieved last Sunday on our first work party for the Jinty.

    To date all the boiler fittings have been removed from the boiler and the first cladding sheets loosened off. All the components removed have been steam cleaned, labelled and stored away. The latter of which was also sorted over the weekend. At one point we were lucky enough to have 8 people working on the engine.

    Our next work party is on Sunday 9th Feb where we hope to finish off in the cab and smokebox, whilst making a start on removing the valve gear and regulator head. We are also hoping to get a boilersmith in to de-tube the boiler in the coming weeks, so that we can get it assessed when our boiler inspector is in to undertake other works on site.

    We hope to remove the cab and tanks by early spring, lift the boiler in late spring followed by the frames in early summer.

    Matt
     
  9. matt41312

    matt41312 Member

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    We have been lucky over the last couple of weeks to assign volunteers to the loco every Sunday. The most visible progress has been on the removal of all the boiler cladding off the top the firebox.
    Elsewhere the cab is now almost completely stripped including the floor and the roof is now ready for lifting. The problem with the latter is we don't have much space for storage at the moment and options need investigating before the tanks can be lifted.
    Progress has been slower than expected as both the working steam locos (Ugly and Spartan) have been undergoing their annual exams and these have taken priority. Both have passed their dry exams and are due for steam tests in two weeks time. The Jinty also needs shunting to another part of the Tunbridge Wells West shed to have its valve gear removed, and due to a number of issues this did not happen as planned this week.
    Our next work party is Sunday 23rd Feb in which we hope to shunt the loco and then concentrate on getting the smokebox loose.

    Matt
     
  10. matt41312

    matt41312 Member

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    Yesterday saw another good turnout for the loco which culminated in the cab roof being lifted off by the railway's new gantry crane late afternoon. This is being temporairily stored in the shed at Tunbridge Wells pending an alternative location. The loco has now moved to the area where it's valve gear can be removed, which is how the opportunity to remove the cab came about. Most parts in the cab have now been removed, cleaned and placed in store.
    Looking forward we will be now working towards the removal of the side tanks and then the boiler. The last two cladding sheets are loose and just need lifting off and storing now. As a result of the shunt, the valve gear will be progressed as part of the next phase.
    Our next Jinty works party will be Sunday 9th March.

    Matt
     
  11. matt41312

    matt41312 Member

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    There were up to 12 people on site yesterday working on various parts of the Jinty. A team spent most of the day in the smokebox, breaking out the concrete to release the bolts holding it down. It's proving tough going but the lads are about 50% of the way around.
    Elsewhere the tanks were having the bolts removed and work towards getting these loose was progressing well. I don't believe there is a lot holding them down now, and the next work party in two weeks may see some major developments here! Lifting the tanks before the end of March would put us ahead where we thought we would be.
    There was another team removing all the vacuum brake pipework, whilst away from the loco, one of our younger members was busy grit blasting some of the boiler fittings so that they can be sent away for overhaul with an off-site contractor.
    All in all, a good days work. Hopefully the progress can be maintained in and around operating trains, which kicks off next weekend.

    Matt
     
  12. matt41312

    matt41312 Member

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    Our next work party on 47493 is this weekend; 6th April.
    Work at the last session concentrated on removing the valve gear and this is progressing well. The brake gear is now on the ground alongside the loco and requires steam cleaning before storage. Lastly the side rods were removed too.
    The tanks and are now ready for lifting but storage space is currently at a premium in Tunbridge Wells yard. However we have some ideas so this little issue certainly won't hold the project up for too long.

    Matt
     
  13. 3855

    3855 Member

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    is the jinty owned by the Spa Valley?
     
  14. Jonnie

    Jonnie Member

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    The Jinty is privately owned.
     
  15. matt41312

    matt41312 Member

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    Our next work party will be the 27th April.
    Yesterday's work party focused on cleaning and storing the brake gear whilst more items of valve gear were removed, cleaned and stored. The expansion links require some work and we are hoping to get these sent of as a batch with Sutton and the J94's sets. The big ends are now removed and as such there is little to remove except the crossheads, slipper blocks and slide bars. Work also continued on breaking out the concrete in the smokebox around the securing nuts.
    Our aim is to lift the boiler by late May/early June but this is dependent on a whole host of other factors.

    Matt
     
  16. matt41312

    matt41312 Member

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    Sunday saw the loco's side tanks and the large boiler cladding sheet removed around the barrel. These have now been placed on a wagon and will be put into store until such a time as work on them is commenced. This all took a little longer than planned due to unforseen complications but we got there in the end.
    Whilst outside, some steam cleaning took place on the frames although there is a lot of this yet to take place.
    The next jobs, some of which may take place this coming weekend, include the removal of the insulation and the last cladding sheets which were hidden behind the tanks. After this, work will concentrate on getting the boiler ready for lifting, of which there is probably a maximum of 2 days work. The boiler lift will be part of a much bigger job and as a result the yard area at Tunbridge Wells needs tidying up ready to receive it. We hope a lift can be planned in by mid to late July, with lifting of the frames soon after. Unfortunately the boiler lift has slipped a bit later than my previous statement but this has been hindered by the presence of the little blue engine for two weeks in May and the need for some preliminary works in the yard.
    Once this work is complete, we will be looking to lift the frames off its wheels and get them sent away for re-tyring.
    Our next work party weekend on the loco will be Sunday 25th May.

    Matt
     
  17. matt41312

    matt41312 Member

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    Despite the lack of updates for a while, the overhaul of Jinty 47493 has been progressing well towards the point where it is almost completely stripped down.

    Early September finally saw the boiler lifted from the frames and placed in the yard at Tunbridge Wells. This was a carefully co-ordinated plan that resulted in no more than 6 crane lifts being undertaken, which will allow more work to take place on other boilers, namely the J94, Sutton and our Bagnall ‘Topham’. A couple of weekends of Thomas the Tank engine has allowed us to make some inroads into de-tubing the Jinty’s boiler and we hope to advance this over the coming weeks, after which it will be cleaned out and the outer wrapper sandblasted ready for inspection.
    The frames remain wheeled in the shed but we hope they will be lifted in November with the wheels being dispatched for re-tyring after that. These need a significant amount of steam cleaning before a full assessment of works can be undertaken. This will take place over the remaining months of 2014.

    After a period of quietness we are now looking to kick start the working parties on 47493. The first of which will take place on Sunday 2nd November when weather permitting, we will aim to continue the work on the boiler.

    We are always looking for people to get involved with the Spa Valley’s fleet of locos. If you’re interested then please do get in contact with us or drop me a message. No experience is necessary, just a keen interest to get your hands dirty and get involved.

    Matt
     
  18. matt41312

    matt41312 Member

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    Last Friday saw two of our team, with the assistance of a boilersmith, make a start at removing the Jinty's boiler tubes. By the end of the day we had removed a total of 48, which isn't too bad considering two of us were relatively inexperienced at the job and were being a lot more careful. The boilersmith was on site to speed the job along but also ensure we were happy as a team to carry on on our own.

    We plan to continue this coming weekend now we have got our very successful Beer Festival out of the way. Many of our team were seen enjoying a pint or two over the weekend which meant progress was somewhat limited as a result.

    Matt
     
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  19. matt41312

    matt41312 Member

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    Wow! I can't believe I haven't posted on here since November. However since then a lot of work has occurred on the boiler of 47493. The de-tubing was completed just before Christmas and work is now focused on removing all the boiler studs so that they can be replaced. Scaffolding has been erected around the dome so that work on the top of the boiler can be undertaken safely.

    In the shed, lifting of the frames off the wheels has been delayed by a failure of our Matterson jacks. Gladly I can report these have now been repaired and were in use last weekend lifting one of our diesel shunters, and once the work on this is complete, 47493 will be moving over to be lifted off its wheels. We want to get these sent away ASAP.

    Minor work is commencing on the frames with the removal of the brake hanger mounting brackets. These have been found to need the holes machining round again and the first is set-up in our horizontal borer.

    Work has been slower than envisaged but this is due to maintenance work on Austerity 'Walkden' and RSH 'Ugly', the latter now requires a mid-term re-tube which we are subbing out to a contractor to do who will complete it much quicker. All being well he should start work in the next couple of weeks.
    Our next work party on the loco will be February 15th. If anyone is interested in what we are doing, feel free to pop along that day and chat to the team.

    Matt
     
  20. matt41312

    matt41312 Member

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    In the last two months we have lifted the frames off of 47493's wheels and these have now been dispatched to South Devon Railway Engineering for assessment and refurbishment, which might include re-tyring; we await their verdict. Previous repairs to a couple of wheel spokes have shown their age and we hope the guys down at the SDR will be able to work their magic. So if anyone on this forum is from the SDR and has any involvement in the works, it would be great to get some updates on the wheels.

    Back at base the frames are now in the shed and being gradually degreased and cleaned ready for painting. All the axleboxes and springs have been stored pending refurbishment.

    In the machine shop work on the brake hangers continues but this is now on to making and fitting new bushes.

    Work has slowed recently whilst we undertook some work on our Andrew Barclay, but after the Bank Holiday and Thomas weekends we will resume. We have a washout to do in the next few weeks on the operational fleet.

    Matt
     

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