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Industrial Loco Updates

Discussion in 'Steam Traction' started by AlistairS, Apr 17, 2008.

  1. sleepermonster

    sleepermonster Member

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    Bagnall 2746 The Duke

    The firebox work on The Duke is progressing steadily; the firebox tubeplate has been put back in following the final adjustments and should now stay there for a good forty years; it is temporarily bolted to the side sheets while the stays are put in and rivetted over, which is just about done. The next job is to rivet it to the foundation ring, after which rivetting of the side seams and palm stays will take place. The inside of the barrel has been wire brushed ready for painting with Apexior special internal boiler paint, which seems to be a resin and graphite formula, said to strongly inhibit corrosion.

    Tim
     
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  2. sleepermonster

    sleepermonster Member

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    Bagnall 2746 The Duke

    The firebox tubeplate is now fully stayed and nearly fully rivetted along the seams. A blowdown valve has been made and fitted, which the boiler did not have before; a long and very expensive chapter in the firebox repair is coming to an end.

    Hudswell Clarke 0-6-0 Cathryn

    May well beat The Duke into steam; I gather tubing should begin next week at Newtons, with a provisional return of the boiler in early October.

    Tim
     
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  3. 32110

    32110 Member

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    I am trying to get an idea of the value of a 10" AB 0-4-0ST. It is currently running but at the end of its 10 year ticket so complete but in need of overhaul. My initial thoughts were in the range of £10 - 15k. Any advice with some backing evidence would be appreciated.
     
  4. Steve

    Steve Resident of Nat Pres Friend

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    I'd say that was reasonable. Might go for more but it depends on who is willing to pay. How much work needed to put it back in working order will influence things. If it needs a new boiler that will make it harder to sell than if it needs a simple re-tube.
     
  5. IndustrialSteamLeeds

    IndustrialSteamLeeds Member

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    The overhauled boiler of Hawthorn Leslie No.6 (3860 of 1935) was returned to Middleton Railway and promptly place in the frames today. Making another step closer for its return.
    IMG-20200916-WA0009.jpg IMG-20200916-WA0006.jpg
    Photos by R. Pike
     
  6. sleepermonster

    sleepermonster Member

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    Bagnall 2746 The Duke

    The palm stays have been fitted, there is a fully machined kit of parts for the sling stays which will follow shortly. and the new longitudinal stays are ready to fit. The boiler has been fully painted with Apexior inside. LMS urgently request delivery of the whistle, which is a promising sign.

    We have just ordered our new sales item from Dapol, a private owner goods van in the livery of Joseph Miller & Co Ltd, flour producers and exporters, of Old Windmill Sidings, Buggleskelly.

    Tim
     
    Last edited: Nov 3, 2020
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  7. Johann Marsbar

    Johann Marsbar Well-Known Member

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  8. clinker

    clinker Member

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    Now that does look a treat, and all the hard (expensive) work done, Take care of The Loco, and Yourselves and You'll soon be enjoying spending money, but what a lovely way of spending it. Congratulations to You all.
     
  9. IndustrialSteamLeeds

    IndustrialSteamLeeds Member

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    HL 3860 update. Locomotive is reunited with new water tank and Cab.
    Photo by R Pike
     

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  10. Richard Roper

    Richard Roper Well-Known Member

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    Excellent, it's looking good!

    Richard. :)
     
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  11. sleepermonster

    sleepermonster Member

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    The boiler from the Hudswell-Clarke 0-6-0t Cathryn passed a steam test at Cromford today, first time in steam in 45 years; it still has to be returned to Wirksworth to be placed in the frames, but that should not be long now. The boiler from the Bagnall 0-6-0st Florence was sitting next to it, also under steam on test.
     
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  12. estwdjhn

    estwdjhn Member

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    One happy boiler inspector! Cathryn on the left, Florence No2 on the right. Florence should be signed off tomorrow (different boiler inspector).
     

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  13. Respite

    Respite Member

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    I heard yesterday that a railway is having problems with the coal that they are using causing damage to ashpans and firebars, this is with austerity tanks etc.
    Given that there isn't much of a choice of coal supply these days they are considering using the steam exhaust from the brake ejector and such like fed
    into the ash pan cooling the fire and extending fire bar life.

    Has anyone else tried this? Any views on the idea from those that actually work on Austerity locos please?
    I would have thought one disadvantage might be noise as some austerity locos have noisy vacuum ejectors, and I have locos crews complain about this.
    Would it also have the effect of being like having the blower on all the time?

    Any sage advice would be gratefully passed on, thank you.
     
  14. Steve

    Steve Resident of Nat Pres Friend

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    Middleton has several locos where the ejector exhaust is taken into the ashpan, principally to minimise the amount of vacuum pipework on display on locos that originally never had them but it also serves to keep the firebed cool. The only trouble with it is the fact that it is noisy and I have yet to solve that problem. Hunslet's generally fed the steam brake exhaust into the ashpan and most of the drains on our Sentinel end up there rather than simply on the ground.
    If I were a betting man I'd bet a Mars bar that the coal in question is from Ffos y Fran
     
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  15. marshall5

    marshall5 Well-Known Member

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    A properly set up vacuum brake ejector exhausting up the chimney will tend to draw the fire to some degree (like leaving the blower 'cracked') but exhausting into the ashpan may even have a slight damping effect. As the regards the coal Ffos y Fran does vary according to which seam is being worked but I've not heard of any particular problems with it - a bad batch maybe?
    Ray.
     
  16. meeee

    meeee Member

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    After several expensive grate issues since switching to Fros-y-Fran coal, the NGG16s on the Welsh Highland use cooling steam under the grate. I think it is just fed off the manifold, using waste steam from the ejector would be more efficient though.

    Welsh coal produces a lot of heat in the fire bed. If you have a line where you work hard then shut off frequently, you have to be careful too maintain airflow or the bars will melt very quickly. On the Festiniog i run with the dampers open all day and plenty of blower for the first few seconds when the driver shuts off. That seems to work well. The ashpan steam has been very effective on the WHR at preventing firebar damage, and also helps to prevent clinker. Ash pan drenches are also good idea if you don't already have one. It doesn't produce any draft on the fire to speak of. The FR has also moved to stainless steel for ashpans and smokeboxes now. So far it seems to be worth the extra cost.

    I've found the coal from Fros-y-Fran does vary a little but is a reasonably consistent and good quality. There was one really bad batch on the Festiniog last year that constantly produced loads of clinker. It got sent back after a week though.

    Tim
     
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  17. 30854

    30854 Resident of Nat Pres

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    I'm intrigued. A question (if I may) from a self confessed ignoramus: Would a gas producing firebed provide a more productive solution?

    I've occasionally wondered before, has any consideration been given to adopting the already proven NGG16A variation? If what I've read concerning experience with the two rebuilt SA locos* is accurate, the savings achieved by the modifications meant they paid for themselves well within the length of a boiler certificate (I do hope this gets seen by our resident hands-on Porta/Wardale guru, @Nigel Day .... if he tells me I'm barking, I'll believe him!)

    * apparently, one of the pair is currently being restored to working order.
     
  18. clinker

    clinker Member

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    Road going Sentinel Waggons have a 'Water Filled' ashpan, They will 'Produce' and burn gas, seeing them in the dark they often have a Bunsen flame atop the chimney and it is possible to make a 'Balloon' spark arrester glow like a gas mantle.
     
  19. Steve

    Steve Resident of Nat Pres Friend

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    With the steam loco Sentinels, the recommendation is to fill the ashpan with water; well not fill in the true sense of the word but about an inch. Even with various drains feeding into it, in my experience the pan soon dries out. As you say, flame out of the chimney is quite possible, along with a lot of sparks. Although the boilers have a fusible plug, it is only really protecting the tubes from being overheated (if protect is the right word) as, like all vertical boilers, the top part of the boiler is not covered in water but still subject to considerable heat on the fire side. When working really hard it is possible to get then up to a dull red at the top.
     
  20. Jamessquared

    Jamessquared Nat Pres stalwart

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    I seem to recall a few years ago we (on the Bluebell) went through a bit of a spate of burnt firebars when using Welsh coal (we meet your criteria of "a line where you work hard then shut off frequently"). More recently we have had a hard coal (Russian I believe) and haven't had a recurrence of the fire bar issue, though it does have other issues. Overall though I prefer firing with it than the Welsh.

    Tom
     

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