B12 8572

The B12’s boiler was lifted and sent away to Chatham for overhaul. Within 2 days of its arrival all the flues had been removed and work is progressing to complete the boiler as soon as can be realistically achieved. The funding for the boiler work is all in place and this will proceed with all possible haste.

The preliminary work has taken longer than we all would have wished but this work is essential, namely putting the paperwork in place, assessing carefully the work that needs doing, collating all previous engineering documentation etc.

Chatham are hoping to have the boiler completed next year. The NNR has been contracted to overhaul the tender and carry out the painting into LNER Apple Green and necessary minor works on the chassis that have been identified. This work must be completed before the boiler returns so that we can maximise the benefit of the new boiler ticket by completing the reassembly and returning the loco to traffic with the minimum of delays.

We won't promise anybody any dates – it would be wrong to do so at this early stage - but we do hope to have the engine running again in 2009 to help celebrate our 50th anniversary year.

I can understand everybody’s questions about what has happened so far but the Society have taken the steps that it feels necessary to ensure the best possible overhaul for the old girl and to ensure due diligence in the work that we do now.

Below are some pictures of the boiler since it's arrival at chatham.

Alex Galpin
M&GN Society Secretary

 

LNER B12/3 – 8572

The M&GN Society are pleased to announce that the B12 engine chassis will be shortly travelling to Ian Riley’s works in Bury, Manchester for attention to the alignment of the axles.

M&GN Society Engineer Keith Ashford announced “We are sending the chassis to Ian Riley’s works for a comprehensive assessment and correction to the positioning of the main axles in respect to their alignment in the frames. Back in 1988, Bill Harvey carried out the overhaul of the motion and employed a technique from the halcyon days of steam to correct badly aligned axle boxes carried over from the BR Days.”

“This repair has served the B12 well but we now feel that as part of the current heavy overhaul we ought to undertake to finally put right, this long standing issue, by carrying out a thorough repair, which will ensure the efficient and prolonged running of 8572 for many years to come. Bill exercised his great experience in employing a repair that was quite common in the later days of BR in order to keep an engine in traffic but we feel that there is now a better solution. It has always been our intention to progressively raise the engineering standards on all our locomotives, and this work supports that policy”

It is hoped that this additional work will not delay the return of the B12 to traffic. This is a further example of the progressive nature of the work currently being carried out by the M&GN Society.

The M&GN Society and Riley and Sons (E) Ltd have worked together before and are looking forward to a continued relationship in the future.

Any further information is available from Alex Galpin, Society Secretary, on 07957 865193.