LMS Patriot Project Updates

Indeed, I don't disagree - just noting the challenge.

Tom

 

Although to be fair the contract for the boiler is between the Patriot Group and HBSS and essentially the buck stops there with control of sub-contractors, although it would be foolish to just assume that HBSS have gone through all the hoops with regards to quality and blindly let them get on with it. Hopefully now they have had their fingers burned somewhat elsewhere a more active role in all aspects of quality control will be taken.

 

I think the point is well made, and it is exacerbated in this sector as most counterparties are effectively men of straw, so remedies, if say a major component was found to be defective, may be limited.

 

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=567489994085212&id=177455729755309

Update from Leaky Finders on our tender

 

https://lms-patriot.org.uk/news/2019-12-31/new-year-message-members

 

Thank You for the update Gavin, and a Happy New Year to all involved in the Patriot Project!
Looks like we're on the way forward again.

Richard.

 

The latest Engineering Update has been posted on our website this morning. Sorry for the delay.

Engineering Update - February 2020
Submitted by Kevin West on 9 April, 2020 - 11:27
Work on The Unknown Warrior has continued at various location since the last report.

Construction of 5551 continues at a number of locations.



5551 in The West Shed. Photo – Andy Collinson

To begin, I would like to apologies for my nonappearance at our AGM on 7th November. I had been suffering from a chest infection for the week prior and was in no fit state to travel to West Shed. Even if I had, I had lost my voice, so would have been unable to give any presentations.

Physical work at PRCLT has slowed for a variety of reasons over the last few weeks, but this does not mean that work on progressing the construction, assembly and certification of 5551 has stopped, in fact much the opposite.

Following the November resignations of our Chairman David Bradshaw and Engineering Director Steve Blackburn we were not in a good position, as it had always been expected that Steve would head up the gathering and cataloguing of documentation required for certification purposes. With the board now restored to full strength following the appointment of Colin Hall and Keith Riches, a complete review of our approach to obtaining the required approvals has taken place and meetings held with all the necessary bodies we must engage with to obtain the final sign off. Colin Hall has outlined the organizations we have contacted and progress on this important work will be reported over the coming issues of The Warrior.

One area that has been brought into sharp focus by these discussion is the paperwork. This comprises such things as material certificates for every part of 5551, manufacturing information, competency certificates for the staff that have undertaken work on components. Without this we get no approval and the loco cannot run.

The first requirement is to bring together as much paperwork as we have for a first assessment. Beyond that we need to bring together everything from our suppliers and contractors. We have a number of people lined up to help do this, but they need to know what they are asking for. To that end my immediate task is to compile lists of parts supplied by each supplier.

At the board meeting at the end of January, Colin provided a complete report on the process to obtain approval and outlined the work we will need to undertake. The board were asked to vote if they wished to continue with the aim of attaining main line approval and the result was a unanimous yes.



6233 Duchess of Sutherland undertakes a test steaming at West Shed 4th Feb 2020. Photo – John Hastings-Thompson

As part of the learning process of what is required to run a locomotive on the main line a number of board members and volunteers are to undergo PTS (Personal Trackside Safety) training. This will allow us to accompany 6233 on its main line outings to find out first hand.

Chassis
Princess Royal Class Locomotive Trust, West Shed, Midland Railway Centre.

Work has continued at West Shed on various aspect of the locomotive chassis.



View inside the Frames where the Firebox will fit. Photo – Andy Collinson

Bogie

Ricardo Certification have looked at the proposed modified Bogie Stretcher and can see no issues. We now need to finalise the drawings and make a full submission for approval.



Bogie Frame at West Shed 4th Feb 2020. Photo – John Hastings-Thompson

Bogie Wheels

The Bogie Wheelset obtained from ex Barry 8F 48518 was always known to have tyres with the back to back being slightly over specification, but it would be ok when used as the trailing wheelset on the bogie. Following a recent inspection by our approval authority it was suggested that this may no longer be acceptable. The inspection also questioned the surface finish of the centre section of the axle, which has some pitting and corrosion following many years in service and standing in a scrapyard. The wheelset has been sent to Ian Riley & Sons to have the axle skimmed in the wheel lathe to remove the pitting and check for no deeper flaws. The opportunity to fit new tyres to correct specification at the same time has also been taken.

Cylinder Relief Valves & Drain Cocks
These have been temporarily fitted to allow the Drain Cock Operating Gear to be trial fitted. An amount of work has been required as expected to get the parts to work smoothly. The operating gear has now been removed to allow access for other work local to the cylinders.



Cylinder Relief Valves, Drain Cocks and Operating Gear trial fitted to the LH Outside Cylinder. West Shed 4th Feb 2020. Photo – John Hastings-Thompson



View underneath the Inside Cylinder showing Cylinder Relief Valve, Drain Cock and Operating Gear trial fitted. West Shed Nov 2019. Photo – Andy Collinson

The order for 6 new Drain Cock bodies has been placed and we are waiting for the castings. These will then be sent for machining and manufacture of the internals before fitting to the Cylinder Relief Valves. The original 6 assemblies we have will be offered for sale.

Outside Cylinders
The cylinders for 5551 were made very early in the project, both being manufactured to original drawings dated 1927 for the Royal Scot class. Identical cylinders were used on the Patriots. One feature on the Inside Cylinder are 3 ribs that run the length of the centre section of the valve chest to guide the valve head when it is fitted or removed from the cylinder for maintenance. These ribs are not shown on the drawing for the Outside Cylinders, so have not been included on the casting. Concern has been raised by the PRCLT engineers about possible difficulties on removing the valves. Later LMS designs including the Duchess have these guide ribs, although the Great Western Castles do not, according to Alastair Meanley from Tyseley Locomotive Works. The PRCLT engineers believe it will be beneficial to have these in place so some work has been undertaken to look into the feasibility, although fitting them in situ will not be easy.



LH Cylinder Assy, West Shed 4th Feb 2020. Photo by John Hastings-Thompson

The replacement Outside Cylinder Covers have been cast and await movement to be machined. This will most likely be done at the Great Central Railway works in Loughborough.



Rear Cylinder Cover castings. Photo Premier Patterns

Brakes

Work is to be undertaken on the Drag Box under the cab to fit the mounting studs for the Brake Cross Shaft Bracket and the Steam Brake Cylinder.



Brake Cross Shaft Bracket at West Shed. 4th Feb 2020. Photo – John Hastings-Thompson

On the locomotive chassis itself, we are starting to investigate the fitment of air braking equipment. This will require a steam operated air pump plus plenty of ancillary equipment. PRCLT hold most of the parts in stock and the design will be similar to that fitted to Duchess of Southerland.

The pump will be mounted between the frames on one of the Frame Stretchers so will not be visible and make a change to the original appearance of the locomotive. This new line of thinking will allow maximum operating flexibility with train operators in the future.

The proposed modifications for the Spring Hanger Pins and Brake Hanger Pins to add a secondary retention method have been approved by Ricardo. Drawings can now be prepared and the parts manufactured. Work continues on completion of the lubrication system, with modifications to the clipping of the pipes in line with their main line experience.



Repainted Brake Cross Beams. Photo – Gavin Shell

Motion
The motion components have been at Statfold Engineering since spring of last year for repair of the bearing brasses and white metal. The only parts actually worked on have been the Outside Connecting Rods which have had new Bearing Brasses made and white metaled. No further work can be completed until the Crank Pin work has been finished and the diameters confirmed. This will allow the white metal to be machined to give the required clearance to the Pin.

We have decided as part of the overall assessment of the chassis to bring all parts back to West Shed. This will allow all parts to be inspected and measured to check the centre distances of all the Rods to ensure all the tolerances and clearances for the motion work and axleboxes is correct. This is much easier to do at one place rather than spread over a number of locations. We also need to have the legacy parts inspected and approved for further use. We know various parts were inspected at Llangollen shortly after they were acquired. We now need to obtain copies of the testing paperwork to submit to Ricardo Certification.

The Axleboxes are ready for corrective work once the Wheelsets are finished.



Driving Axleboxes await attention at West Shed. 4th Feb 2020. Photo – John Hastings-Thompson

The Inside Expansion Link has been finally fitted following work on the bearings to obtain correct fit and clearances.



Inside Expansion Link in position. West Shed. 4th Feb 2020. Photo – John Hastings-Thompson

The Reverser Shaft components have been machined and we await a final assembly and inspection to ensure everything is correct. There is a little work required to the cosmetic finish.



Reverser Shaft Assembly. Photo – Kevin West

Crank Pins
As reported in the last report we had obtained a quotation for the complete replacement of the Crank Pins. This very quickly turned into a full order and the Driving Wheels were dispatched to Ian Riley & Sons in early December. The Crank pins were removed and new pins manufactured ready to fit. A brief delay followed to ensure Ricardo Certification were happy with the material specification and the methods to be used for assembly. This is now complete and the new Pins are expected to be fitted early in February. The final work required is to polish the axle journals to remove some slight pitting. Due to our wheels being slightly too big for Riley’s wheel lathe this will be undertaken at Tyseley Locomotive Works.

Driving Wheels
The PRCLT volunteers have continued work on the painting of the Driving Wheels and Crank Axle.



Crank Axle following completion of painting. Photo – Gavin Shell

Combination Levers
The original parts will be inspected along with the other legacy motion work before a final decision on replacement is made.

Away from practical work, we continue working on preparing for the discussions that will need to be undertaken with various supplier regarding past work. This work will require a vast input on our behalf and we expect will continue for some time before it is complete. Due to this the output from our design office is less than we had hoped for.

Boiler
Heritage Boiler Steam Services continue making good progress on the Boiler assembly.

Recent work has included fitting the Transverse Stays. These run across the Firebox above the inner Firebox and hold the Outer Firebox side plates against the pressure inside the boiler.



Transverse Stays inside the Firebox. Photo – HBSS



Left hand side of the Firebox showing the threaded ends of the Transverse Stays. Photo – HBSS

The replacement Dome has been cast and has passed the required testing. The Dome Cover unfortunately failed the testing so another is due to be cast in early February. Once both parts have been fully tested and approved they will be dispatched for machining before passing back to HBSS for fitment to the boiler barrel.

New castings for the Palm Stays to a revised design have been delivered ready for machining.

HBSS have also been manufacturing the crinolines used to support the cladding sheets on the boiler barrel and around the firebox. Thankfully we have the original drawing for this assembly, which has been a great help, although the drawings for most of the smaller parts used is missing, so HBSS have spent a great deal of time working out these parts from very basic information.









A selection of views of the Crinolines fitted to the boiler barrel and firebox. Photos – HBSS & Kevin West

Work on the Firebox Doorplate has progressed to making and fitting the cladding sheets.



Boiler backhead showing cladding sheets. Photos – HBSS

The Longitudinal Stays have now been ordered following final approval of the manufacturing process. The original design uses single piece stays and when we first started the boiler build material of the required length was available. When we came to order the material the length we required was not available in the UK and would have to come from Europe. The cost was also £80,000 against the £10,000 originally quoted when we started. We then started investigating methods to use two pieces of material joined by a screwed buckle. The design has been approved by our boiler insurer and HBSS have found a manufacturer to produce the parts for £22,000. Still twice the original budget cost but much less than using single piece stays.

The Superheater Header has been sent for trial machining to allow the casting to be pressure testing.

Boiler Fittings
Simon Scott from PRCLT has arranged the short term loan of a number of Fowler boiler fittings from the East Lancs Railway Crab 2-6-0 for us to evaluate for use on 5551. This will be an ongoing project for the next few months, making drawings, having patterns and castings made and machined.



A view of the cab fittings of LMS Crab 13000 on display at the National Railway Museum, York. Dec 2019. These are very similar to the fittings required for 5551. Photo – Kevin West

Main Line Running Gear
Our meetings with the A1 Trust and Ricardo Certification has provided information regarding the fitment of all elements of the main line running gear.

Tender Chassis
Work has continued at Leaky Finders on the refurbishment of the Tender chassis. The main focus at present has been the refitting of the Axlebox Horn Guides to correct tolerance.



Horn Guides riveted in position. Photo – Leaky Finders



Tender Buffer Beam following drilling. Photo – Leaky Finders

Also undertaken has been the refurbishment of the Spring Link Hangers and Brake Hanger Brackets. Bushes have been fitted and machined where required to bring all holes back to the required sizes and tolerances. A number of new Spring Link Hangers have been required where the originals were beyond repair.



One of the Spring Link Brackets being bored after a new bearing has been pressed in.. Photo – Leaky Finders



A new Spring Link. Photo – Leaky Finders

Tender Tank Design
With the information provided regarding the Main Line Running gear we will be able to finalise the design of the Tender Tank and place the order for the tank manufacture. Another item that will need to be considered is the requirement to install 4 air reservoirs under the tender for the air brake system.

BR Vanwide Van
Following our arrival at The West Shed our storage/workshop van has been housed inside the shed. Our volunteers have taken advantage of being inside to do some repairs to the roof covering and doors followed by a repaint.



Neil Kinsey takes a break from running our sales stand to work on our Vanwide Box Van. Photo – Gavin Shell



New roof covering. Photo – Gavin Shell



Work complete. Photo – John Hastings-Thompson

 

Thanks for the update - Lots of work being done!

 

An excellent piece of work, Thank -you. How long have you been using Ricardo as your ' Competent body' - did they taken over from someone else ? The task of designing, signing speccing and checking and making sure the paper work is all there is one of the less appreciated but very essential parts of the 'New Build' process...

 

I was thinking about this just yesterday, so its great to get such a detailed update, many thanks.

Sounds like this is now progressing nicely.

A1, PRSLT, Rileys, Ricardo etc...great to see they are all in the mix providing input.

Usually companies are obliged by regulation to hold material data sheets for a fixed period of time for any work completed.

Failing that, there are avenues to certify components using specimen testing. Ways and means of gaining approval.

 

First, thank you very much for all the time and energy that had to have gone into preparing this lengthy and detailed report; most interesting reading.

It's very good to see that PRCLT are seemingly becoming a great resource for the project, and well integrated into the effort; they appear to have been a great choice!

One thing I was curious about, if I may ask:

I don't recall if the issue with the originals was previously discussed; why were new ones needed, can I ask? Thanks!

It's also good to see the continued progress and fine work on the boiler; HBSS seem to have been another excellent choice!

May progress of this sort continue once the coronavirus hiatus comes to an end!

Noel

 

The drain cocks were replaced on advice from PRCLT. The original parts we have would require refurbishment anyway and the design is know to be prone to blowing by once they are worn. With 9 new drain cocks all made the same it will be much easier to keep them in good condition.

 

update on the website - good explanation of the crankpin issue. Fingers crossed the necessary paperwork can be found

 

The latest Engineering update from the project was posted recently on our website.

Engineering Update - August 2020
Submitted by Kevin West on 10 September, 2020 - 13:45
Work on The Unknown Warrior has continued at a limited pace since the last report due to the effects of the current worldwide situation.



5551 in the workshop at the West Shed. Photo by PRCLT


Originally the PRCLT trust engineers had planned to return to work at the beginning of July, but this was not to be for a number of reasons. We are now able to report that work at West Shed restarted at the beginning of August, so just over a week ago at the time of writing this report. Much of the first week has involved bringing the workshop out of its lockdown state and preparing for the planned work to continue. It is amazing how much dirt and dust accumulates in a closed workshop!
Elsewhere our suppliers and contractors have mostly been working with limited workforces and only producing priority work, which our locomotive does not fall into. With the gradual return to full production taking place we can expect this to start relaxing, but again we do not know how much the effects of these works trying to catch up on late commercial work will have on the delivery of parts for 5551. Some limited work has been undertaken in private workshops over the last few months for which we are very grateful. The scope for further use of these facilities is being investigated for the future.
Another outcome of the lockdown period is the lack of photographs showing progress which is a regular feature of these reports. Unfortunately, progress has slowed and there has been no access allowed into works to photograph parts. I believe it is easier for the non-engineer members to understand what we are trying to achieve with an appropriate picture to illustrate. Thankfully our contractors at PRCLT, Ian Riley’s and Leaky Finders have supplied the illustrations in this report.



5551 waits for work to recommence. Photo by PRCLT


One feature we have decided to trial alongside this report is an easy to view progress chart (this appears at the end of this Engineering Report). This is broken down into sections of the locomotive and tender and we hope it will provide a quick snapshot at what has been accomplished over the last three months and what is planned for the next three months. The activities are broken down into four symbols like a multi-aspect colour light railway signal, which shows green for complete, double yellow for 80% complete, single yellow for work in progress and red for not yet started.
Our ‘guesstimation’ of 80% complete may bite us on occasion, when an unexpected event happens and we find additional work is required on some part or system, so I hope you will understand if this occasionally looks to have gone backwards. To keep the chart to a reasonable size we will only show areas of the loco that have been worked on over the last three months or are planned to have work undertaken over the next three. It will only cover physical work on manufacture or fitting to the loco, not design and background paperwork. It will obviously develop over time and your views and comments on this would be appreciated.
Another area which affects our future engineering activities is the planning for our predicted income and expenditure. I am sure this will be covered in detail elsewhere in this Warrior, but we will not be placing orders for work until we are confident that we have the money available to pay the invoices when required. This is one reason why we have slowed down work on the boiler and tender, as they have both been costing more than previously predicted. The chassis work has been given first priority on funds and resources for the next few months. The boiler is making good progress towards completion, but it is no good having a finished boiler and no chassis for it to fit in. The tender is similar, so both have been slowed down to hopefully allow the chassis to catch up.
All of this boils down to one thing, the continued financial support of you, our members. Without your donations we are unable to plan the still considerable expenditure required to complete 5551.

Driving Wheels

We are pleased to report that the replacement Crank Pins on the Centre Driving Axle have successfully been fitted and machined at Riley & Sons (E) Ltd., Heywood, Lancashire. All the required design approval, work method statements and approval paperwork is in place.



The Centre Driving Axle ready for the new Crank Pins to be fitted. Photo by Ian Riley & Sons


The new Crank Pins were fitted by placing them in liquid nitrogen which makes the metal shrink slightly and allow the pins to be inserted into the hole in the Driving Wheel. As the pin warms and returns to ambient temperature it expands to be a tight fit in the hole. A keyway is used to stop the Crank Pin rotating in the hole and ensure the correct angular relation between the wheel and the Crank Pins.



A Crank Pin being fitted after freezing in liquid nitrogen. Photo by Ian Riley & Sons



After assembly. Photo by Ian Riley & Sons


The Driving Axle Assembly has now moved to Tyseley Locomotive Works for the Axle Journals to be polished as the wheel lathe at Ian Riley’s is not quite big enough to accept our 6’ 9” diameter wheels.
Once Tyseley have polished the journals, the wheelset will return to West Shed to allow the Axlebox to be white metaled.
There is one issue hanging over the Driving Wheelsets at present, this is regarding paperwork to a welded repair undertaken on three of the wheel centres following incorrect machining of a keyway in the early days of the project. This was a mistake by the machining contractor reading the drawing incorrectly.
The repair was agreed by the approval authority we used at the time, but Riccardo Rail are rightly wanting to check all the procedures and checks were completed to the standards that apply today, not nine years ago. We are confident that this can be resolved fairly soon, but mindful of the fact that if it is not we may have to have at least one, maybe all three wheel centres pressed off the axle for testing. A lot of effort has gone into searching out the necessary paperwork, not helped by the company that did the welded repair having been taken over and the staff involved at the time being no longer in position.



The Crank Axle following completion of painting at the West Shed. Photo by PRCLT



The Trailing Axle following completion of painting at the West Shed. Photo by PRCLT

Bogie Wheels
Riley & Son have also fitted the new tyres to the ex-8F bogie wheelset and await final machining before returning to West Shed.

Bogie Frame

When the Bogie was dismantled at West Shed it appeared that the Frame Assembly was under strain or slightly distorted. Measurement has shown the Horn Guides to not be parallel across the frame,
so they are being removed for machining to true them up which will solve the problem.



The Bogie Frame following removal of the Horn Guides at the West Shed. Photo by PRCLT

Brake Systems
The design of the Air Brake system has been approved by Riccardo Rail and is almost an exact copy of the installation on Duchess of Sutherland. A start has been made on manufacturing the mounting brackets for the Air Pump. This will be followed by installing the pipework in areas where access later will be difficult.



One of the Air Brake Pump Brackets under manufacture at West Shed. Photo by PRCLT

The studs for mounting the Brake Cross Shaft Bracket under the drag box are also planned to be fitted in the coming weeks.
Components from the locomotive brake system have been painted ready for refitting when required.



The Brake Cross Beams following completion of painting at the West Shed. Photo by PRCLT

Motion
The Motion parts finally moved from Statfold Barn to West Shed on 12th August. This will allow the PRCLT engineers to inspect and report on what work is required to complete all pieces to a satisfactory standard. Going on what we know from the Connecting Rods, which were the only parts worked on at Statfold Barn, we expect all the Bearing Brasses and Oil Rings installed at Llangollen will require replacement due to incorrect sizes or poor quality machining.



Some of the Motion Parts following delivery to West Shed. Photo by PRCLT

Once the assessment is complete and the scope of work is known we will be obtaining quotations to get the work done.

Axleboxes
The Driving Axleboxes are ready for the white metal and machining as required. This is slightly on hold until the paperwork issue with the Driving Wheels is resolved.



One of the Driving Axleboxes fitted with shields for casting in the new white metal. Photo by PRCLT

Drain Cocks
We will be inviting interested parties to machine the six Drain Cocks over the next couple of weeks. The castings are all to hand. The following photos show parts of a similar valve to those fitted to 5551.



A finished Drain Cock. Photo PRCLT



A Drain Cock Body casting set up for machining. Photo PRCLT



Valve Stem and retaining Ring following machining. Photo PRCLT

Snifting Valves
The three Snifting Valves are now complete with the covers fitted, ready for when they will be assembled to the cylinders.



Finish Snifting Valve. Photo – PRCLT

Paperwork
A large amount of effort and time has been spent trying to collate the paperwork that should have been in place from the early days of the project. Some was passed to the project, but never properly stored, so has to be found and others were left with the suppliers. One issue is trying to establish exactly who the suppliers for some parts were, as records and some early orders cannot be found.
Many parts were ordered from Llangollen Railway, from plate for Buffer Beams to rivets and special bolts. The paperwork for these should have been obtained and retained by Llangollen to be subsequently passed onto us. In many cases they are missing. We are hoping that these documents are still filed away somewhere at Llangollen and have been pressing for some time for these documents to be provided, but as has been widely reported Llangollen Railway have enough issues of their own and do not have the staff or time to devote to searching for our paperwork at the moment. They have also been completely shut down over the lockdown. How we resolve this will no doubt tax us in the next few months as we work towards a resolution.

Boiler
Little progress on the boiler to report over the last three months, due to the effects of lockdown plus our decision to focus spend on the chassis. HBSS have plenty of work to keep them busy while not working on 5551 and we continue to plan our work programme with HBSS to ensure we have a slot booked for work to restart.

Tender



The Tender Chassis in Leaky Finders workshop. Photo – Leaky Finders


A limited amount of work remains until we have a finished stable frame structure. Most of this work is riveting, which is not really possible under the social distancing rules, so this is in abeyance until such time that the contractors are happy to work in close proximity. This work nearly all relates to the rear end of the frame structure where the Rear Drag box is drilled and presently bolted into the Inner Frames. Between the Inner Frames and the Outer Frame each side are the Outer Drag Boxes. These have been fabricated and the mating faces machined square, and positioned for marking up the mounting holes from the Inner and Outer Frames.



A view of the Rear Left Hand end of the Tender Chassis. From right to left we can see the upper and lowere sections of the Centre Drag Box, the thinner Inner Frame plate, The Outer Drag Box, the thicker Outer Frame plate and finally the Outer Frame Angle. All this will be hidden from view when the Rear Buffer Beam is riveted into place. Photo – Leaky Finders


Once fully marked up they will be removed and drilled ready for the riveting. The final pieces are the Top Plate over the whole rear section and the Rear Buffer Beam, which completes the Frame Assembly. The only other parts to fit are the doubling plates for the Brake Pins which are made and ready for riveting into place.



One of the Brake Pin Doubling Plates ready to be riveted in position. Photo – Leaky Finders

The frames are also being given a protective coat of paint once work is completed, along with many of the brake and spring fittings ready for future assembly.



Tender Brake Hangers and Spring Links following painting. Photo – Leaky Finders



Brake Pull Rod with painting complete. Photo – Leaky Finders

Some other fittings are being prepared for future fitting including the Intermediate Buffers.



Intermediate Buffers. Photo – Leaky Finders

The timing of this work as described above is dependent on a number of factors, the social distancing rules, Leaky Finders workload and our ability to pay the invoices.

Main Line Running Gear
Work continues on various elements of the provision of the main line running gear.

Tender Tank Design
No progress since last report.

 

Interesting looking at the first pic of the driving wheels "
The Centre Driving Axle ready for the new Crank Pins to be fitted. Photo by Ian Riley & Sons"

(1) the balance weight detail is interesting - not being filled right up in all cases - I presume this is adjusted to balance the motion to the desired amount,
(2) the spokes by the crankpin have quite a pronounced web on the inside of them - is that to minimise flex risk?

 

The front and rear plates were to retain the weight material, a mixture of lead and antimony, to the required amount and would therefore be larger than necessary to accommodate the maximum amount of material plus some space in reserve. In a works, the wheelset was mounted in the balancing machine and spun up, weights having been added to the crankpins to simulate the weights of the coupling rods. The balance of the reciprocating weights was a mixture of weighing the parts and deciding the percentage to be balanced, usually 33%, 40%, 50% or 66%.

 

The thing is such as the connecting rods and valve gear rods do the L.M.S. patriot project have to pay yet again money out for the errors when 45551 was been assembled at Llangollen to have new bearings and to be white metalled?
Davo 56F

 

Were they statically or dynamically balanced..just curious...?

 

Dynamically, hence the words, 'spun up'. I think it's shown in the video 'Study in Steel' on You Tube.

 

I would assume that will be decided by any negotiations/legal action between the two parties.

Keith