Pannier 3650

With 3650 being put into the lifting shop, does this mean 5322 is relatively complete now? Guess i'll see this weekend anyway, just being nosey!

 

'spose I ought to post in here, it's the loco I've been working on for nearly the last 20 years!!!
Yep 3650 will outshop in blue with STEVENSON CLARKE LTD on the tanks. We might even let her get as dirty as the photo on the previous page! Why?... Why not, it's the colour 3650 last ran in. In any case, it will only be for the running in period. If it means someone visits twice to get a blue and GW livery photo, good for them.

Cylinders are a bit oversize, closer to 18", but being perfectly round, (within 0.0010" or so) they wern't bored. Oversize pistons were already fitted, so apart from having the piston rods ground to remove the rust pitting, new rings and a good clean up, they were good to go. Maybe some day, someone will produce a pattern for a new cylinder block casting. All the panniers in preservation have cylinder blocks at, or beyond scrapping limits! Cylinders could probably be lined, it's the valve faces that are the problem.

D'ya know, I've never measured the diameter of the wheels!! I did use a tyre gauge on them which shows profile and thickness tolerances. All I do know is that when they arrived at Didcot, they had flanges worn on the outside too!! A spare set of tyres were bought 'cos they looked so bad, but after being turned once, there is still yet another turning left!

Maybe someone out there could do the calcs for tractive effort for us!! Oversize pistons, undersize wheels,... consider the gauntlet thrown down.

The "off frames" boiler steam test should be in the next 10 - 14 days, and if OK, we have this huge kit of completed bits to put back together!

 

Cheers for the update Pannier Man, looking forward to seeing photos of 3650 in blue if I don't get down to Didcot again in time to see her before she's green. Here's a photo I took of what I think was the pressure testing (i'll admit it, I know next to nothing about how steam engines work, so going to try and teach myself!) yesterday using water. Did the testing go ok? Noticed a lot of water spurting out!

 

If these measurements are correct, then I reckon starting tractive effort will be about 9.25% higher than normal at 24,600 lbf.

David

 

My calculation gives slightly nearer 25, 000 lbs, but I doubt it'll be all that noticeable given what it's likely to be doing. Can't wait to see it though!!

 

Before a boiler is steamed with a fire, one does a hydraulic pressure test. This consists of blanking (plugging up) all openings in the boiler (i.e. steam feeds to injectors blower etc. the regulator valve, safety valves, etc. etc.), then attaching a pressure gauge that will measure over 1.5 times the working pressure of the boiler and a high pressure water pump. You fill the boiler to the very top with water and start the pump. As water is incompressible it doesn’t take much water from the pump to start creating pressure in the boiler. The pressure is pumped up to 1.5 times the working pressure and is held for a time period (which I do not know). As only a small quantity of water is needed to create this high pressure a sudden failure does not result in an explosion and is thus a safer way to perform the initial tests on a boiler.

3650 passed the insurance hydraulic test on Wednesday the 22nd August. I suspect yesterday they would have been emptying the boiler before moving it. 8-[

Perhaps Pannier Man could give us an update on how the shunting went? [-o<

As far as teaching yourself about steam locomotives I would get a copy of The Handbook for Steam Locomotive Enginemen, there are currently 8 for sale on E-bay and they can be picked up in second-hand book shops. I think there are reprinted versions in some railway shops. Perhaps some other members could tell us where. This is a good start in learning on how a steam loco works.

 

So whats the plan for 3650 ?

Is she staying at Didcot ?

Which seems such a waste

Or is she going away to be a useful engine and earn some money towards her next overhaul

A pannier if shes a good you say she is could easily earn £350 -400 a day

 

Rlangham,... Love the photo of Chris on the top of the boiler. Were you within range when he took the dome lifting eye out completely and tried to smother it with a rag?? Our appologies if you were lol. We needed to change the lifting eye for the proper dome stud.
gz3xzf's description of the hydraulic pretty much sums it up. I know he's done a few at Didcot in the past too. As he says, the hydraulic took place last Wednesday and the boiler has been sitting there with zero on the clock since then. Even we were surprised how much water squirted out considering it was the highest point and no pressure!!

J.E.J and gwr4090, thanks for the info. With two identical Collett panniers at Didcot, it might be interesting to carry out some comparisons in the future. 3738 is also fresh into traffic so the playing field is pretty level. Double headed black and blue panniers? hmmmm. I expect when we get to that stage, 3650 will be back in a rather more authentic green with shirt button roundal.

Well Bryan, we both know the pitfalls of trying to carry out a big Didcot shunt, expecially on an open day,... but I've never seen so many, all working to the same end. It pretty much went like clockwork. \/ 3650's boiler is now sitting in the lifting shop at Didcot, with the smokebox and frames in front, at the rear of the running shed. Getting there was a very long day's shunt. The main problem being 6023's boiler. It was sitting (and is back on) one of those ex Swindon boiler trollys. Moving it any distance was very precarious. It first had to be transfered onto a "crocodile" wagon for the trip up the yard and back! The opportunity was also taken to transfer 7202's boiler onto a boiler trolly from the "loriot" wagon it was on. There were boiler trollys, locos and frames all over the place!! But this included 4866 seing the sunshine for once and a very rare glimpse of a complete 5322, even if it was in a red oxide / khaki undercoat colour combo.
Because they want to begin painting 5322 in earnest, 3650's steam test will take place midweek during the first week of the closed season, at the back of the running shed. It's gonna be interesting and smokey to say the least, without the smokebox attached!! But first we have to move it forward, install the firebars, build a firing platform, level the boiler (it's a bit nose down on the trolly), drain it to the correct level, re-instate the safety valves and swap some rubber joints for steam ones. Oh yes,... and we'd better change the timber baulk under the fire box for an RSJ!!
Loads to do.

Although 3650 is actually a privately owned loco (one of a very few at Didcot) the owner has promised that it will always be based there (the rest of the team are in total agreement). We obviously owe them a lot and as well as 3650's team helping out with other Didcot projects over the years, we will honour any commitments they would like from 3650. However, with two working panniers it would be nice to venture forth with one of them, 3650 of course, and earn both the loco and the Society some much needed cash. We have already received loads of invites. But first, lets get steaming, run in and our existing commitments covered, then who knows??

 

it will be interesting too see if it ever comes up north or to foxfield ill have to see it there

pannier man i really love youtr signature too

 

Bit blurred but here it is in the 1960s. Thanks for reminding me it was maroon I was difficult to tell at the time!!


Cheers Rog

 

Well, given the numbers above...

Code:

Boiler Pressure  Bore  Stroke  Wheel Diameter    TE
           200   17.875       24       53           24,597

 

I took the full 18" bore, hence my slight overcalculation. All good fun though.

 

Haha don't worry, I was stood by the rear entrance of the shed and used the zoom on my camera, didn't fancy getting wet despite the heat!

 

3650's boiler has had it's preliminary out of frames steam test. A warming fire was lit on Tuesday 4th September and on Wednesday 5th, the boiler was brought to 160lb/sqin. Apart from a few fizzing stays and two that blew a small jet of steam, it was a very successful day. As of Saturday 8th, the boiler and smokebox have now been re-united with the frames. The next couple of weekends will see preparations for a full pressure steam test.
http://www.3650.co.uk "latest info" for more details.

 

There is no mention in the last SR about 3650's industrial livery.

 

Hope there's no change of plan - the industrial colours will look excellent !

 

One of the SR's editors contacted me a few weeks ago asking if we had a picture of 3650 in it's Stephenson Clarke LTD livery. I E-mailed him a copy of the one in the second post of this thread.
I would imagine that if they are going to use it, (well, hopefully anyway) it will be just prior to 3650 being launched for it's running in period.
We still have another steam test, plus assembly and inspection to complete, so are still a couple of months away yet. Yes, the plan still is to use the Stephenson Clarke livery for the running in period. One Didcot-ite suggested we use some of the paint left over from the King!! A bit bright for my liking, as it would take too long to dirty down. But we'll see what we can find.
Boiler is now in the frames. http://www.3650.co.uk "latest news" for pics.

 

You have to remeber though that this livery may be done in Blue, but some were in red at one time! If a decent blue, i cant wait to see it!

 

Have to admit I'm chuffed to bits about the industrial livery- it always bugs me that the same engine is deemed to be not appropriate in an industrial livery yet brilliant in a 'main line' livery - even though the paint alters none of the locomotives charechteristics.

What Didcot are doing is demonstrating another facet of GWR history - locos sold out of use to private concerns. Why do ex mainline industrials (with one or two worthy and short lived exceptions) always revert to mainline identities? I'm delighted to be doing GWR 813 as Backworth No. 12 later this week for the Tanfield gala though.

One final thought, we've had fictitous BR/GWR liveries applied to industrial locos - how about a fictitous NCB livery applied to a mainline tender engine? NCB Hall or Black Five anybody? China has loads of mainline design tender engines in colliery use today - so don't say it could never have happened! Count me in if you're looking for someone with a paintbrush (or has anyone got some good photoshop skills?)

 

after it has been run in will it be making visits oop north