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Pannier 3650

Discussion in 'Steam Traction' started by Rlangham, Jun 26, 2007.

  1. gz3xzf

    gz3xzf Member

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    I have had an E-mail from Pannier Tank this evening saying that 3650 was test steamed today and moved under its own power for the first time after some 40 odd years. He is going write a longer report when he has had a shower and some rest, so watch this space. \:D/ \:D/
     
  2. gwr4090

    gwr4090 Part of the furniture

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    Excellent news, and congratulations to the 3650 team. By my reckoning, it becomes the 97th of the 144 surviving GWR standard gauge locos to steam in preservation.

    David
     
  3. simon

    simon Resident of Nat Pres

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  4. JAB

    JAB New Member

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    Great news. Only 47 left, then (Lode Star - one day [-o< )
     
  5. Kerosene Castle

    Kerosene Castle Well-Known Member

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    Oh dear, this can't be right!! Are you sure they haven't just changed the plates on the other one again?

    Well, 2007 has certainly been the year of the pannier - at least in Didcot.

    Mind you, a little birdie tells me that it's not actually a pannier at the mo...
     
  6. Pannier Man

    Pannier Man Member

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    3 October 2007 - 3650 moves under own power

    Well I guess we are a cabrolet pannier at the moment, and maybe not quite a pannier for that matter, but...

    [​IMG]

    There were several things we needed to prove, the boiler for one. Preliminary steam test was only to 160lb.sqin. We also needed to prove the safety valves which were calibrated at Swindon 20 years ago (spot on at 200lb/sqin). All the new cab fittings and the regulator which was machined by us some 15 years ago!
    Having rigged up a temporary injector, we thought we might as well put the steam pipes in and prove the motion as well, all of which has been re-metalled and re-bushed over the years.
    The fun bit in proving the motion is.... the wheels go round!
    Anyway,... back into the workshop now to fit the lagging, cladding, cab and loads of pipework (all of which are ready and waiting). Then one more final steam test to prove we've cured some annoying front tubeplate rivets. Once these are OK we can complete assembly (tanks etc). Mind you, at one day a week, there's still a few weeks work to go yet.
     
  7. Kerosene Castle

    Kerosene Castle Well-Known Member

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    You know, if you put the Manor's tender behind it, it would almost pass as a Dean goods.

    It certainly has made a lot of progress these last few months.

    Great stuff!
     
  8. Alex

    Alex Well-Known Member

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    Hi

    Where is the loco intended to run when its complete? Is it going on hire anywhere?

    Alex
     
  9. Broomhalla

    Broomhalla Well-Known Member

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    That be one wired looking pannier tank. Something from the Victorian times perhaps? But seriously well done to everyone involved with the project to get her steaming again.
     
  10. Pannier Man

    Pannier Man Member

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    Dean goods,... now theres a thought Ciaran. I'm getting used to working on 0-6-0's now, wonder where we could find one? LOL. It would compliment the 53 nicely!! (and dare I say - the Saint - well one day maybe)

    It's always the same, you spend years building a kit of bits, then suddenly put the kit together. The secret is in getting the timing right I suppose. You don't want things held up waiting for a particular bit. We needed the "piano lid" cylinder/steam chest cover the other week and no one could remember where we'd put it. Found it eventually in the King's van where we'd stored it years ago!!

    Although 3650 is a privately owned loco, it will always be based at Didcot. Let's face it, we owe the GWS everything. We've been working on it at Didcot for nearly 20 years, with use of all the facilities. What ever the GWS would like it to do 3650 and team will be more than happy to accomodate. Double headed panniers, pannier weekends etc. Luckily enough Didcot will have two panniers for a good few years so once they've exhausted the possibilities, of course we'd like to stretch our legs and make both 3650 and the Society some much needed income. 3650 has received several invites over the years. But for now, lets just get it finished, proved and run in. Plenty of time with a 10 year ticket to play at home and away.
     
  11. Rlangham

    Rlangham Well-Known Member

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    Sorry about the late reply, but looking very good guys, well done
     
  12. 75F

    75F New Member

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    The boilers of the 57XX panniers and the Dean goods are identical except that the Dean Goods has a small superheater (1 row, 6 flues). Also it runs at 180 psi rather than to 200 psi of the panniers. The Manor tender is larger than that fitted to the Dean Goods, which had only 2500 gal capacity and weighed about 34 tons full.
    It would be nice to see a pannier steamed up to the maximum sustainable rate which the Dean Goods has been shown to be capable of, no less than 13,700 lb/hr. Hardly feasible due to water supply problems and it would need a good 8-coach train to absorb the power without excessive speed but the idea tickles me.
     
  13. kesbobby

    kesbobby Member

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    Bring it to the KESR and put it up Tenterden bank with 5 on. That should see what it is made of.....!
     
  14. stepney60

    stepney60 Nat Pres stalwart

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    Little question looking at that picture, what did you do for water? I can't imagine HSE / insurers etc would allow you to run it without capacity to get more water ino the boiler? Was there a means of supplying water for injectors?
     
  15. Kerosene Castle

    Kerosene Castle Well-Known Member

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    There is an adapter which fits onto the feed pipe, the other end of which has a fire hose connection. This allows the injector to work from a hydrant.


    I can't say I was being all that serious.
     
  16. Pannier Man

    Pannier Man Member

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    [​IMG] [​IMG]

    This should give you a better idea of how we kept the boiler topped up. Injector is connected to a hydrant stand pipe with a fire hose,... the delivery pipe which normaly lays along the top of the tank, is supported by timber. The move was undertaken when the railway centre was closed to the public, but we felt was necessary to prove a few items that were restored some years ago and some that are brand new.

    Both of the short video's are also on 3650's website http://www.3650.co.uk "latest news" page.
    As a further update, 3650 is now back in the works at Didcot having had the cab roof fitted, and will now have all the lagging and cladding fitted over the coming weeks, with one more steam test before putting on the tanks.
    Incidently, 3650 is pictured in Steam railway for the 3rd month in a row (SR342 page 9) They've actually printed what I asked, which confirms 3650 will outshop initially in blue. We've also now taken delivery of the red "STEVENSON CLARKE LTD" graphics! It's in Steam Railway, ergo, it must be true, LOL!!
    Watch this space or http://www.3650.co.uk for further info.
     
  17. colinjamesporter

    colinjamesporter New Member

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    I wonder if Bachmann will ever do one of their panniers in Private owned liverys. 3650 could be an interesting subject for a model in these colours.
    Cheers colin
     
  18. Autotank

    Autotank Member

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    Are the tanks on yet? Any idea of a relaunch date?

    Must get down next year to see 3650 and the Mogul.
     
  19. Pannier Man

    Pannier Man Member

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    Sorry for the late reply,... been a bad couple of months for me , knee operation and then a bereavement in the family, but here goes.
    Cab roof is fitted, all the backhead lagging and cladding is fitted. I am currently fitting all the pipework (vacuum, steam heat, lubrication, gauges etc) that were made some years ago, to all the cab controls and fittings. These probably amount to somewhere in the region of 30 or so pipes ranging from a 6" length of lubrication pipe from the "J" cock to the "W" valve, to pipes that run the length of the boiler under the cladding.
    The main boiler cladding sheets were made last year to fit the crinolines. What are crinolines? Well in the good old days, the boiler would have been lagged using an asbestos mix that was applied in a similar manner to plaster. The cladding was then "strapped on" to this hard plaster like finish. These days we have to use fibreglass sheet, and to support it and stop the lagging moving and hence the cladding, a metal frame work is built around the boiler to fix the cladding to. This is the crinolines. To make everything fit over what is a soft squishy insulating sheet, takes a bit of tweeking here and there. The lagging comes in rolls 2" thick. In some places the full 2" is used, in others it needs to be thinner. So at the moment, we're still fitting the boiler cladding and lagging. There will be one more steam test before the tanks are fitted, as once the tanks are in place, there is a lot of areas of the boiler we can't get to, so we want to be 100% happy rather than have to take the tanks off again.
    The last two weeks has seen Didcot reaching -3C at times and with no heating in the works, you can understand why things have slowed down. The only way of warming hands that have been numbed by prolonged contact with metal at low temperature, is to wrap them around a nice cup of hot tea!
    Still,... the new year will see us nearing completion of the lagging and cladding and maybe the end of Jan our last steam test before fitting the tanks. Mind you, we then have to set up the suspension, go round everything checking for joints, split pins, packing and 1001 other things. Back end of the spring / begining of summer may see us venturing forth in our running in Blue livery.
    Watch here for updates, experience tells us there's usually one step backwards for every two forwards, so no official date yet!!
     
  20. Pannier Man

    Pannier Man Member

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    [​IMG]
    Saturday 29th March 2008.
    3650 sits in "Didcot Halt" with the garden of remembrance in the background
    to pay last respects at the scattering of team member Barrie Warr's ashes.

    No we didn't steam over to the branch platform, look closer and you can see that the top feed pipes and their covers around the tanks plus the handrails are still to be fitted, but before that we need to lift the dome cover and lag the dome properly. The dome was the last thing that Barrie Warr worked on so we fitted it just for this occation.
    One minor draw back we've had at the last test steaming, is that a crack has appeared in the small bronze three way adapter that screws into the fountain and takes one of the "J" cocks and the lubricator warming cock. While 4965 ‘Rood Aston Hall’ was at Didcot we mentioned it to a well known Birmingham engineer who happens to have a pattern. Mr Meanley Snr will hopefully ring Didcot in the next few weeks to tell us there is a new casting ready for us to collect and machine. Still no finish date yet. We still have to set up the suspension and apply for our final inspection. Once the handrails are fitted there's a good chance that the temporary blue industrial livery may start to appear.
     

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