WHR Garrets

K1 is undergoing some long overdue maintenance to get to the bottom of some of the issues that have beset the loco. The valves were reset last year but steam leaks have continued. With the valves reset the performance was dramatically improved, with much better compounding.

The High pressure ball joint is now life expired. Patterns have been made to modify an NGG16 ball joint (principally four bolts not three to hold the clamp plate). The parts (new ball, socket and clamp plate) have been cast and are at Boston Lodge awaiting turning. There have been other steam leaks from the HP circuit, principally from the 'Y' pipe that enters the cylinders. Revised jointing is going to be tried to solve this one.

Steam also appears to have been leaking from the pendulum pipe that exhausts up the chimney.

The front pivot has developed play and it is intended to remove the pivot for further examination. To facilitate this at the last working party the front tank and footplate were removed. Other recent work has also included fitting a new cab floor. Work also continues on developing the charging circuit for the lights, utilising the overhauled turbo generator.

We've got a working party scheduled for this weekend where we hope to get the pivot out. I'll post an update next week.
Martin
K1 Group

 

Thanks Martin. Like to hear whats going on.

 

K1 Working Party Update

Just a quick update from last weekends working party. The front pivot was successfully removed from the locomotive and a temporary pivot installed, which will allow the locomotive to be moved. The pivot liner has excessive wear and a new liner will need to be made. Further work was done on assessing the High pressure steam circuit and preparing some repair schemes as well as preparing pipe runs for the steam generator.

A full report, with pictures, is available on the WHRS website K1 Working Parties

You will also find details of the K1 Group and forthcoming working parties here.

regards

Martin

 

As a matter of interest, how does better compounding manifest itself? Saving of fuel?

 

Well there is no simple engine of equivalent size to compare it against, so it would be difficult to tell. K1 saves a lot of fuel by not leaving the shed at the moment though. If the valves are set accurately this will use the steam more efficiently in any loco, saving fuel and water. On an articulated engine if all the valve events are even you get much better performance as the bogies can work together more efficiently. Just listen to a double engine setting off to hear how the bogies synchronise themselves. I would imagine in a loco where the two bogies are connected via compounding this would be even more important.

Tim