6024 King Edward I - Overhaul progress

Has anybody got any updates on 6024's overhaul as by the time we reach April 2016 she will have been out of traffic for over 4 years.

 

The owners website (icons of steam) suggests she'll be back in 2017. Looking at the Facebook page it seems its been a big job - two new outside cylinders cast presumably aiming to reduce gauging issues. So its not just the normal overhaul.

 

I always assumed you were Japanese by your name KEI...Now I get it

 

Nice to see the frames of 6024 have been reunited with her wheels at Minehead:
http://cgibin.wsr.org.uk/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?h=Latest+pictures&t=pics#

Sent from my D6603 using Tapatalk

 

Further to what ive read in't steam beano.
The new slimmer outside cylinders will be bored to 15.3/4 inches.... with the inside cylinders lined up accordingly... ok then... But Q ?
on a 4 cylinder loco when one inside and one outside cylinder effectively work in the same phase, is it strictly necessary that the thrust from each matches exactly.. ?
Then goes on about turning the tyres down to retain the high tractive effort... which for that reason is ludicrous -so its pretending not to be what it is, an over boilered castle ... though keeping the overall height down will be of benefit

 

Any difference in thrust between the inside and outside cylinders will be transmitted into the frames, but it will be considerably less than for 2 or 3 cylinder engine.

 

Yes, indeed, but as this is the GWR its probably got the same ( excellent) axle boxes as a 28xx, 47xx, etc so would that really be a problem... ?
On the wheels im thinking - A slight modification to the 1014 wheel Pattern would allow the use of 6ft 3 inch wheels with full thickness tyres rather than 6ft 6's with thin tyres... which would probably pay for itself after the first couple of sets of tyres... Still be able to run at 75, still have bags of TE, be slightly less tall to boot. ( brake rigging might need a bit of ...adjustment)

 

I'm just wondering if the same patterns could be used to cast a set of "in gauge" cylinders for 6023. Obviously it won't be quite that easy (new pistons etc.), but are there any other differences?

 

I wouldn't be surprised if the King couldn't be fitted with smaller driving wheels without having to make significant changes to the bogie area. I also wonder if the new cylinders are in gauge, or merely less out of gauge - all depending on what gauge is in use...

 

As someone who works on 6024, it ain't easy at all. The castings are not cheap, the machining is complex (the company that did ours has now closed) new cylinder covers, possibly new pistons, complex lining up and reaming of holes for fitted bolts, not something to take lightly. One of the problems is that inside the frames are the exhaust saddle and a motion bracket. This precludes drilling from inside, and the shape of the cylinder does the same from the outside for many of the fixings.

Rob

 

How ridiculous of me to forget that there' s a limit to how low the loco sits, namely the bogie, though full size tyres at a 6ft 3 is very close to life expired on 6ft 6.
So to recap onto making your King Gauge friendly. Smaller outside cylinders, smaller inside cylinders to match and shallower frames forward towards allowing the Loco. to sit slightly lower, smaller driving wheels; shorter chimney and bonnet, .... its a long way to go unless all you had to start with in the first place was a boiler... could be a very useful engine though.

 

I'm not sure how I feel about butchering a GWR icon so much that it becomes less Kingly. Gauge friendly King new build perhaps?!!

That would be faux-king awesome!

 

I think before very long you get something that's so unlike a King as to be pointless. In theory, I suppose, you could design a vaguely GWR like locomotive with say County sized wheels, Star outside cylinders, Castle boiler etc to get well within modern loading gauges, but I can't imagine who would finance constructing it.

 

A sort of "Best of the GWR" compilation?

 

A new build gauge friendly King.....

4021?

 

As the origins of the "Fitz" prefix on certain surnames related to the activities of Kings (and other nobility), maybe it should be a Fitz Class and have appropriate loco names to go with it.

 

No one mentioned a Castle boiler (surely that would go to the 47xx lot) and Star Cylinders are a lot smaller ?
But you could probably ' Re Imagine' a gauge friendly castle with 6ft 6 wheels and slightly smaller cylinders...
never going to happen... but then again neither is making the loading gauge bigger for these beasts.

No doubt they will Have a Larger gauge for HS2 just to make sure that 'off the shelf' French designs can be used on it that wont fit anywhere else in the UK and your brass bobbins can run a train on that... itll never get past Birmingham anyway.

 

The thought had occurred to me. A smaller King is just a Castle by reason of de-evolution, and there are already a few of them getting around, so if you are going to the trouble you might as well make a Star.

 

Aren't there enough new build GWR 4-6-0's already?

 

Fitzanywhere rather than Fitznowhere?