Taff Vale railway No 28

I think boilers are the same though 85 clearly has a taller smokebox due to the higher pitch.

 

Ok, let's get a couple more parameters into the mix. What are the design differences between the O1 and O2 class? One feels the answer is going to turn into an anti-climax after all this excitement...

 

"deeper buffer beams" - sorry I'm missing something

photos in a copy of "The Last Survivor" which I bought from the Gwili lads at Llangollen Spring Gala - only last year - shows
on page 5 " a view of O1 Class N0 102 with a rounded bottom to buffer beam and lined to suit
Actually No 102 was a Class 04 built by Beyer Peacock,so watch that one!

Page 6 shows the loco at Longmoor with original? buffer beam and TVR buffers

Page 7 shows the NCB rebuild now with four bolts on the edge of the buffer beam
could these be something to do with strengthening gussets?
were they there originally but countersunk?

Buffers
still retaining TVR buffers until at least 1963
sometime swapped for Dean taper buffers - why I wonder?!

 

The O1 boiler is pressed to 150 psi and the O2 boiler to 160 psi although I admit that they could be otherwise identical.

 

85 has single bar motion instead
of the conventional four bar valve guides and has smaller diameter trailing wheels.

(Oh and some nice brass trim on the splashers to make up for the driver being on the wrong side ).

 

Well, there seems to be more differences than those highlighted within an interview with T. Hurry Riches in Railway Magazine back in 1902, and articles published in Railway Observer during the 1930s. This is going to be more of a case of 'please tell us the difference between the O1 and O2 classes' competition at this rate!

Anyway, will have to re-consult said articles for the actual measurements, but barring any modifications made subsequently to each locomotive, the differences I was thinking simply related to trailing wheel diameter and firebox area.

So Lester Brown gets the Kudos...

 

According to RCTS 10, as far as I can work out ( the way the book is laid out its difficult to make comparisons between O1 & O2 without tabulating N, O, U and U1 as well!)
Motion
Boiler pitch
Boiler pressure
Trailing wheels
Heating surface is unclear in RCTS: The Taff Vale had a standard boiler across the majority of their classes including O1 & O2, although working pressure was increased on later models (and sometimes reduced when the boiler wasn't in great condition). RCTS lists the same firebox h/s on both classes as built. However there was a change in the tubes and heating surfaces on the Taff Vale std boiler, and RCTS isn't clear on whether all boilers were updated. Can we have a volunteer to count the current number of tubes in each boiler to see if they are the same or not!

 

I didn't know there was a difference in the fireboxes. Were the O2s able to have a flatter grate due to the higher boiler pitch?

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I recall that Eric Mountford said the standard boilers were all designed for 160lb but that the valves were set to 150lb on the lighter engines. Her may however have been referring to the replacement boilers fitted to most classes after about 1915. It is notable that according to the RCTS only the O2 class weren't fitted with replacement boilers (though only 2 years newer than the O1 class so perhaps there was a difference in their fireboxes. However it is said that the later O3 class, with fireboxes deeper at the back, were rebuilt with new boilers so I don't really know the significance of that, assuming it is correct that the o2s weren't rebuilt (some were sent away for 'repair').

In 1983 the insurance inspector insisted that the safety valves had to be set to the designed pressure shown on the boiler record for 28 so the safety valves were ste to lift at 160lb rather than 150!

The number of tubes isn't really an indication of an original or replacement boiler as some of the original boilers had a couple of extra tubes added.

Sadly I can no longer remember how many tubes 28 has though I'm sure I did count them when expanding the firebox end many of them around 1981!

 

There is further news on the project and some upto date photos on our Facebook page.
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Taff-Vale-Railway-No28/120857981436218

 

Another couple of photos taken of 28 outside before entering the paintshops at Pentrefelin C&W have been added. This will hopefully be the last time the engine will be seen in this condition.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Taff-Vale-Railway-No28/120857981436218

 

Taff Vale 28/GWR 450 is due to be unveiled to the waiting world at the Llangollen 'Croes Newydd 84J' Gala. It will be the first time the locomotive will have been on public display in around 20 years, and the first time it has been seen in GWR livery since 1927. The Welsh Train Project looks forward to meeting and greeting anyone and everyone attending the gala who's interested in keeping up to date this project's progress. The locomotive is due to move to the Gwili Railway for static display in time for the start of the main season on 12 April.

 

Very fine she looks in the photos on your Facebook page!

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Well done. Very worthy achievement.

 

Heard from a project team member at Llangollen last weekend that the loco is going to be on display in Cardiff - any news?

 

see
http://sirgarblog.blogspot.co.uk/2014/04/historic-steam-locomotive-to-pay-visit.html?spref=fb

 

Plans changed . See below

 

GWR 450/TVR 28 has now returned to the city of its birth for a brief photo opportunity outside the Coal Exchange at a revised time of 9AM tomorrow. Last known movement was Junction 33 on the M4 (Cardiff West). The locomotive will overnight at a secure location to be revealed after the event (naturally, we don't want people sneaking in and nicking bits of locomotive!). There will also be coverage on BBC Wales, and a radio interview on BBC Radio Cymru. With a bit of luck, this will raise the profile of the locomotive amongst the general public!

 

I can confirm she is now safely tucked up safely in her secure over night storage space.

 

Some fun and games in Cardiff this morning...

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Taff-Vale-Railway-No28/120857981436218

Thanks go to Brain's Brewery for allowing us to store the locomotive overnight in their yard.