Brighton Atlantic: 32424 Beachy Head

There's the Nord Atlantic 2.670 at Mulhouse:

http://www.martynbane.co.uk/2003Trips/AlsaceLorraine/museum2.htm
http://www.panoramio.com/photo/17061010

 

I've heard the Ivatt C12 class referred to as Atlantic tanks but that's all.

 

Interesting comments further down, that the semi streamlined
4-4-0 was seen as a success.

 

It is also rumoured that, rather than simply preparing it for display, Swindon Works gave 4073 a complete C1 overhaul.

 

The same is said of Crewe Works and 46235, of course

 

A quick update, culled from the pages of the supporters' magazine, and mostly just things that leapt out at me as interesting or noteworthy. Some of this may be old news as it covers about the last six months.

- The pistons have been assembled (these are hollow, based on BR Standard practice) and assembled onto the piston rod; the piston rod in turn is inserted into the crosshead.
- There is a cotter that holds the piston rod to the crosshead. Uniquely on Beachy Head, this cotter was driven in at 45° to the horizontal, and this detail has been replicated on the loco. On all the other locos, the cotter was driven in horizontally. There is an old photo here (from August last year) which shows the alignment of the cotter, before the piston rod was fitted.
- All the motion parts have been completed and are assembled between the frames. From the pictures, only the connecting rods and coupling rods need fitting, after final machining.
- The loco is down on its wheels in essentially its final position, and the lifting frames have been completely removed.
- Most of the valencing and splashers have been completed. Where originally the valence was riveted to the running plate with flush-headed rivets, these have been replaced with flush-headed bolts to easy future maintenance. These bolts have been very carefully shaped to be very slightly proud of the surface, rather than completely flush, to reproduce the original rivets, which in photographs are shown to be similarly prominent rather than completely flush.
- The curved parts of the valence (which is 5" x 3" x 0.5" angle) had to be fabricated from strip, as it is no longer possible to bend to the right profile from angle section, as was done in 1910!

So in effect, everything between the frames is complete except for some pipework for the sanders.

There has been further work on the brake system, and a test rig has been built to test all the components, of which more in the next issue. The basic system will have a vacuum brake for operating a train with a proportional valve to apply the loco's air brakes when the vacuum brake is operated. When running light engine, there will be an air brake for the loco.

Finally, there is a new component sponsorship list - see here: http://www.bluebell-railway.me.uk/atlanticsponsorship.pdf

Tom

 

Amazing progress. What is the situation with the tender?

 

Still underframe only. I suspect that, for space reasons, the tender body will be towards the last tasks completed.

As I recall, there is an open weekend coming up to allow progress to be seen close up - I think in late June.

Tom

 

In my experience, the crosshead cotters are usually fitted at about 45 degrees. This is 2968 0n 24th July 2007.

 

I read the crosshead cotter reference as being in comparison with the other Brighton atlantics, not general practice.

 

Indeed. I meant that Beachy Head was the only Brighton Atlantic with its cotters that way, not the only loco ever.

The significance for me really is it just an example of the attention to detail in the project, for having noticed there is a difference in the first place, and then replicating it. Cue complaints about how it will limit scope for authentic future renumberings!

Tom

 

Right, James, thanks for that clarification. I thought it strange for you to make a statement which wasn't wholey correct.

 

I'm flattered!

One of the things I find interesting, at a kind of historical level, is why the design was changed. Beachy Head wasn't the first Atlantic, nor was it the last. (It was the fourth of six, or the ninth of eleven, depending on your point of view). So for some reason, someone decided to change the design, and then change it back again. OK, it's a minuscule change, but it still takes some thinking through, for example changing the way the crosshead is finished, and checking alignments to ensure that a fitted cotter could be removed (which, in this alignment, it can, but only with some difficulty - whether access from behind is easier or harder in the alternate arrangement I don't know). I don't suppose now there is any record of why such a change was made and then reverted, even though presumably it was design, not accident. I guess that's why we all find steam locomotives such quirky, soulful things!

Tom

 

You might be over estimating the amount of design input that went into that variation. In the modern engineering world there'd be fully detailed configured drawings, with inspections to drawing, certificates of conformity and a stack of quality documentation for the locomotive as whole which would significantly increase the all-up weight. In my job (non-railway) I'd be chasing half a dozen signatures to get a deviation like that cotter approved without having to scrap the crosshead.

From the accounts I've read of erecting shop work in steam days, the gangs had a fair degree of autonomy and something like that cotter would presumably have had the slot machined (or even filed) to suit as part of the job. So the gang building Beachy Head might have decided to make the change, for whatever reason that seemed good to them, but they also may not have built another Atlantic, leaving Beachy Head as the only example with that variation. Just an idea.

I'm looking forward to seeing Beachy Head finished, not just as a Brighton Atlantic but also because she's the nearest we'll get to seeing an Ivatt Atlantic in its final Gresley-modified form actually working.

 

That's definitely a possibility. When a search for drawings was initially made, it seems that quite a number of things were never drawn but were simply left down to the fitters in the shops to complete as they saw fit, so maybe this is one of them.

Tom

 

More than that. Apart from when 2999 is running in 4-4-2 mode, it will be the only working standard gauge Atlantic in the country. In fact, along with 30120 and 2999, it will be one of very few working express locos to represent the late Victorian/Edwardian period, albeit a replica. We have some delightful working 0-6-0 tender engines from that era, such as the Bluebell's C class, Caley 828 or the Y14/J15 on the NNR. We also have some fine pre-grouping tank engines, but with the express passenger locos tending to bite the dust sooner, only those selected by the BTC for the national collection survived and the NRM looks unlikely to sanction a return to steam for the likes of City of Truro, Butler-Henderson or the Midland Compound, so 32424 will arguably be one of few representatives of a whole era - and a very elegant era at that as far as locomotive design is concerned.

 

Whilst there is no doubt that the Brighton Atlantic will be operational well before GCR 4-4-0 No567, progress on the construction of this locomotive is moving forward. The subscribers to the project have been advised via the regular news letter that an order has been placed for the cutting, machining and bending of the main frame plates and the supply of other frame platework which will when delivered to Ruddington Locomotive Works be erected during 2015 as the first major assembly of the locomotive construction.

GCR 567 Locomotive Project

 

The last news of this loco build on your website is from Dec 2013 - may I respectfully suggest that a more up to date website (perhaps with more info on the loco type, parts acquired, work in progress etc), would perhaps attract more investors and thereby speed up the build process.


Keith

 

We have an ironic situation, the progress of the project has not been constrained by availability of funds, and is perhaps proof of the proposition that web site alone is no indication of the viability or substance of the project. The engineering work that has and is going into ensuring that the locomotive is built without the weaknesses inherent in the original build, and best suited to work on todays' heritage railways has consumed many hours. This and the fact that key figures in the management of the project have other priorities connected with the operation and development of the northern half of the GCRN means that the project is not moving as quickly as some. The status of the website is being addressed, but news will always be passed to subscribers before it is posted to the wider audience. Thanks for your comments which we acknowledge.