35018 British India Line

Splendid as that deconsruction is, and I am utterly eviscerated by the way, it rather misses the point. Firstly, it is absolutely possible to hold an opinion without having been at the centre of events but one might choose not to, perhaps.
Secondly, and not for the first time, you singularly fail to grasp that a forum such as this is a medium to facilitate discussion which, sadly for your sensibilities I fear, will likely feature opinions and speculation.

 

Ian Riley's run out of pop corn, Spamcan has probably thrown himself in the frier screaming " I can't take any more, me, I'm just about to open my bottle of isey malt and reach for a straw, can we put it to bed now please. The crew must have considered it safe to proceed, and at the end of the day they were the ones who were there and knew the conditions .

 

As far as we can tell the loco is in very fine form apart from the steam leak. But it has gone out on a succession of test runs, and West Coast must be paying Network Rail a significant sum each time. That implies that they are working to fix the leak but that fixing it isn't proving easy. Can we just wish them power to their collective elbow to get it fixed?

 

This caught my eye!

 

Having nearly lost the will to live hearing poster's on here getting all steamed up, may I (with tongue firmly in cheek)
point out that the problem of forward vision is caused by water vapour, steam AIUI being invisible!

If the recent runs were taking place on a scorching summer day there would probably be little effect as superheated steam condenses more slowly.

Nevertheless I hope the boys (girls?) at Carnforth get lucky with the fettling soon.

 

Maybe the problem is historic?

https://www.flickr.com/photos/11381...-22dfKxu-25ja6z7-23VtL2u-6W5QgP-qi5MyW-dgTwFq

Not likely I know but there are enough pictures showing a leak on Flickr from the 60s...

 

isnt that spooky so, Was she withdrawn with that same leak ? and what ever was causing it was not found

 

That's draincocks, not the location of the recent optical illusion that happened to look like a leak...

 

Ahh maybe - I just saw a few pics of the leak on that side, go stick 35018 into flickr's search and have a look - I couldn't say one way or the other (not trying to cause wibble by the way!!) - just seemed odd when I saw hehe

 

there’s nothing coming out of the draincocks in that picture?

 

thats what i thought , the loco was withdrawn in the same year i believe, so is it possible that she was withdrawn with an existing problem somewhere in the steam circuit that might not have been at first realised until her test runs ? i'm sure Carnforth will get to the bottom of it .

 

You are correct, though the steam does seem to be coming from the area of the draincocks themselves. It suggests leakage from the steam supply which holds the draincocks shut. (hence nothing coming from the pipes) Still not coming from the valve cover area.

 

Should have posted these:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/blue-diesels/7326716992/in/photolist-r1LCUo-bqthNg-carkGL-bUDgHr

https://www.flickr.com/photos/blue-diesels/7159297479/in/photolist-r1LCUo-bqthNg-carkGL-bUDgHr

 

Not sure you can really draw much information about the current condition of a locomotive that is newly overhauled having spent the previous decades in derelict condition, based on random photographs of it in service 50 or more years ago.

Those photos show wisps of steam emerging from the glands - hardly a rare occurrence on steam locomotives, and since inevitably the rods will have been out, re-machined, new gland packings made and so on as part of the recent overhaul, I suspect indicative of precisely nothing about its current condition.

Tom

 

Do we know if the leak is coming from the "valve cover area" I'd stopped following this thread a while ago. - whilst it's pure speculation there is also the main steam pipe and the flange on the top of the cylinder to consider along with the integrity of the cylinder itself and the valve and cylinder covers attached. As I said many moons ago unless you get close up and personnel non of us can make any sort of diagnosis.

 

See above - I even said myself its probably not just saw it as a coincidence!!

 

Could I please draw attention to post 2723 by Big Al !!

 

Hang on - I posted a curiosity, not an inflammatory remark. Its a discussion forum - I felt it was an interesting discussion point. I might go back to lurking....