Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway General Discussion

For a company not exactly best known for steam loco production, Davey Paxman's output hasn't half lasted well!

 

I think Henry Greenly must take quite alot of the credit for that. If you look at the thickness of the frames and scale them up to full size (x3) then you realise River Esk and the Romney engines were substantially built.

 

The transfers are on the tender now.

 

Now she looks finished

 

Proper job!

 

Built like battleships is one phrase I heard used.

 

Esk had her party on Saturday and is now in regular service. She burns very little coal compered with before and the other locos. Has the speed and power to do anything asked of her, she is quiet even working hard and being called the stealth engine. It is to people like Chapelon, Porta, Wardale and Girdlestone that development and future development work that I persue is based and it's totally vindicated by such results. Everything in the modifications and upgrades worked well and straight out of the box. We've taught many people many things. I only went to the Ratty for 8 weeks. 4 years later I am moving on to other things leaving the railway's locos in afar better state than when I came and Esk returned from its foisilised state.

 

Deleted.

 

Nigel, it has been a pleasure having you at the railway during these last 4 years of struggle, so I would like to congratulate you on what you and your team have achieved while you have been here.

 

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLh8qt5lzrubE7_UJLWmYe8PnMPjMkbIl-
My video playlist from the last 15 months

 

First of my videos from the weekend

 

Can someone please explain the valve gear on River Irt?

 

Possibly ..... although I can't! It's certainly a legacy of the loco's original incarnation as Sir Arthur Heywood's 0-8-0t Muriel and predates widespread adoption of Walschaert's gear, is less susceptible to damage from near ground level obstructions on industrial and agricultural rights of way, is more easily accessed than inside valve gear (which wouldn't be usable on locos featuring his radial axle system in any event) and reflects his objective to spread practical workaday 15" 'minimim gauge' installations to both the military and niche markets which couldn't justify the cost of larger NG kit. Bagnall, Baguley and Kerr Stuart (at least) also adopted a broadly similar approach, for reasons of easier maintenance.

 

According to Howard Clayton's book (The Duffield Bank and Eaton Railways, Oakwood Press , 1968) the valve gear was a modification of a valve gear devised by Mr Charles Brown of the Swiss Locomotive Works, Winterthur. Sir Arthur Heywood did not want to use overhanging eccentrics. Sir Arthur's valve gear did suffer from the disadvantage that, like Hackworth gear, it was affected by vertical movement of the axle but from examination of pictures this effect would be less than with Hackworth's gear. Rubber pads were used for suspension instead of springs to limit the movement of the axle. The valve gear certainly seemed to be a simple and robust arrangement. The fact that it has survived on Muriel/River Irt for 124 years suggests that it is a good design.

 

Thanks for that. Now does anyone have an explanation of how it works and/or some diagrams?

 

I found an animation on You Tube .

The valve gear appears to have a vertical link similar to Hackworth valve gear but the vertical component is taken from the pin joint at the connection of 2 links, one attached to the connecting rod and the other to a swinging arm. This arrangement reduces the errors caused by vertical movement of the axle

 

These are extracts from "The Narrow Gauge no 128" it talks of Heywoods and Greenly's work on Muriel and some of Esk.