Manning Wardles "YEO" and "EXE" new-build

The link is
www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p06g39rr
And is about 25 minutes in.
Recently went to a talk on the Bloodhound rocket car project and how children are following it boosting interest in science.

Although not as high tech this project could also, if presented right help children's interest in science and history.

 

In the interview Peter Miles mentions having drawings that are "old fashioned" and needing to be re-done in CAD. What drawings were used for Lyd? Are they not suitable?

 

Lyd's drawings are derived from Eastleigh Tracings of Lew that are in the care of Barry Curl. While, at a glance, Lyd is a Manning Wardle there's a few subtle differences that make it a Ffestiniog Engine. I suspect the L&B want to make something a bit more "true to original" while still changing internal gubbins.

A lot of the initial work was done in the 90s as well, so the CAD drawings might be a bit out of date format-wise.

 

... and in this situation, where manufacturing and assembly of components is to be distributed - perhaps country-wide, the ability to rapidly amend and distribute CAD files electronically to all involved should save time and money.

 

you can get some nice secondhand books on amazon at a good price,the glossy soft backs from the l&b shop are also good as is catchpole,'celebration' has some good photo's but in my opinion is rather over priced

 

It's also important to remember that any existing CAD drawings need modified to include the original MW cab shape anyway. I gather the full drawings and patterns for Lyd have been made available by James Evans to help with the project though.

Barry Curl from Durley in Hampshire, he passed on a few years ago, so I suspect the drawings are in the care of someone else now.

 

Ah what a shame. Well, we know they're somewhere in good hands at least!

 

Spoke to a friend who knows James Evans ('Mr Lyd' for want of a better name!) this morning and mentioned it. Apparently J.E. has the original Eastleigh drawings - and all the drawings he produced for Lyd were completed in the traditional manner (i.e. no CAD in sight!!).

Looking forward to the MW project being formally launched, hope I will be able to manage some pennies towards it as well.

 

That is mostly nonsense. I've just spent 3 days on it and the fuel economy was not encouraging. There are no roller bearings, multijet exhaust, piston valves, or gas producer box.

Actual useful improvements I would make are.

1. Moving the injectors outside the frames. You can't actually take them off unless the loco is 4 days cold at the moment and the fireman can't see the overflow. This isn't good as the loco is so loud you can't hear the injectors pick up.

2. Modifying the pony truck design. Currently they don't seem to do much steering. The side control is mounted high up above the axle. Most locos have the side control inline with the axle.

3. Improve the rear frame design to incorporate a better ashpan. The current one has very poor access. It seems very restrictive of airflow from the front which frequently leads to clinker forming at the front of the grate.

4. Better lubrication. 200psi, superheaters and slide valves are not a good combo. Lyd now has a mechanical lubricator to address this.

5. Better cab layout. Why is everything on the bloody floor! Make the back windows open too. It's really stuffy going backwards.

6. Pilot valve is too small. This doesn't make for an easy transition to main valve. The jump is too big.

7. You might be able to incorporate roller bearings in some parts however the clearances on some bits of the valves gear are very small. So space might be an issue.

Tim

 

I think the reference to roller bearings, piston valves etc are for 'Lyn' to give an idea of what the 762 club can do.

The points for improvement that you make above all seem very sensible and would lead to a much more user friendly loco - I think some of these ideas were mentioned in the Steam Railway article as being planned by the FR for the next Lyd overhaul. I would assume that the L&B/762 club will also take these ideas into account.

Keith

 

Priced at £9:95p edition 5 is the current release of Brown, Prideaux & Radcliffe published by the L&BR Trust (Surrey Support Group). During my visit to the railway not so long ago I delivered a further quantity of these books to the shop at Woody Bay. But to satisfy anyone visiting the L&BR Autumn Gala, I will ensure that the book is also available on the Surrey Support Group stand (located in the marquee) at this event.

The book comprises 163 pages with numerous photographs, maps and drawings. The final chapter details and illustrates with colour photographs the early years of the preservation era.

 

Has anyone tried Glacier DU bushes on loco valve gear? These are sintered bronze/PTFE wrapped bush. They are not good as axle bearing or coupling/connecting rod bushes. However I tried them on a miniature loco valve gear and there is very little wear after 30 years. No lubrication is required and they have a small profile. When I fitted them I thought they were cutting edge technology then found that the had been fitted to some steam turbine valve control linkages in the early 1960s

 

The FR has used something similar in valve gear bushes for many years now. Basically oil impregnated bronze alloy brushes. Available off the shelf, just press the old one out and put a new one in when they wear out. They are also now using Vesconite bushes in coupling and connecting rods on the NGG16s. Most of the brakegear on coaches and locos now also uses plastic bushes.

Tim

 

Yes - I used them on various parts of valve gear on a 2ft gauge steam loco. I recalled going to Glacier's when doing my engineering apprenticeship many years previously, and finding the sintering process quite fascinating. But I also cheated and drilled through the oil holes. No significant wear 30 years on. But I would hesitate to use them on driving surfaces, only driven.

 

Yes, I agree that their use on driving surfaces are questionable. I tried them on coupling and connecting rods and they seemed to wear quite quickly. I have had much better results with whitemetal. Jim Ewins fitted them to the axleboxes of his 5" gauge 9f and while wear did not seem to be a problem the friction level was quite high. He researched this and found that friction levels increased at some loads.

 

So the Manning Wardle project was launched in a blaze of glory last year and we all cheered and got ready to reach into our pockets. But then nothing.....
Anyone know what's going on?

 

Indeed, the 762 club website hasn't been updated with any loco news since June last year - let's hope the club members are being kept informed about Lyn otherwise there will be a lot of unhappy club members and worse still, a lot of potential investors walking away!
I do find it strange that there was apparently a good enough plan to convince Steam Railway to cough up for the nameplates, but yet nothing appears to have happened since. There could've been a fair amount in a bank account if the group had launched a covenantor scheme last year in conjunction with the Steam Railway publicity, but now the impetus has been lost.

Keith

 

Apperently there's an article in steam railway in mays edition regarding the fact that over £50,000 has currently been raised,

How true that is I do not know. But either way it's a shame the website hasn't been updated for everyone to see for the previous year

 

Is it true ive read somewhere that yeo 1 of these locos is been built at north derbyshire at a private engineers works as well, by any chance is it the chesterfield railway modellers narrow gauge society Pheraps?

 

It has been a while since any updates on this project, but on July 4th, the 762 Club website has been revamped, with the 762 LYN project moved to the archive, and today sees the latest project update news on both YEO and EXE: https://762club.com/news