Industrial Loco Updates

It's a funny kind of thing but the uses of Sentinels on Road and Rail are entirely different, on the road they are something of a 'Hotrod' leaving Traction engines behind and confusing the TE owners, but on Rail they tend to be yard shunters and similar, Unfortunately due to the different uses some loco's have lost their engines and boilers to Road Waggons.

 

I think you have to consider more things than just cost and reliability on a preserved railway. One of the big issues is crew familiarity. On the F&WHR 95% of trains are now crewed by volunteers. Having one loco on a different system can throw up all sorts of problems. Especially when some crews are only doing 10 days a year.

The gas producer system on Linda in the 80s worked really well. The system is especially good for locos working right on the steaming limit like Linda. One of the things that scuppered it was that the railway moved away from regular paid crews, and relied more on volunteers. So the regulars had it going like a rocket one day, and then someone unfamiliar would get on and cock it up completely.

So there's a balancing act. Gas producer works well, especially if you have poor quality coal and hard working locos. But if does have downsides especially if you're adding another variable to a complicated loco fleet.

Some of the NGG16a modifications are incoprated on the WHR though. Master mechanics spark arrestors for example. 87 also has the lempor exhaust and improved steam pipes. Most people don't seem to think it makes much difference though.

Tim

 

Many thanks to those who have replied to my question about firebar damage and overheating ashpans.

 

Are the ashpans quoted above dowsed with cold water after fire cleaning to stop ash flying about , its a horrible job when the winds in the wrong direction ,I 've seen men covered in white ash from top to toe. However water dowsing was banned by the loco foreman who said it warped the ash pan plates. The ash pans were home made in the blacksmiths shop ,blacksmith also had something to say when he saw it being done. The foreman moved on, and ash pan swilling out became the norm, it did make some difference ,the sliding plate on the floor /bottom of the ashpan became bent and warped making it not usable. It was, before then ,slid out for fire cleaning.

 

A conversation elsewhere has reminded me that the Hunslet Austerity locomotives fitted with mechanical stokers also had a gas producer system installed which piped steam from the stoker into the ashpan. There was also a takeoff from the blastpipe into the ashpan and a supply of live steam controlled by the regulator handle which was open when the regulator was shut. The purpose of all these was to give a relatively cool firebed so, arguably, introducing steam into the ashpan was a Hunslet approved modification.

 

Bagnall 2746 The Duke

LMS report further progress: the last of the sling stays has been fitted to the firebox crown, enabling fitting of the internal steam pipes from the dome to the backhead. The regulator rod, valve and gland have been remade and should be steam tightThe new front tubeplate is ready to fit and will be put into place after the New Year. Meanwhile, our latest fundraising effort has arrived; a van from Dapol, in the livery of Joseph Miller & Co, Flour Producers and Importers of Old Windmill Sidings, Buggleskelly. The theory is that the principal villain One Eyed Joe eventually got released from jail and set up a business which was entirely legitimate.......or was it?

 

Bagnall 2746 The Duke

A foretaste for 2021. I dropped off some parts at LMS yesterday. Here is a picture of the new front tubeplate, ready to be fitted next week. Note how the rim has been flatted and polished to give that perfect metal to metal fit.

 

One of the lesser known Bluebell locos is the Avonside 0-6-0T "Stamford". This was acquired at a time of loco shortage in the early 1970s, but fortunes turned round and it never ran at the Bluebell - for more than twenty years it has been on loan to Rocks by Rail. As the locomotive doesn't meet our core collection policy, the Bluebell has decided to sell the locomotive to Rocks By Rail, which is a far more suitable home - "Stamford" is one of only a small handful of quarry steam locomotives that worked in the ironstone quarries in Rutland to survive into railway preservation.

More information about how to help here: https://www.rocks-by-rail.org/blog/

Tom

 

Bsgnall 2746 The Duke

The new front tubeplate has been fitted and rivetted; tubing will follow shortly.

 

Some news from Blaenavon.

The chassis from Andrew Barclay 2074 Llantarnam Abbey has gone to West Somerset Restoration at Williton for overhaul and should be back with us within 18 months.

The boiler has been removed from RSH 7169 Mech Navvies for inspection and assessment to see what will be required for its overhaul.

Alex.

 

At Middleton HL 3860 (Swanscombe No.6) has been in steam today, the first time since 1975. A surprisingly short snagging list to add to the list of jobs known to be still outstanding.

 

Now that looks really nice! Good to see a nice bright industrial livery in these dark times.

Richard.

 

When you say Swanscombe no. 6... Is that the real no. 6, or just the tank from no. 6 fitted to whatever loco was in the works at the time?

 

Or is it the frame of no.6 with whatever tank was in the works at the time?

 

I see it now has standard sized buffer-heads rather than the 'dustbin lids' used at Swanscombe. I always thought those were very distinctive of the class.

 

The identity of any loco is always debatable from the first major overhaul onwards. It depends on the owning company's policy whether identity lies with the frames , the boiler or some other definition.

APCM Swanscombe used to refer to the locos by their painted numbers I believe. Any loco which has been overhauled several times is likely to have parts stamped with the build numbers of various class members.

 

The same buffers with the bin lids removed. They were removed due to been damage from its days at Swanscombe .

 

I'm told the loco number stayed with the boiler.
The reverser quadrant is off 3171 no.3 (off the top of my head).
There is picture evidence that the tank was once on number 3 at some point during its life too.

Edit. Swanscombe was notorious when it came to using bits off other locos and not putting them back on the same loco.

 

The loco that Middelton acquired from APCM in 1971 was No.6, according to the paperwork and the worksplate carried. That's the starting point. It is definitely the boiler that was supplied when the loco was new from Hawthorn Leslie in 1935; their works number 3860. I believe that the worksplates were kept with the boiler but offer no evidence that this was the case. It is well known that parts were swapped around between locos at Swanscombe. The handrail on the tank that accompanied the loco when delivered to Middleton was bent quite distinctively over the smokebox and there is photographic evidence that this tank was once on a loco which carried No. 4 on it. (It now has a new tank so this bit of history is gone.)

The IRS handbook for 1969 gives the following loco list
HL 3715 - No.2
HL 3716 - No.1
HL 3717 - No.6
HL 3718 - No.4
HL 3719 - No.5
HL 3860 - No.3
I presume that this list was derived by comparing the worksplates with the number painted on the saddletank at that time.

As to which bits are on the loco now, it is a mix of the majority of the Swanscombe locos; I have found bits from 3715, 3716, 3717 & 3719. The valve gear is a spares order supplied by RSH so carries the spares order number. I suspect that the frames are from 3717 but this would upset those at Quainton as they claim to have this loco and I also have no positive proof of this; its just the fact that this loco is in the majority when you look at the many bits and add them together. I believe the owner of Swanscombe No.4 believes his loco is actually more No.5. I have never investigated No.1, the fourth surviving Swanscmbe loco.

The large round buffer heads have been removed although the buffers are the original.. It was decided to remove them as they were quite bent and mis-shaped and their removal would make it much easier for crews to couple up; ducking under the large heads was quite difficult to do.

 

For anyone interested Peckett 1903 (at Chatham Historic Dockyard?) is advertised for sale on Traction Talk. " For sale is Peckett m5 0-4-0 1903 currently has no boiler ticket. " For more details and photos email: hedges989@googlemail.com
I have no connection with the loco or seller, just passing on the info. Looks like a nice little loco.
Ray.