1014 County of Glamorgan

There was a good article in Backtrack about early schemes, and from memory it was west of Taunton that was in mind.

 

Didn't seem to be a problem in 1883...

 

Not unless you count Volk finding a third rail was needed after the first season!

 

Not that different. Only one extra row of flue tubes. Four-row superheaters, double chimneys and mechanical lubricators didn't appear until 1956 and in some cases, the early 1960's!

 

best we don't talk about the Daddy Longlegs then

 

Have you clocked my avatar?

 

I'm sure it's been covered extensively, but how much of it is 8F and how much of it is GWR standard 15? Is it fully GWR standard 15 or somewhere inbetween?

 

AIUI the inner firebox, outer wrapper, backplate and throatplate were the only parts salvaged from the 8F boiler. The barrell is all new. As the std. No.15 boiler supposedly used the same flangeing blocks as the Swindon built 8F's they should be dimensionally the same. However, as mentioned upthread, the stay pitch on the 8F plates was set for only 225psi as against 280 for the No.15 boiler so, in effect, this will always be 1014's 'Achilles' Heel' and a good example of 'penny wise and pound foolish' IMO.
Ray.

 

I seem to recall from somewhere up thread that they have even replaced considerable sections of those parts.

 

Yes its somewhere in between. The Stanier boiler barrel was rather surprisingly removed as it was not quite accurate for a County and is being used in another 8f restoration. A standard 15 barrel ( now unique of course)has been manufactured and fitted. The reduction in maximum working pressure should have no impact on the County's intended use and at 225psi is the same reduced pressure that King George V was set to when last used on the mainline. I remember the sad hulk that the donor was when stored in the open near Bristol and am delighted that many projects have now benefitted from it.

 

Where near Bristol was it stored?.

 

Aplogies, just checked my notes more carefully, it was 48173, the happy recipient of the boiler barrel that l saw many times at the Avon Valley Railway.

 

Rather than counting the number of pieces wouldn't it be more appropriate to consider the cost of the components? I have the impression that the barrels are cheap and copper inner fireboxes - are not.

 

Absolutely correct, but the reclaimed material is already well past its best and was never well suited due to the stay pitch hence my comment about 'penny wise'.
Ray.

 

Can anyone state for sure how much of the 8F's copper inner firebox has actually been kept?

 

Thinking ahead, at some point the 8F inner 'box will become life-expired... When it does, would it not be prudent to have a new outer firebox wrapper, ready-drilled to take the for a 280Lb pressure boiler, to hand? At least one day it could then be a true County.

Richard.

 

That would surely depend on the rest of the boiler having been made of materials suitable for 280psi though? I don't know if they have or haven't, but my understanding from LMS practice was that often you needed higher tensile strength steels to ensure sufficient strength while keeping weight to an acceptable amount.

No doubt those nearer the project would know the answer, but my hunch would be that going from 225 to 280 psi isn't going to leave much of the original boiler in place - it could well involve much more than just a new inner firebox and outer wrapper.

Tom

 

I can't help thinking that's a very odd thing to 'hang your hat on ' Richard. In a very real sense no new build is a true anything other than a 'new build ' On the other hand was King George V not a ' true ' King when it last operated on the main line with safety valves set at the reduced pressure of 225 psi ? 280 psi would push up maintenance costs too as was found with the original Hawksworth Counties, which was why they also operated at reduced pressure.

 

I'm not hanging my hat on anything really, just had a thought and wrote it down...

Richard.

 

Oh, to have enough spare cash for such a contingency!