30777 to be overhauled

Was that conscious choice - or serendipity in what second hand locos and stock was available?

Tom

 

The latter. Following the ending of the working arrangement with the IWC, the FYN needed stock fast, hence an ex-contractor's loco (later W1 Medina), a third hand Terrier (after 1923, W2, later W8 Freshwater, safe on the IWSR) and assorted rolling stock, including five from the IWC (as per a break clause in their contract), which was air braked, the seven others from The Manchester South Junction and Altrincham Railway, which were vacuum braked, two of which gained dual brakes to make the whole crazy situation work. Astoundingly, the ex-MSJ&A carriages survived longer than the ex-IWC carriages (which never received their allocated SR numbers). The last, a dual fitted brake 3rd, was not wdn until Sept 1933.

 

Cook also reports (see above) that "the Great Eastern section were emphatic that they could not operate their intensive suburban service out of Liverpool Street without the quick release of the Westinghouse."

 

In simple terms, with a steam locomotive, the vacuum brake is the logical choice. There can be little more simple than a vacuum ejector with essentially no moving parts and so little to go wrong. The air pump, however, is a relatively complex piece of kit with a reputation for unreliability. Most air pumps are a bit battered where they have needed attention from a spanner cum hammer. The triple valve is not fail safe and the air brake relies on multiple brake units to give it some form of fail safe operation. The vacuum brake is also arguably not fail safe and needs multiple brake sets to provide that safety but far less so than an air brake. Both brakes are susceptible to failing to operate in freezing cold weather conditions but the vacuum is far less so. The single pipe air brake with triple valve is also non-graduable in release so requires greater skill to control. Those who find the vacuum brake difficult to control will find a single pipe air brake to be even harder for that reason and if you see-saw the application valve you run the risk of running out of air and thus brake. The air brakes big advantage is speed of application and release and relatively small size although in UK practice, vacuum brake cylinders of suitable size did not create any real problem. Even in dual pipe mode, graduable air brake application valves are not fail safe, hence the provision of an emergency position which simply dumps the air in the train pipe rather than controlling it.

 

Despite this interesting sidetrack, I don't think 30777 is to be fitted with an air pressure braking system...

 

Work was being done inside the firebox of 777 yesterday. I suspect rivets were being burnt out.

 

Work is progressing on the chassis in the shed at Lbro.

 

Ooh, an apple green N15...!

 

Better either shade of green alone than both together.

 

Strong RHDR Southern Maid vibes to me…

 

The tender has also been receiving attention recently, with one of the bogies having been fully cleaned and needle-gunned and now receiving paint.

 

That will be this then....

 

Aren't the driving axles coming out? Surely it must need the boxes doing by now, and it's a waste of effort to redo rod bushes until they are.
Pat

 

Didn't she (he?) Have some fairly extensive bottom end work done quite late in her previous spell in traffic at Tyseley, or am I getting mixed up?

Best Regards

Chris

 

It

 

Work is steadily continuing on 777 with the boiler having more attention to stays etc outside and the tender is still in the air on one bogie, inside the shed.

 

Odd little jobs are being done on the chassis.

 

The tender bogie axleboxes appear to have been refurbished now, so reassembly of that bogie cannot be far off.

 

Work is continuing on the frames.

 

A visit to the shed on Friday showed that the tender bogie is still not complete but is getting closer to being re-wheeled.