Tornado

Did you not read the update properly? They've laid 3/4 of a mile of track at Darlington, and once this reaches Belfast they'll be off on tour. (No need to regauge the loco!)

 

I'm waiting....

 

Wasn't one of Boris's hare-brained schemes a rail link to NI?

 

Scheme cost about £1m in research.

 

As good a return as the Taunton to BL study then

 

Or a Solent tunnel Or bridge,

 

Then we can get a 66 into the headshunt at Haven Street...

 

I wonder if I am the only one a bit bemused by the focus on coal and the grate.

Firstly, there aren't many coal suppliers around. If there is a batch of coal that is massively detrimental to firebars, then you'd expect other people to be reporting the same - or even the NVR themselves on other locos. Yet it seems just Tornado has had the issue.

Moreover, the temperature of a fire depends on how hard you work, and with all respect to the NR, it is hard to imagine that a large pacific on a comparatively flat line has to work very hard. Certainly it is hard to imagine it working at anywhere close to the rate that it would out on the mainline. Yet somehow the fire got so hot as to destroy an entire grate - not even just a couple of elements.

It certainly seems perplexing.

Tom

 

The obvious possibility that this implies is that there is an issue with the firebox which has given rise to the issues with the grate.

 

I was at the NVR last week and was told that several locos running on the Nene Valley have apparently recently suffered from a batch of Colombian coal. Seems it drops through into the pan and continues to burn at a relatively high temperature, causing the damage.

 

We've seen similar; and have instructions about regular use of the ashpan spray. Not aware that it has been causing grate damage though, but damage to ashpans, and maybe under-grate rocking mechanisms.

I wonder if something has been lost in translation and it isn't the grate that is being replaced, but the rocking mechanism?

Tom

 

Can’t comment on that but was told that DSB656 and HC1800 were affected and I doubt that they have rocking grates. Can’t remember if any other locos were mentioned as being affected but I think so.

 

We had those issues with 34081 early last year. Ashpan damage at first but grate problems later. Regular use of sprinkler was advised but………………………...

 

I also saw a post on Facebook saying 5619 has had to have a new set of firebars as the current ones were destroyed over the Polar season too.

 

If you have several concurrent delays, always go into great detail about the one that's not your fault...

Burning firebars seems to happening accross the NVR fleet, and are (AIUI) a consumable. If it's only the A1 that is suffering other damage, then presumably there is an additional cause...

Is the coal outwith the outer bounds one would have expected in steam days?

 

Folks, before I post any further regarding Tornado, could I just ask if any of the supporters who have posted on here or PM’d me to say they have requested information from the Trust actually had any response please?

 

Office Manager 6 Jan

Me 7 Jan

Office Manager 7 Jan

Still on 7 Jan I provided my phone number.
Nothing since then.

 

If you're on LinkedIn, you could message him on there maybe?
https://www.linkedin.com/in/steve-davies-mbe-01b00755/

 

The NNR has had an issue with a recent batch of coal too.