P2 Locomotive Company and related matters

In my early days of steam loco fixing I worked with two ex BR steam fitters, one from the Western one from the Eastern. It was usually a case of " hammers to the fore" when anything wouldn't come apart or needed adjustment!

To the best of my knowledge the term "Fitter" stems from the early days of the industrial revolution when the manufacture of machinery was not particularly accurate hence the need to "fit" things together. This involved a lot of hammer and chisel work, filing and finally hand scraping. The title of "Fitter" persists but in fact " Mechanic" would have been a better description of their work when greater accuracy was achieved as machine tools developed. However, the motor trade pinched this one so for many years a " Mechanic" worked in a garage although heavy goods and passenger vehicle maintenance staff continued to be "Fitters". Nowadays, of course they are all "Technicians".

An " Engineer" in industry today would be expected to have gained sufficient academic qualifications and professional experience to be accepted for membership of the appropriate institution at a Technician, Incorporated or Chartered level.

 

I'm a chartered Mechanical Engineer but I find it difficult to actually define what the term means as there can be so many variations. I went to university and did a 3 year full time degree in the subject where I learnt lots of theory. I then joined the NCB and then spent the next two years on their engineering training scheme finding out just how much I had to learn. Personally, I think that the NCB's scheme was second to none and gave me the finest preparation for life as a hands-on practical engineer. I may have had an office and a desk but I spent much of my time out in the field sorting out the many problems that arose, both large and small.

You have said that Engineering is a science. That's true but I'd suggest that a good engineer is also an artist and can design things without recourse to calculation. That is only used to prove that his design is correct. If I'm designing something I sketch it out then do the calcs to prove I've got it right, which I nearly always have.

You've asked about fully welded boilers. Weren't these fairly common in the USA? That's a question rather than a statement.

 

Considering the complexity of modern motor cars with their multiple computer systems, they need to be.

 

What have trampolines got to do with a boiler!!!!

 

Huh?

 

There are plenty of people holding driving licences who can't drive... I think that's the point @osprey is making.

I'm a CEng and hopefully I'm a decent engineer in my particular field; I know others holding the same badge whose experience is more in the sphere of engineering management, which doesn't necessarily translate into actually knowing how the engineering bit works.

And, I'm certainly not a steam locomotive engineer or any sort of mechanical engineer (I know enough to know when to ask someone who is), so I won't speculate further on this statement, except to say that if it is true then there is no way that the solution should ever have involved turning down a brand new set of tyres.

 

Not much of an engineer?

 

Brilliant read that..read it years ago...

 

I have Stanley Hooker’s autobiography. What an excellent person he was.

 

Fantastic!

His autobiography (which covers a lot of the same ground, but in more detail) is an excellent read.

Tom

 

Agreed Steve, and whilst I was on the mining side which was perhaps of less value in practical terms after finishing in the pit I have reflected many times in my subsequent working life how good the scheme really was.

 

The choice of Meiningen to supply the boilers was perhaps unfortunate. There are networks in Germany that have long abandoned sending boilers and locomotives there, Zittau and SDG for example. High cost, missed deadlines and loss of skills are reasons given.

 

When it goes ok, their work is great. When it doesn't... 01 202 was weeks away from having it's boiler put back in the frames when Meiningen when they discovered the foundation ring was full of cracks and needs replacing. The boiler overhaul had been going on for a year by this point before they found the problem.

 

Has anyone read " Raising Steam on the LMS". This quite an eye opener as it charts the development of their boilers starting with the constituent companies. Even with the amount of knowledge and skill available this organisation was still capable of dropping some very large clangers. Who would want to be a boilermaker today? The production of a reliable, welded, fired pressure vessel to the complex design of a locomotive boiler is demanding. British Railways never went down that road for a very good reason.

 

Yes, the B17 project is working with the P2 project for the supply of cannonbox castings for the bogies of both locomotives, using the existing pattern that was used for 'Tornado'.

It should be noted that B17 project already has the cannonboxes (and the internal seals etc.) for the intermediate and trailing driving wheels, are fully machined and ready to be fitted once a couple of other components for the coupled wheels, already ordered, arrive at their works in Sheffield. The B17 project has fully finished driving wheels, Timken roller bearings, tyre plugs, and is ready to assemble the rear two driving wheelsets as soon as these final components arrive.

 

Good stuff. Can CTL Seal do the assembly including pressing the wheels on?

 

The wheelsets will be fully assembled at South Devon Railway Engineering, where some of the components have already been delivered.

 

As mentioned in the 60009 thread a new fine art print of No.9 is being sold to raise further funds for the P2 project:

https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&s...8QFnoECBQQAQ&usg=AOvVaw0p0C5xRDuDBnzWcV7XN2Xu

Or will the money be used on 60163 instead?

 

Read it times over. Remarkably still available from rtcs.org.uk and going for a final song at £6.50!

 

A new Mikado Messager out, just arrived in my e mails