Steam loco service and maintenance

Apologies if this has been posted before, but had the link to this very interesting video forwarded to me



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xAmZ_Z1B8Yw&feature=email

 

Fascinating. Just goes to show how labour-intensive the whole process is! Also the stresses put on mainline steam boilers today, with the hot-cold cycling.

 

Thanks for posting up the link Mike, A great insight into the regular maintenance of a steam loco in regular service.

Neil.

 

One of the best things I've seen on YouTube - fascinating to see how they used to do it. Obviously BR was not as concerned as some members of the forum seem to be about cooling down and heating up boilers reasonably quickly when needed. I know you'll counter that by saying they were only cooled once in a blue moon because of constant use and heavy repairs were easier to facilitate - but I think some people on here are a bit over cautious and critical when it comes to prescribing the time needed to raise steam from cold.

 

I wonder how this got around copyright, this is a BTF film as sold in the box set..

Still Ive watched this a few times.. brilliant film.
If anyone doesnt have it.. I do reccomend the BTF film collection DVD set.

 

The cooling down was controlled by the cold water flow rate into the boiler, which was increased on a time basis until the boiler was deemed to be cold and the washing out could begin. It was carefully calculated to induce the minimum thermal stresses with the minimum time out of service, but certainly some compromise was made.

As for the labour intensity, it is to be noticed that they used a Standard Five - with self-cleaning smokebox, rocking grate and hopper ash pan. No paddling the fire out through the fire hole doors or choking away in the pit with a long rake! Luckily, the engine needed only a very minor repair, while in reality most would start the washout with a long list of defects, all deferred until the engine was stopped for its washout. Pity the poor fitters trying to work in huge puddles and cascading water!

Excellent film though, and thanks for the link.

 

I wonder what the pay rate was for shovelling that smokebox out? In those days you grafted for a wage. I can just imagine a lot of today's workshy scrotes, "I'm not doing that, I'll stay on benefits, the country owes me a living". Hell, it gets me angry.
Brilliant bit of film.

 

Cracking film but this cracked me up too:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tVvQ9pIo6_I&NR=1
Manual Handling the old fashioned way. If only it was done like this now...

 

Yep, those were the days when I were but a lad, tha' naas!
I wonder how closely our preserved steam depots work to those methods.
I seem to remember someone telling me sometimes they (BR) used hot water when doing a wash out tosave cooling the engine down too much!!
Very good series of films, could have watched them all night. (Nearly did, oops)

 

I remember reading that the LNER used to wash out with hot water to reduce the time the engine was out of service. The LMS stipulated cold washouts as they also combined them with an internal inspection (as shown), and believed that an effective inspection could not be made while steam was obscuring the boiler's internals.

 

Great film-love the dead pan 'Mr Chumley Warner' commentary- "...and don't forget to eat plenty of sausages..." One other film I have seen in this series shows a day in the life of Waterloo Station. One hilarious sequence shows the lady station announcer actually doing her knitting in between messages. She'd get the bullet nowadays-but then they'd have to sack the hard drive! The 1950's were a unique half way house between two ages -the days of imperialism and those of rock n' roll.

 

Still happens......

 

Can just picture that...!

 

There are lots of things that HAVE and still happen in and around announcers.....