Industrial Loco Updates

Vulcan was in steam at Barrow Hill last weekend for the joint event with the canal and we are looking forward to the industrial railway equivalent of Glastonbury at Foxfield. Is anyone else posting here coming in for that?

Bagnall 2746 The Duke
We are steadily winning our battle on the inside of the frames, much of which are now in orange gloss. The cleaning effort is now concentrated in the constricted area between the motion bracket and the cylinder block; one more session should make that ready for paint. The 8F team are steadily making and fitting the new bushes for the spring links and checking the fit of the main axle bearings.

Meanwhile Spiral Weld Ltd are about to start machining the valve rods. After some thought and measuring we will leave the tail ends alone except for a light skim at just over 1.3 inches; there might have been problems fitting a larger diameter bush. One possible cure might have been to turn the end cover upside down and transfer the wear to the top!

Tim

 

Seeing as it looks like I'm rostered on Vulcan at Foxfield I'd say yes I'll be there! lol. Who's coming with the loco Tim?

 

I'm coming over and hoping to bring a tent. I think Tony, Rob and Stuart are likely to put in an appearance as well. There may be others. I hope to get in touch with your management about a sales/display stand.

Tim

 

Dave Scragg is probably the man to speak too about the possibility of a sales stand Tim. Tent is essential equipment for drinking beer!

 

Bagnall 2746

All spring links now have new bushes at both ends, and new pins ready to go in. The "machinery compartment" between the motion bracket and cylinder block has finally beeen cleaned down sufficiently for a coat of primer, the rest of the inside frames are in orange gloss. The outsides of the frames got their second coat black gloss, as did the inside of the driving wheels. Scraping in of the main bearings continues. The list of jobs before re-wheeling is getting short.

On top of that it was the EVR bus weekend which brought in a fair crowd and we had quite a few interested visitors who bought items from our sales stall by the engine. Next door our EVRA colleagues were getting stuck into a Mark 1 coach. And a Dak went over. A very satisfying weekend.

Tim

 

Tim, what space do you need for you stand ?. We can fit you in I am sure.

 

PS I like the "Glasto" quote - you get to headline with Vulcan !.

 

Hi Glen,

We can fit into whatever space you have - about 12' of frontage would be excellent. If it is under cover, eg the awning area I have a few O gauge industrials to display.

Are the Tanfield Massiv coming? They seem very quiet this year. I cut my teeth on tracklaying at Marley Hill while I was at Durham University, more years ago than I care to admit.

Tim

 

Awning may be a push - but if the Knotty Trust stands moves to the platform we may manage. I guess that the Tanfield gang will be visiting, the field has been cut so camping is available. Will you be around on Friday ?.

 

Fingers crossed I hope to take next Friday afternoon off and get over.

Tim

 

On Friday on the M1 at Junction 23 the S& D liveried Jinty was heading south and a green 0-6-0ST under a tarpaulin was heading north, any ideas what this might have been?

Thanks

 

To those who are interested - Manchester Ship Canal No. 70 has begun her overhaul at the Swindon and Cricklade Railway. Her tanks and cab has been removed in preparation for the boiler lift.

A Facebook Page has been created so that you can all follow her progress. For those who do not have a facebook account, you can view the pictures regardless here

A pic to whet your appetite



Thanks

Allan

 

Vulcan
Many thanks to the gentleman who posted a video of Vulcan on Foxfield Bank in the gala section and to all the Foxfield team who made us so welcome . Our little engine went up the banks in style! This must be the hardest it has worked in over 60 years and quite possibly the longest journeys it has made under its own steam since it was built. Vulcan coupled to the Beyer Peacock works shunter made a very interesting and historic pair. Next Saturday she will be at Newton le Willows carnival en route for six weeks at Ribble Steam Railway. We really enjoyed the Foxfield Gala despite some abominable weather on the Saturday and hope to go back, thank you for inviting us.

Bagnall 2746 The Duke.
Back to business. Painting inside the frames continues and half the main bearings are scraped in and ready to assemble. The scraping gang have made a good start on their next jobs, which are to clean down and paint the bunker and bufferbeams. Dapol are working on the artwork for our next 00 wagon, which will be "Buggleskelly Gas Light and Coal".

Tim

 

Vulcan

A triumphant return to Newton Le Willows, which made a lot of people very happy. Vulcan spent about 7 years on the works sportsground, 1961 -1968, and then vanished. A lot of local people who played on it as children believed it had been cut up, so you can imagine how they felt when it suddenly turned up in full working order (though not in steam) at the carnival. There was a constant stream of clean children climbing up the steps to the cab, and filthy ones climbing down again, and nobody minded; they all wanted to see "Grandads engine". One aim was to find out what colour it should have been, and there was no lack of information. We have conclusive, definitive, accounts that Vulcan was painted:
1. Black
2. Green, a) same shade as the lorry which brought it
b) not that shade at all, more like that signpost at the corner over there.
3. Black with green panels on the side tanks.

Apparently Vulcan Foundry only ever painted anything black or green, ever, and most of the town was painted the same way as you could get the paint cheap. This somehow fails to explain the lower layer of blue paint which we rubbed off during restoration. Since the weekend I have found a black and white picture of a local rugby team posed on the engine, and if it is not black it is a very dark shade of green indeed. Perhaps all this is a judgement on a supporter of 8624. Anyway, the engine will stay black until we have better evidence and it really, really needs a repaint. The livery police can get.......

A piece of railway lore: a lot of engines went out of Vulcan Foundry by road, even in the thirties. Once the locals got news of a delivery going out, everyone along the road out of the works would fill every bath, basin and bucket with water because the odds were the mains would burst with point loading of solid tyres on the road. The clearances were so tight that every time the council surfaced the roads, Vulcan would send men out to measure the height under the local bridges. Even when they let the tyres down, sometimes there was only 1/4 inch or so to spare. Mind you, these were the guys who advised us on the colour.

At the end of the day we thought we might as well go the distance and saw Vulcan offloaded at Ribble Steam Railway, where she will stay until September. Many thanks to Russell and his colleagues for giving us a guided tour while we were there.

Tim

 

Vulcan in action yesterday in Preston. She had a few problems, which meant that they cancelled the 3pm service (which would of ran half an hour late) and merged it with the 4pm service and I believe there were some problems seeming Courageous had to be used on some services the day before, and she was stood in light steam in the yard during Sunday. Lovely little locomotive, very well turned out.

 

Vulcan currently reported to be stopped for repairs, hopefully not for long. The little beast is probably completely bewildered after 50 years hibernation and now being asked to work trains.

Bagnall 2746 The Duke

The inside of the frames is now up to second coat gloss. We have made a start on the bunker and the bufferbeams. All bearings scraped in by the 8F crew, who are checking through the axleboxes ready for re-assembly. I was recently asked to find some brass countersunk 1/4" whitworth bolts, a request which slightly shook the storekeeper at Twiggs at Matlock - especially when he found he had them on the shelf ready. Goodness knows how long they had been there. Twiggs are an excellent firm and reasonably priced.

A tip for anyone going through Buxton: go to what used to be the White Lion pub on Spring Gardens. There is a chap trading out of there who is selling off old engineering stock including some imperial items, including ex BAE surplus drillbits. You will need time to rummage.

Tim

 

duplicate removed

 

Hi Guys
who coould make me a new rivetted Saddle tank?
any ideas?

The Melter

 

Away from work, I have had a quote from Israel Newton's to make one for a private project. Talk to Dan Brothwell there aka Lancashire Lad in another place...

 

Bagnall 2746 "The Duke"

The last two weeks have been very busy. The valve rods have come back from Spiralweld, and look very bright and shiny in all the right places. We now have a supply of oxygen, arranged for us by EVRA, as before very long we intend to remove a top stay or two to enable access into the boiler. Our latest 00 gauge wagon has just arrived and is a bit of a departure from our usual Derbyshire subject: "Buggleskelly Gas Light & General Trading". Axlebox fettling by the 8F crew continues, the rest of us scrape and paint whatever we can get at, spring links and buffer beams for the present. The next job is to acquire some more engineering steel, this time EN24T 5omm bar to replace one of the coupled spring centre pins. Hello, Twiggs...?

Tim