Nunney Castle

7027s boiler apparently needs a new front tube plate and smoke box.

Taken from the most recent GWS Echo which landed today where they have finally acknowledged again that the 47xx project exists after a rather prolonged silence on the subject.

 

5029 was a pretty gutsy performer when we travelled behind her on a number of Past Time Rail tours in the early 2000's.
We had some really cracking runs with Nunney and she rapidly became my favourite member of the Castle Class. I recall she put in two excellent trips to Worcester; 5029 appeared as 7007 for one of them. My Dad won the charity raffle on that excursion and his prize was a very heavy replica 7007 smoke box door number plate.
5029 also put in a valiant solo performance on the return trip of one of the excellent doubleheaders to the West Country she hauled with 5051 (I can't remember the date). 5051 failed with a hot box found during servicing so 5029 had to haul the return journey on her own. 5029 and her crews really did their best with a heavy load on the drawbar. IIRC 5029 almost made it back to Bristol but sadly she failed with steaming problems on the outskirts. She always provided a glorious soundtrack.

It will be very interesting to see how she performs after the boiler tweaks during this current overhaul. As long as she goes as well and sounds as good as she used to.
Below is a video of what is still my favourite ever trip over the Watercress Line hauled by 5029 in 2014. On the final departure of the day from Alton 5029 thunders up the bank in fine style. The sound and performance from 5029 was superb.




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But why did the former owners sell off the S/H header? It suggests that they had no intention of running 7027.

 

I think 5051 & 5029 have become swapped in your memory of the double header ex Penzance. It was 5029 which was left at PZ with a hotbox and 5051 + a Cl 47 which worked the train back to Bristol.

 

Your post got me to do a bit of research as I was questioning my own memory.
Six bells junction provided the answers.
The excursion I am referring to is The Devonian from May 2003. 5051 failed at Plymouth. 5029 continued with a Class 47 assisting (I forgot about the Class 47). Six Bells Jct also says that 5029 only went back to Exeter St Davids but I thought it returned to Bristol.
https://www.sixbellsjunction.co.uk/00s/030503pr.htm

The trip you are referring to was The Penzance Castles, a two day rail tour in May 2002. 5029 failed on a positioning move for the second day. There were also two Class 50's involved and one of these also failed. 5051 hauled the return trip with one of the Class 50's taking the place of 5029.
https://www.sixbellsjunction.co.uk/00s/020506pt.htm

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5029 is rostered to haul Steam Dream's tour to Kingswear on Saturday 21st June, see bottom of the page.

LSL must have confidence Nunney will be back for this summer to publish this.

 

According to my records the train on 3rd May 2003 was assisted from Plymouth to Exeter but 5029 then continued to Bristol unassisted. It has to be said, however, that the thirteen coach load was rather too much and the train stopped on Flax Bourton bank for a blow up and to empty the smokebox.

 

Boiler now back in the frames https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=628500499683512&set=pcb.628501159683446

 

But only to position the expansion brackets on the new firebox sides by the look of the photo. Cladding one of those in situ would be a nightmare!

 

Not really. During my time working at Didcot, I cannot remember a single locomotive that had its cladding installed before the boiler. Cladding on the barrel would mean that you couldn't use slings.

 

The cladding ring next to the firebox is normally removed to lift any boiler in or out of the frames.

 

We always lag and clad the barrel except for the section nearest the front of the firebox. The firebox is also lagged & clad as far as possible before fitting the boiler. That makes the job far easier and quicker, makes working at height less of an issue and its difficult to see any reason not to do that. The slings are used just in front of the firebox in the unlagged area. If two cranes were available fully lagged & clad boilers could be fitted as they were at Swindon but few if any heritage railways have such overhead cranage and crane hire for that approach would be expensive.

 

Perhaps the boiler as not been steam tested yet.

 

They have to be steam tested out of the frames for full visibility of the platework.

 

There is no unlagged area, or at least there shouldn't be.

Didcot does have a 50 ton hoist.

 

They don't have to be. Only the visual needs to be done out of the frames. Even when in the frames, any leakage would be apparent. It would be annoying, though, if the boiler had to be lifted back out, again so it is usual to steam test out of the frames and then get the Inspector in.

 

Its good practice to steam a boiler through 3 or more heating/cooling cycles before refitting it to the frames as those who have been in the business for a while would testify.

 

I don't disagree; just saying it doesn't have to be. I have known an inspector say he didn't want to see it for a formal examination until it was all finally assembled with all the fittings and pipework attached, which is only going to happen when it is finally complete. On the assumption that the owner wouldn't put it back into the frames until satisfied all was Ok, that's a reasonable approach.

 

Given the copper and steel are not connected together on the fire hole ring it won't have been hydraulic tested yet let alone steamed

 

In steam/being steam tested at Crewe today.