Scotsman Overhaul updates

Please could someone give me an update on the overhaul of Scotsman it’s been some time since I’ve heard any news about her overhaul.

Thanks

 

It's coming on. I put a pic on my blog the other day. Work is currently aligning the axleboxes etc so that wheels, motion etc can all go back straightforwardly. Looks more like a loco each time I go to York.

 

Is there a webcam in the workshop so those of us who can only get to York every couple of years can follow progress ? ?

 

Not sure what's on the new website. Will make a suggestion, thanks!

 

Had a trip to york today, scotsman is currently without any wheels, axleboxes on driving wheels were being worked on, but currently work suspended due to holidays.

Seemed quite a bit of work going on installing lubrication and other piping systems, cab was on as well.

Lots of people about, busiest ive seen it for ages, one question for anthony though, noticed mallards tender has 2 holes in it on the drivers side, are repairs in the offing, everybody was noticing it and pointing it out as we waited to look in the cab.

 

Being told that the National Railway Museum belongs to the the Nation and the fact that Flying Scotsman is one of its most prized possesions. Why oh why does it not keep the nation up to date with the progress on its overhaul with photo's and news on its own web site. The first I get to know about problems with its restoration is through these forums or in the railway press. I don't care how long the restoration takes as I know they want a first class job and want it to be right with all the niggles removed and for this they should be commened. However the Musuems web site in my opinion is pathetic with regard to the overhaul of Flying Scotsman it should be updated regularly with news and photos what do others think.

 

I'm sorry you feel that way Steve, but faced with one webmaster and several guys getting on with the job, it's the usual matter of time and resources. I'm sure you'd rather the engine rebuilt sooner than updates. The truth is a lot of the work is slog, machining and preparation at the moment, and not earth shattering progress. I will speak to the webmaster, but I for one don't have time to feed into it. It's a relatively new website which went live in December and already has 46,000 pages of one form or another, so it may be in Mark's plan - I shall as I say ask him. Steve Davies will no doubt take a view on it all, so watch out for his thoughts. Thanks for the input, it's useful to know - and please feel free to contribute to Steve's other NRM thread here too.

 

Responding to the last post, of course people want a running locomotive as the top priority before updates, however, I am sure that somebody, be it one of the engineers when they are off duty or a person who is able to post a brief summary of what is going on. I have heard the saying many times before, why have EITHER/OR when you can have BOTH.

 

Because we don't have the resources to do both. But expect an update from us later this week.

 

Whilst I await the indian takeaway, the Cartazzi truck went in today and the front bogie's not far behind.

 

Anthony are you able to explain the repair you are intending to use to repair the driving axle with the tyre problem? does it include removing the tyre and re attaching it and do you have the facilities to do it in house?

 

I'm sure I read that one axle was going to Ian Riley's workshop for remedial work. Not sure what that work will be though, and it seems that the other axles have been passed as acceptable.


Keith

 

Wheel info will be forthcoming once we know how it'll be sorted, in the meantime, thisis the basic gist of today's release:

Just over a year ago, the National Railway Museum (NRM) launched the ‘Steam Our Scotsman’ appeal with the aim of raising £250,000 to get national icon Flying Scotsman back in steam. With just over £140,000 raised, and numerous challenges and successes faced by its expert engineering team, the NRM takes a look at the restoration so far and the exciting developments the Museum and the public have to look forward to.

In 2004, children handed over their pocket money and pensioners took out their cheque books in a bid to ensure that Flying Scotsman was not sold abroad, and instead was saved for the Nation and kept in Britain. The appeal to keep No.4472 in Britain was supported by the entire Country, and a £2million bid by the National Railway Museum, generously supported by the National Heritage Memorial Fund and members of the public, secured its fate. Flying Scotsman was saved for the Nation and brought home to the world’s largest railway museum, located adjacent to its old stamping ground, the East Coast main line.

The National Railway Museum bought Flying Scotsman under the promise that it would be given the best possible care in order for it to be enjoyed on the main line for many years to come – and the NRM intends to stick to that promise. Although Flying Scotsman has been out of action since it was withdrawn from mainline operations in 2006, the NRM’s promise of the best possible care for maximum public exposure is still at the heart of all of its intentions.

Helen Ashby, NRM Head of Knowledge & Collections, explains:

“Flying Scotsman has been in more or less continuous operation since it was built in 1923, having been overhauled and operated in preservation since its withdrawal from BR service in 1962. This means that many of the components are now extremely worn and much more has had to be refurbished or replaced than is usually the case with a ten year overhaul. We could have done this restoration more quickly and more cheaply and had Flying Scotsman back on the mainline a couple of years ago, but it would probably be back in our workshop right now with another list of defects that would have to be put right as a result of short term fixes. When we took Flying Scotsman off the mainline for restoration, we made the decision to do it properly. This may have proven to be a long and challenging process, but the end result will be that Flying Scotsman will be able to operate on the mainline for the public to enjoy for the next two or three decades. So although she hasn’t been seen on the mainline for the past few years, the more quality work that is put into her restoration now, the more years she will spend out on the mainline in future.”
The NRM’s meticulous approach to the restoration, combined with the engineering challenges that Flying Scotsman is famous for, has unfortunately led to a delay in No. 4472’s return to mainline operations. According to the restoration programme which has been expertly devised by the NRM’s new Engineering and Rail Operations Manager, Chris Beet, Flying Scotsman will be back operating on the mainline in the summer of 2011. Before this, the iconic locomotive will be able to be viewed by the public from the NRM workshop balcony in spring 2011 as it is prepared for its steam tests.

Chris Beet, Engineering & Rail Operations Manager, describes his thoughts on working with the celebrity locomotive:

“Whenever I speak to Museum visitors I am always overwhelmed by the genuine affection they have for Flying Scotsman - it isn’t just a locomotive loved by rail enthusiasts. One of the things that I think visitors always find most interesting about the project is the meticulous approach that must be taken to every detail of the restoration.
“In order to fully restore Flying Scotsman, we had to disassemble the entire locomotive and begin examining every little piece. We then decided whether these pieces need to be repaired or replaced – both options being incredibly time consuming. For example, when replacing a bogie spring last month, we went up to Search Engine, the NRM’s research and archive facility, and consulted some engineering drawings of an A3 locomotive from the 1940s. Once we found the drawing of the correct spring, we took a digital photograph of the drawing, then sent it to our supplier who then made the spring by hand using the photograph we had given them. This process is the same for nearly every component on the locomotive, and it’s this level of detail that makes the process so long winded. But it is also this level of detail that ensures we are giving Flying Scotsman the quality restoration she deserves.”
The restoration of Flying Scotsman has been generously supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund amongst other organisations, and the level of quality going into the restoration means that Flying Scotsman will be able to operate for decades, allowing it to meet the NRM’s aim of maximum public exposure for the locomotive. The NRM’s aim for Flying Scotsman to be seen and enjoyed by as many people as possible was taken one step closer when in 2009, Steam Railway magazine supported the NRM and started an appeal to raise the additional money required to fit vacuum brakes to No.4472. By having vacuum brakes as well as air brakes, Flying Scotsman will be able to visit preserved lines right across the country allowing even more people to enjoy Flying Scotsman as it travels around Britain.

So what’s next for the restoration of the most famous locomotive in the world? To those working on the locomotive day to day, the work to be done is broken down into hundreds of little jobs. However, the big milestones coming up are as follows:


The vacuum brakes will be fitted in spring 2010.

The chassis will be complete in autumn 2010.

The completed chassis will be transported to Riley & Son Ltd in autumn 2010 where it will be reunited with the boiler.

In spring 2011, the boiler and chassis will be returned to the NRM workshop to be reunited with the boiler and prepared for steam tests.

Steam tests will take place throughout spring and early summer 2011.

Flying Scotsman will return to the mainline in summer 2011.


Discussions are already underway with operating partners to establish the schedule for Flying Scotsman’s first season on the mainline – and an announcement will be made to the public as soon as they are finalised.

For more information about Flying Scotsman, or to donate to the Steam Our Scotsman appeal, please visit www.flyingscotsman.org.uk

 

Well, that schedule, if it doesn't slip (or even if it does slip just a bit) sets up 4472 nicely for some 2012 Olympic specials. Arriving at KX, passengers could take the short walk to St Pancras for a Javelin to Stratford.
Perhaps the 1948 livery would suit, as this was the last year that London hosted the Games. Was FS 4472 or 103 at that time?

 

or possibly 502 which it was allocated pending the renumbering scheme introduced by the LNER to group all locos of one class in a block of numbers following the previous tradition of allocating numbers to any appropriate gap in the current number series ?

 

According to my RCTS LNER "bible," Flying Scotsman carried 502 from 1/46 to 5/46 and 103 from 5/46 to 12/48. I haven't been able to find if it carried the regional "E" prefix after nationalisation.

 

Here's a fun job for the Search Engine boys at the NRM, find out what all the potential mainline runners in 2012 were wearing, if they existed yet, in mid-1948. More "fun" could be had persuading their current owners to do any necessary repaint, but even just publishing a collection of photographs might spark a few ideas.

Having consulted the LNER Encylopedia site, I find that FS was definitely in LNER green as 103 throughout 1948. Hint hint.

 

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In spring 2011, the boiler and chassis will be returned to the NRM workshop to be reunited with the boiler and prepared for steam tests.

QUOTE]

So scotsman is being fitted with 2 boilers? should certainly have quite a bit of power ;-)

 

As a great admirer of the Ffestiniog, 4472 coming out of the workshop as a double-fairlie sounds rather interesting...!

Chris