P. & O.  PROGRESS April 2008

We left the story last time with the boiler just delivered to Chatham Steam. We were very anxious to have the boiler inspected by the Insurance surveyor to ensure that they were happy with the work we had planned. The boiler hadn’t been inspected since it was repaired at Pridhams back in the mid-1990s, so we felt it appropriate to have a further inspection now in case any problems had arisen in the intervening time.

We arranged a visit to Chatham to coincide with the Insurance surveyor’s examination, and we could show him the work that had been carried out previously.

The inspection was very thorough and took most of the day, not even stopping for lunch!  Every surface was examined inside and out, and every stay was tested. When he finished he pronounced himself satisfied with the overall condition, only minor repairs to a few stay heads being required, and we were greatly relieved!  We hadn’t expected any serious problems, but it was reassuring having this confirmed by independent examination. Whilst the inspection was proceeding, we had discussions with Chatham Steam about the specification of the boiler tubes (not as straightforward as one might think), the fitting of the tubes and other work to be carried out.

Since the inspection, the super heater header has been taken off the boiler, but not before it put up a tremendous struggle! The main steam pipe behind it was examined and found to be in a very good condition, with none of the deterioration that has been found on other Bulleid Pacifics. It wasn’t strictly necessary to remove the header, but at least we know the main steam pipe is sound, and with the header removed it will be easier to re-cut the 80 seats for the super heater elements.  We have salvaged the original steel clamps that hold the tubes to the header for re-use, and finding ourselves a few short, were fortunate to obtain some from our friends working on “Braunton” at the West Somerset Railway.

A lucky find at a meeting of the Bulleid Owners Group was a 250lbs.p.s.i. pressure plate which fits on the boiler back head. We still need the matching one that identifies the boiler (No.1096 in our case).

Work has continued on cleaning and painting the crinolines that support the boiler cladding. These were made some years ago, and have been modified to accommodate various fixtures and fittings on the boiler as the cladding sheets were made. As a result, we have identified some small repairs that will be needed before final fitting.

Whilst the boiler has been away from Toddington we’ve progressed with work that needs to be carried out between the frames.  All the valve rods have been given a final refurbishment and inspection.  Cleaning and polishing the rods not only makes them look good, it also removes any scratches where a crack could start to develop.  The Winter weather has hampered our work on the valve rod pins, as the cold makes it impossible to obtain accurate dimensions. So far we have machined about 15 pins that hold the joints of the valve gear together. These were then sent away for case hardening to give a hard-wearing surface that will take the load when the loco is running. As expected, the case hardening distorted the longer pins and we had to carefully heat and press them back within acceptable tolerances.  They were originally deliberately machined slightly over-size, and can now be machined back to their final true size.

On the tender, the brake block holders have been fettled so that the blocks sit securely against them. The blocks are held in place by a long tapered key.  We have a motley collection of keys acquired over the years from various railway works and scrap yards.  These are now being ground to shape so they will fit nicely in the holder, but can be removed with a few hammer taps when brake blocks need changing.  The pins that join the holders to the hanger arms have been case hardened, and are ready to be fitted.

As usual, progress will be dictated by the availability of funds, so if you feel moved to help us towards the ‘final straight’, please contact me via the website.

John McMillan