35006 Progress Report, October 2006
by John McMillan, 4th October 2006

Lots of work has been going on with the tender, and much progress has been made over the summer with making parts for the brake-gear. We had assembled hangers and brake block holders recovered from scrap Bulleid electric stock, but a trial fit revealed that the alignment wasn't quite compatible with the Class 40 diesel's wheels we had used. Not that we were far out, only a quarter of an inch or so, but it was sufficient for us to have to look for more suitable brake block holders and blocks.

The search brought good and bad news. The good news was that we found a supplier of suitable brake blocks; these blocks are still used by vehicles on the national network. The bad news was a minimum order quantity of 100 blocks! We need twelve blocks initially, and even after retaining a good supply of spares we will still have sufficient to sell on several sets to other Merchant Navy loco owners whose tender brakes will require the same blocks.

We have made up the twelve tensioners which are spring-loaded devices that adjust the angle of the brake block to the wheel and avoid uneven wear at the top or bottom. Periodically the brake blocks need visual inspection, and the tensioners are adjusted to even out the wear. A start has been made on fitting the brake hanger arms to the tender, and nine of the twelve are in position.

Meanwhile on the locomotive we have finished making the lagging for the left-hand cylinder. The cylinder casing has been fully de-rusted and painted, and with the lagging fitted the covers should be going on now for the last time. We have also made a start on final dressing of the mating surfaces for all the fittings which attach to the cylinders. Unfortunately some of these weren't finished as thoroughly as we had thought earlier in the restoration. Currently receiving attention are the faces for the cylinder relief valves. These spring-loaded valves are intended to provide a last-ditch attempt to clear water from the cylinder if the driver has forgotten to open the drain cocks. There are two relief valves, one Snifting valve, two atomised oil feeds and two drain cocks per cylinder, all with mating surfaces to get perfectly smooth and flat. That makes twenty one faces over the three cylinders, but at least we've made a start.

On the boiler the long, highly-skilled job of getting the water gauge faces perfectly flat and parallel to one another has been completed, and we are now working on the gauge pedestals to achieve a perfect steam-tight fit. Similar work has been started on the face of the Regulator Stuffing Box, located between the two water gauges, that carries the regulator actuating rod through the back of the boiler.

After a gap of some months, work has re-commenced in earnest on  the boiler cladding. The boiler bands, along with their tensioners, have been made up. These allow the cladding to be drawn down tightly, and to cover the gaps between the cladding sheets. The tensioners are located on the underside of the boiler, where they are out of sight and difficult to reach.

With some ingenuity our contractor has made up the decorative ring that fits over the cladding where it adjoins the smoke box. The ring holds the lagging in place and gives a neat finish to an otherwise awkward join.

In the Machine Shop work has continued with making the vacuum reservoir tanks for the tender, the caps for the oil pots on the three connecting rods have been made and trial-fitted, and two of the large 3” diameter nuts have been machined for the vacuum brake ejector.

Finally, the blazing summer weather showed up one of the disadvantages of the enclosed weather-protected cab on the Merchant Navy locomotives. Our visitor 35005, “Canadian Pacific”, was getting through a different fireman per 20-mile trip at one stage, as dehydration took its toll on the gallant crews feeding the 50 sq.ft. fire grate. What price some air-conditioning?