Overhaul update
The Fund’s working party spent much of the day dealing with what might appear as minor details, but are very important. These included fitting taper and split pins, opening out and trimming to length, refitting pipework removed to allow access for other work, and tidying up and thoroughly securing pipework below the left hand running plate.
A general view of the loco looking much better with its cab roof in place. It will need to be removed again when the boiler is fitted.
A new item below the front buffer beam: the steam heat pipe has been fitted. This required the engine’s going on to the wheel drop to lower the pony truck to allow access. This, in turn, delayed the completion of other work.
This circular collar fits below the pony slide pin and prevents the truck’s falling too far, and previously could not be fitted. The attachment of the steam heat pipe allowed the truck to be permanently mounted and the collar to be fitted by the Fund’s working party.
The cross shaft for the cylinder taps mechanism runs below the pony truck’s A frame and was also left dismantled to allow the latter to be lowered. It is now permanently in position, all connected up and adjusted to give the correct movement of the valves.
A big advantage of mid-week visits is that it is easier to confer with the SVR full-time staff, and a second is that we can access the boiler shop. In there we found that the foundation ring riveting through both the backplates and throatplates was almost complete, and a start made on tapping the lower backplate stays, just discernable in the two holes within the white chalked squares.
From the other side, we can see the finished foundation ring rivets and the first two tapped stay holes.
Inside the firebox, the rear row of crown stays are in and their heads peened over. Work in the top right corner for the patch screws continues.
More riveting, securing the front tubeplate to the barrel. One of the SMF painters peers speculatively at the tubeplate; does he intend to attack this with his paintbrush too?