Overhaul update
There’s more progress to report from the boilershop – a further delivery! – while on the chassis, work has concentrated on the mechanical lubricator and associated pipework.
The lubrication pipes for the RH cylinder block have been disconnected and given suitable containers to collect the steam oil that is shortly to be manually pumped through the pipes from the mechanical lubricator…
…after nearly 2 hours of hand pumping by your volunteer gang, the steam oil was through all eight pipes so they could be re-connected to their non-return valves on the cylinder blocks. This is the LH one.
This is a close up of the LH feed to the piston rod gland housing.
Turning to the boiler, the front ring of the smokebox has been fully riveted in place by the SVR staff.
Also associated with the smokebox is its door liner, the drawing for which is seen here...
...and the 'real thing' can be seen here in a partially completed state.
The boiler's small tubes have arrived and are stored in the paintshop along with the large tubes.
One end of all the small tubes is reduced in diameter to fit into the front of the inner firebox.
The tubes have come from Romania.
Turning to the inner firebox we can see the back of it on the right with many of the copper stays peened over, along with several yet to be similarly treated.
A wider shot of the inner backplate or backhead.
This large lump of metal is to be made into an adaptor for the vertical planer to allow its cutting tool access to the regulator face inside the superheater header.
The adaptor will be bolted in place of the slotted plate seen here…
…which will allow the silver coloured steel tool holder access to the inside of the regulator space, where it is resting at the moment.