Overhaul update
And there it was, gone! All the floorboards, having been cut to size, have been lifted and taken to our woodworking expert’s home to be sanded and treated to wood preserver. They won’t be refitted until nearer completion date.
The correct alignment of the cylinders, slidebars and driving axle is essential for the correct running of the loco and longevity of the components.
These are the alignment tools for the right hand cylinder and both driving horn gaps to establish their absolute centres.
Below the left hand running plate just ahead of the cab is the vacuum pipe running front to rear and into this ‘T’ piece. Heading rearwards is the pipe to the hind buffer beam, which itself splits with a feed to the driver’s brake valve. The other branch of the ‘T’ will go up through the visible hole in the running plate to the bottom of the ejector. Below is the delivery pipe from the injector towards the top feed.
The feed water delivery pipe for the right side is still off the engine but derusted and has had two coats of grey primer added.
The engine is currently sitting on frame stands and not the jacks themselves following the levelling up process prior to horn grinding. The jacking beam at the rear has been lowered completely, allowing the fitting of the cab footsteps. As already noted, these will need to be removed again when the time comes to lower the engine back on to its wheels.