Monday 19th November saw the culmination of many months of work when Camelot's boiler was lifted out of the frames and placed in the spot just vacated by the S15's boiler, which had been moved into the Workshop. Releasing the smokebox from the saddle proved to be easier than the first time around when we were doing the restoration from Barry condition and the frames look to be in good condition, so this should reduce the amount of work to be done compared to 20 years ago. The ashpan, however, looks to only be fit for scrap, but it has lasted well enough to be useful as a pattern for a new one and some of the parts may be re-usable.
Now that the boiler is on the ground further stripping can take place and it is evident that the cladding will need some repairs, hopefully only minor ones, apart from the section round the regulator gland where the thin steel has rusted through. A new smokebox will be required this time and taking the chimney off has revealed cracks which mean that a new one will have to be made. I wonder how many people know that there was once a proposal to fit double chimneys to the Class Fives? This would probably have made them into Class Sixes....
There is now much to do in assessing the work needed on the boiler and we will also be preparing the chassis for lifting the frames off of the wheels and this should come about next Spring, again in conjunction with other lifts so that the crane costs can be shared amongst the groups. In addition, all the parts that have come off will need cleaning up, checking and repairing and/or painting so that they are ready for the reassembly stage.
I should mention that the rate of progress this year has been very encouraging and also record our thanks to James Kidd of the Workshop staff for his dedication and enthusiasm in pushing the overhaul forwards.
P Gibbs
Since the last report in May, we have completed the stripping out of the superheater elements (28) and boiler tubes (28 flue tubes and 151 small tubes). These elements and tubes have all been scrapped as they have significant corrosion after 10 years of intensive use. The only parts to be retained are the spear and ball ends from the superheater elements and the bottle ends from the flue tubes. These will be re-used if they are in good enough condition.
Work has now moved on to removing pipework and fittings from the boiler and releasing the smokebox from the saddle, all essential steps in preparing the boiler for lifting in the near future.
P Gibbs
Last year (2006) was taken up with finishing off and
refitting the tender brake gear. This was the only major job to be done on the
tender but we also took the opportunity to do some cleaning underneath the
tender tank and repainting where necessary. As of now, all that remains to be
done is some cleaning and repainting inside the tender tank itself - then it
will be a case of waiting for an external repaint in the Workshop.
We have moved on to dismantling the locomotive brake gear and this has been
removed, cleaned, repainted and will be rebushed (where necessary). It will go
into store until the frames are re-wheeled. The sanding pipework has also been
removed and labelled and is being cleaned and painted. We plan to fit the AWS
equipment this time around and have been working on the various components
Work has started on preparing the boiler for lifting with work going on in the
smokebox removing pipework and superheater elements so that the tubes can be
taken out. Work continues on removing the small tubes. Attention has been turned
to the pipework on the boiler with nuts being slackened and joints cracked ready
for dismantling. We should be ready to lift the boiler later on in 2007 and plan
to press ahead as quickly as possible so that Camelot returns to traffic at the
earliest opportunity.
P Gibbs
I went down to SP last Sunday (13 November) and spent some time assessing the wear on the tender brake gear, the conclusion is that there is very little. All the pins were checked and the one with the most wear is still acceptable, i.e. within its wear limits. There are two bushes that need replacing and Chris Shepherd (Bluebell Railway Locomotive Works Manager) is getting new ones produced. The brake gear has all been cleaned up and labelled and is stored in the van body which now has plenty of room to move things around, so I also made a start on tidying up and sorting out the bits and pieces. The brake gear on the locomotive is likely to be worse as the excessive movement of the wheels in the frames will have pulled it around rather more; we shall see in due course.
The next job to do is to clean up the underneath of the tender and do any repainting that is required. The brake gear can be repainted and then put up again. So if anyone fancies having a go at crawling around under the tender and splashing paraffin around, let me know.
The next two weekends (19 & 20 November and 26 & 27 November) are busy with sales stands (Eastbourne and Southend), so the next scheduled working party is likely to be 4 December. But if anyone is going down to SP before then and wants to get on with the job, let me know.
P. Gibbs
Four members had an excellent day at Sheffield Park on Sunday (16 October) when we managed to dismantle Camelot's tender brake gear. The job was made easier by Camelot being shunted out over the pit. Luckily she was back in the shed before the rain arrived in the late afternoon. This really is the start of the overhaul as the pull rods, hangers and crossbeams can now be cleaned up, checked for wear, rebushed where necessary and repainted prior to refitting. Chris Shepherd (Bluebell Railway Locomotive Works Manager) was impressed with what we had achieved, as were we! The brake gear components are now in our van body which, with perfect timing, has just been vacated by the Maunsell Society.
Apart from the above, the next stage is to clean underneath the tender and paint where required, which will need Camelot to be over the pit again. There's also still some work to do inside the tender tank.
So, there are plenty of jobs to take us through to the end of the year. The next working party is likely to be on 6 November, although we will be at Sheffield Park with the sales stand for "Giants of Steam" weekend (22 and 23 October).
P. Gibbs
Since the end of June we've managed to turn up roughly every two weeks and have done useful work on the tender to prevent deterioration, mainly cleaning out and painting the coal space as this is an area which can rust quickly while not in use. The tender tank has been drained and inspected internally. There's not much corrosion but I'm sure there will be a need for work inside the tank to keep it that way. Not a job for hot weather, even with Camelot still being kept in the running shed.
The stuck float assembly proved to be a minor problem, it just needs a bit of work to free it up again. The tender/loco. water hoses have been uncoupled to drain them and tied up so they don't get in the way if Camelot is shunted around. On the loco. we have removed the gauges and whistle for safe-keeping, oiled up the bright steel handles to prevent corrosion and demolished and removed the brick arch. The firebox needs to be washed out at some point. Camelot is being cleaned when required and Chris Shepherd (Bluebell Railway Locomotive Foreman) is making sure that the motion gets oiled up from time to time.
What next? Well, there is the tender coal space to finish painting, this task should need one more day. There are various 'winterising' jobs to do which will ensure that we avoid frost damage when the cold weather arrives. Then we will start to look at detubing the boiler etc.
Last time I was at Sheffield Park Chris mentioned that the Atlantic building is scheduled for a mid-September start. This leads on to releasing a lot of other work for us and the Maunsell Locomotive Society as it will create space for our boilers. Chris asked me if we would be able to get a group down to the Railway in November as there will be a major reorganisation of the Tesco building. This will involve moving stuff out and putting up new racking which will provide secure storage space for parts of locos under overhaul. I take that to mean that if we and the Maunsell Society show up and put in some effort, then that space will be available to Camelot and 847.
P. Gibbs
