7820 Dinmore Manor

Work moves on to refurbishing the valve & brake gear.

2012-03-05T06:35:00.000-08:00

The expansion links have been cleaned and the die blocks removed. The links will need reprofiling and then the blocks replacing or white metaling to take up the wear. Some of the bushes have worn and worked loose, they are scheduled for replacement.

The accumulation of crud is removed from the brake gear to allow measurements to be taken. Initial thoughts are that the pins will be skimmed to take out wear then new bushes will be made to suit and pushed into place.

The axle boxes have had the new fillers fitted, this will make oiling up and removal of any water a lot easier. Re-wheeling is now imminent

Reassembly of the boiler begins

2012-03-05T06:23:00.000-08:00

The new throat plate is being fitted to the boiler, initial trials indicate a good fit and enough excess around the edges to allow for final trimming.

The edges of the new throat plate will require fettling to ensure correct sizing of the water space and overlap with the new side plates.

The new throat plate fits the boiler well. The holes can be seen where the palm stays are attached.

Meanwhile the new door plate has been fitted and is being welded in place.

more new platework for the boiler

2012-02-20T06:13:00.001-08:00

More progress has taken place on the boiler with the forming of the last piece of new plate work.

Above is the basis of the new throatplate formed using the same method as the door plate shown previously.

Our latest collection of metal. Not a pile of scrap but the formers used to create the firebox platework. These are now available for any GWR loco owning group who require new platework for a std No 14 boiler.

We also understand that the doorplate is the same on a std No 10 boiler.

The last part of the jigsaw puzzle. This is the final former used in forming the throatplate. It is used to turn the lip back to meet the underside of the boiler barrel.

Here are the old and new throatplates sit side by side. The new plate in the former is ready for heating to form the flange to meet the boiler barrel. This flange can be seen standing up from the old throatplate in the foreground.

The view from underneath, here you can see where the plate needs heating and dressing down to meet the former, thus forming the flange for riveting to the boiler barrel.

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Rewheeling moves a step closer

2012-02-13T05:25:00.000-08:00

Today was a day of cleaning the protective grease and vasalene off the bearing surfaces ready for rewheeling.

The above shows one of the crank pins covered in old grease to protect it from the elements.

After cleaning a protective coat of oil was applied to stop the rust.

The main journals are in good order and have been well protected. The thrust face had lost some of its protection and a light layer of rust covered the surface. A gentle tickle with a soft rotary wire brush soon removed the rust.

A cleaned and oiled jounal and thrust face ready for the refurbished axle boxes.

A rest from the work! Sit back in the winter sun and watch Rood Ashton Hall chuff by to the turntable.

Back to the hard work. The main springs were dug out from storage and moved up to the wheel sets for refitting under the axle boxes.

We are not sure why but sometime in the past some of the underkeeps were modified so that no oil was returned to the sump. Here you can see the original drain holes being reinstated to return things to original design. Only job left to do now on the underkeeps is to fit the early style inside fillers (this speeds filling and allows easier removal of any water) and the installation of some nice new felt pads.

More boiler progress

2012-02-06T05:40:00.000-08:00

Above is 7820's boiler after repairs to the copper firebox plates. Here the repaired plates have been refitted and are held in place with bolts in preparation for riveting and patch screwing the laps back together.

At the front end of the barrel the old tube plate has been removed ready for a new one to be installed. The wasted front lip of the barrel has been cut away and a new section welded in place.

Due to the corrosion and wasteage found in the steel plates a new door plate, side plates and throat plate are required. Above you can see the boiler plate for the new door plate bolted to Dinmore Manor groups new cast former ready for shaping.

The shaping begins, with the plate being heated to enable the metal to be worked around the former using hide mallets. Care has to be taken not to burn the plate and not to force the plate uneavenly thus avoiding cracking or thinning the plate.

Out come the big hammers, with well timed blows three people keep a steady rhythm on the plate working it over the former until it cools and needs reheating.

More heat to keep the metal relaxed and workable.

At the end of the day the plate has been beaten around the former. After cooling and removing from the former the firehole door ring gets turned back to form the lip to which the copper door plate is riveted. This is done in a separate process using a separate former.

Tyseley working party 28-01-2012

2012-01-29T01:03:00.000-08:00

Front sandboxes being cleaned down ready for painting.

Dissolving 10 years of oil and grease off the sandboxes. At least they haven't rusted!

The driving wheel axle boxes have had new bronze liners riveted in place. The plates are then machined to give a perfect fit in the horns.

Whilst work continues on overhauling 7820 our running loco 3850 has not been forgotten above is the refurbished tender clevis rescued from one of the unrestored tenders. This will be fitted to tender 1761, which is currently running behind 3850, as the existing one is showing signs of wear. A straight swop will be quicker than removing the old one, refurbishing it and then refitting, thus ensuring 3850 remains available for traffic.

Lastly the refurbished (new bushes and grease nipples) weighbar shaft bearings ready for refitting to the frames with the shaft which will enable the inside motion to be installed after re-wheeling.

Repairs continue in preparation for re-wheeling

2012-01-23T05:19:00.000-08:00

Making new bushes for the T-links in the lathe. These are made from thick wall tube of the appropriate grade skimmed down on the outside to have a few thou interferance fit in theT-link hole and machined out internally back to drawing size ready for new pins.

New bushes are pushed into the T-links using the flypress. The old bushes and pins were worn oval from 80000 miles supporting the weight of the loco.

Refurbished T link ready for use in the bottom of the axle boxes. The new pins shown in an earlier posts (19th Dec and 10th Jan) fit through the top of the T link and connect the link to the axle boxes, with the bolt seen in the above picture locating in the dimple machined in the centre of the pin.

Meanwhile the leaf springs hang from a pin (yet to be made) which passes therough the buckle in the centre of the spring and the new bush in the lower end of the T-link thus connecting everything together.

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The boiler, a little history on the wear and tear found!

2012-01-18T05:58:00.000-08:00

The boiler for 7820 came out of Barry with the locomotive. In order to get it steaming again in essance all that was required was replacement of the tubes, some stay and rivet replacement and off she went. Having completed a ten year ticket and never having had a major overhaul since BR days certain areas of the boiler had reached the end of their life. The photos below, whilst looking like a horror wall, show the issues which arrise in an old boiler and need adressing periodically. Whilst these more major repairs do not occur every ten years like tubes, stay and rivets they are longer term repairs which have to be addressed.

The main area of repairs on the copper box has concentrated on the laps. After years of tooling and caulking the laps get thin and eventually they crack at the weak points around the rivet holes. Here you can see how two holes in the door plate have cracked out to the edge of the plate.

At the lower edge of the door plate rivets connect the inner door plate to the foundation ring and the outer plate. These rivet heads waste away over time and are replaced at overhauls if the heads have reduced beyond acceptable limits. Each time a rivet is replaced more strain is placed on the platework as the rivet cools and contracts. In addition each time the loco boiler goes through a heat up and cool down cycle or a fireman misses a bit of the grate and the fire goes thin resulting in cold air being drawn in to the fire box more stress is placed on the platework. All this stress shows up in corners and around fixing points such as rivets, stays and tubes. Above the result of all that stress has manifested itself as a crack radiating off from a foundation rivet hole.

The above shows a very wasted and thinned section of lap. The only solution here is to cut out the offending section and then weld in a new section restoring the material back to its proper profile. Quite a lengthy and costly process when you take into account the cost of copper, the intricacies of welding copper and the labour involved in shaping the plate and redrilling the holes to line up with the sister plate.

As mentioned above with all of the heating a cooling cycles a boiler goes through it moves, each time it moves parts flex, repeated flexing of a component causes fatigue and eventually stress cracking. The above photo shows the cracks from the stresses occuring in the tube plate where one element is restrained by the tubes and the other is riveted to the side plates.

Moving onto the steel firebox, this has not escaped from repeated stressing. Above a crack in the throat plate can be seen after polishing of the steel to make it show up. Again this has occured at a corner where stresses are concentrated. Taking into account wastage and grooving found in the remainder of the throat plate, the decision was taken to manufacture a new throat plate. More on that later.

Lastly; probably the worst bit of copper lap I have ever seen. What was originally a thick piece of copper has been reduced to fresh air leaving little material around the rivet heads. Again time for a new section of lap.

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Progress at Tyseley on 7820, motion and other parts.

2012-01-16T05:43:00.000-08:00

With the rear half of the frames ready for wheels attention turns to the front end. The bogie will come out for overhaul at the same time the main drivers are installed.

Meanwhile by the container work continues on cleaning, checking and painting the hundreds of motion parts ready for reassembly.

Some parts reqire more cleaning than others, here one of the spring hanger dics is subject to heavy duty cleaning.

The copper pipework is all being cleaned in preparation for annealing. This process softens the copper preventing vibrations, which it is subject to whilst in use, from causing cracks to form in the pipes.

Is that green topcoat I see on the rocker arms? Is this a clue to the livery or a plot to fool everyone and actually it will go black..........

In the sunlight you could be mistaken and think we are overhauling an LNER loco.

More progress towards re-wheeling

2012-01-13T08:56:00.000-08:00

More progress has been made towards re-wheeling 7820 with the production of new spring hanger bolts to replace those which were found to have corroded beyond being suitable for reuse.

Thanks to some hard work by volunteers and their associates some of the existing nuts were salvaged for re-use. It all helps to keep the costs of a heavy overhaul down.

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Return to work after the holidays.

2012-01-10T05:31:00.000-08:00

The lads get back into the cleaning and painting of the cladding. Work on most of the small pieces has now reached the stage of undercoating with the final two large pieces of cylinder cladding being cleaned and prepared for paint in the shot above.

Meanwhile in the workshops the axle box pins were being completed. Here one of the new pins in being pilot drilled using a gash bolt in the T-link to keep everything centered.

After pilot drilling the pin is removed from the T-link and drilled to put a lead on the holes

The result: 6 new pins ready for the dished hole for the securing bolt to be machined in.

The last operation using a specially ground shaped cutter to make the dished locating hole for the securing bolt.

At last the six new pins are finished and ready for installation when the loco is rewheeled.

Axle box repairs continue.

2011-12-19T05:17:00.000-08:00

The bars which connect the T link (from which the springs hang) to the axle boxes were found to be exhibiting signs of stress from 80,000 miles running! Still it made the decision on whether to renew or refit an easy one.

First job to buy a length of the correct size and grade of bar then set the mechanical hacksaw to work. This still takes around 35 minutes to make a single cut even with the 'additional weight' added to the arm. It does mean that whilst the saw is at work we can carry on with more work on the cladding which I guess is marginally easier work than sawing up the bar by hand.

Once cut into lengths its over to the lathe for finishing. I hope to get a picture of the finished bars shortly complete with locating dimple. Once these and a few other spring components are complete 7820 should be in a position to be re-wheeled. Hopefully this will take place in January. Look out for pictures in the new year.

There will undoubtedly be a break in reports over the next week or two as we all earn some brownie points doing family things before starting again in the new year with what hopefully will be a year of assembly and working towards lighting a fire and raising steam once again.

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Naming your car and axleboxes....

2011-12-13T01:47:00.000-08:00

Whilst it is commendable that all volunteers take their role in Dinmore Manor seriously a few of us wondered if things were being taken a touch too far when one director arrived at the last working party with his job title emblazoned across the rear of his transport for the day!

Meanwhile deep in the workshops at Tyseley the axle boxes have been metalled and machined, work is also underway on replacing the liner plates so that these can be machined back to fit the reground horns on the frames.

Work continues on the cladding

2011-12-12T05:13:00.000-08:00

The task in hand- Top of photo; one piece of valve cladding cleaned and ready for painting.

Bottom of photo; as the cladding came off 7820 complete with 10 years accumulation of crud.

The merry band continue scraping, degreasing and using any possible method to remove accumulated oil, grease, soot, ash, brake dust and numerous other baked on substances.

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Completed Wheels

2011-12-12T05:01:00.000-08:00

Freshley painted wheels awaiting completion of the axle boxes before rewheeling.

Mike is caught admiring his handywork with the black gloss on the driving wheels.

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A few pictures of work completed so far.

2011-12-05T01:57:00.000-08:00

The frames cleaned and painted. Since the picture was taken the horns have been ground to take out the 80000 miles of wear that occured over the last boiler ticket.

Valve chests bored. The valves have also been overhauled and are ready to fit when the time arrives.

One new tyre fitted & all tyres turned. Since this picture many happy hours have been spent cleaning and painting the wheels so that they are ready for refitting once the axle boxes are overhauled.

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Hello & Welcome

2011-12-04T10:53:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the Dinmore Manor Blog. Here you will find reports on the overhaul of 7820 Dinmore Manor.
Currently the chassis is part way through overhaul at Tyseley Locomotive Works and the bolier is mid overhaul at Ian Riley's workshops.

Our members are working hard every weekend to bring together the hundreds of small pieces that require refurbishing to get the loco back into working order. You can follow the weekly progress complete with photos of the merry workers and who knows if you like the look of what you see you may even be tempted to join us and help put 7820 back in action.

Photos and reports will be added over the next few days follwed by regular updates.

If you would like more information on Dinmore Manor please visit http://www.dinmoremanor.co.uk/