Saturday, 13th April 2013

The regulator rod passes through the regulator gland stuffing box into the cab and will be installed once the boiler returns. Mounted on the flange is the slotted cam linkage which operates the jockey valve providing lubrication when the locomotive is in motion. The linkage has been manufactured from new.

How many people are require to fit a steam pipe to a Manor? Answers on a postcard to .................

Keep moving lads or you will get undercoated!!!

Now they have got the hang of it, lets try fitting the front vacuum pipe

A view along the locomotive after positioning inside the King shed

Lubrication pipes, insulation and cladding in place on the right steam chest. The joint with the three studs projecting is for coupling the outside steam pipe to the steam chest once the boiler is installed.

At the rear of the locomotive and underneath the cab and drag box, much of the pipework has been reinstalled

The drivers side injector mounted on a bracket on the cab step has the steam and water pipes connected 

A few pictures of the firebox taking shape taken in March & April

Where new meets old on the doorplate (no the picture is not upside down the boiler is!)

Still full of holes but progressing towards a completed boiler rather than being taken apart.

Butt strap has been re-riveted to get rid of the coroded heads.

All new stay holes drilled and tapped awaiting installation of the new stays.

The new tube plate under manufacture, being drilled for all the tubes.

EMF 40^th Anniversary Celebrations

– 20^th April Film Show @ Kidderminster Museum 

Erlestoke Manor Fund celebrates its 40^th Anniversary this year and to begin the celebrations in style there is a slide and video show at the Kidderminster Museum on Saturday 20th April at 7.30pm – this is during the SVR Members and Shareholders' Weekend 

Richard Icke of the 7820 Dinmore Manor Group has agreed to present his acclaimed BR era Cambrian themed slide show featuring Manor class engines.

Following this slide show, there will be an hour’s video from the Jim Clemens Collection - Steaming through Shropshire – Part 2 – The Severn Valley – a nostalgic look back at the railways of Shropshire in the early 1960’s. 

All working members are welcome – cost £6.

Saturday, 9th March 2013

I'm sure it came off from here but has anybody got any ideas how we get the ****** thing back on!

All of the copper requires annealing to ensure that the pipework is ductile so that the pipes and joints are not stressed when re-assembled to the locomotive. Here the top feed and injector pipe sections are being annealed with a propane/oxygen torch

 

The pipes are annealed by heating them to a cherry red and then allowing them to air cool. Care is taken not to heat the joints between the copper pipe and brass flanges.

 

Trial fitting of the firemans side crosshead requires careful scraping to ensure a good fit to the reground slide bars.

                                                       One down and one to go!

Saturday 16th February 2013

New boiler cladding being cut for the area around the safety valve, the heavily corroded old section being used as a template for the new sheet.

    In the machine shop, work continues on the machining of new bushes for the brake beams

Also in the machine shop, the pivot points at the top and bottom of the brake hangers are being fit with grease nipples to improve the lubrication regime when the locomotive re-enters service. The brake gear operates in a hostile environment and regular greasing should assist in preventing the ingress of water and cast iron dust from the brake blocks.

The brake beams are having the life expired wear pads removed in readiness for new pads to be welded in place.

Saturday 2nd February 2013

The connecting rods are cleaned and initial polishing work is undertaken. Shortly the bushes will be pressed out for re-metalling and the thrust faces built up on the rod faces.

Some serious work is undertaken on refurbishing the thread on one of the trailing wheelset spring hanger bolts

Three refurbished spring hangers bolts are reunited with the rocker plates and bell housings containing the rubber pads and stainless steel support washers

With the lubrication pipes refitted, insulation material has been cut and applied to the cylinder casting

                                      Finally the cylinder cladding is refitted to the casting

The hand pump and pressure gauge have been made ready for some pressure testing of live steam components

The two live steam injectors are tested by blanking all the flanged connections and then pumping pressurised water into the injector to a final test pressure of 300 pounds per square inch. Both injectors passed the test.

Dinmore Manors return to steam.

You may have heard or seen rumours that Dinmore Manor has been signed up by a UK Heritage Railway. DMLL are presently in discussion with a number of interested parties and are following up options for the hire of  7820 from the Summer of 2013 onwards.  As soon as we have any agreements in place we shall tell our shareholders and the media via our own newsletter and websites.

Dinmore Manor Locomotive Limited 30 Jan 2013