Friday 24th & Saturday 25th May 2013

 

After completion of the assembly of the vacuum pump, it was lifted by five strong men, good and true, into position on the frame and secured. The oil bottle, vacuum pipe connection and pepper pot on the top of the pump can be clearly seen.

 

 

The vacuum pump in position ready to be coupled to the crosshead after the rods have been fitted.

 

 

The left crosshead has been further eased to achieve a good sliding fit on the slide bars.

 

 

The crank pins have been cleaned in readiness for sizes to be taken so that the coupling rod and connecting rod re-metalled bushes can be machined.

 

 

The cylinder bores have been cleaned in readiness for re-fitting the pistons which are now in final assembly.

 

 

Back outside again, the protective tarpaulin has filled up with water in the beautiful Costa del Tyseley weather so some bailing out is done before some unfortunate soul underneath gets an unexpected shower.

 

 

Meanwhile serious consideration is given to either attempt to play a tune on the pipes or refit them.

 

 

Cannot get a tune out of it so I had better refit it!

 

 

The left hand injector fully fitted, jointed and piped up.

 

 

Underneath the vacuum piping is re-assembled and new joints fitted. The firebox normally occupies this area and previous damage caused by rivet heads on the firebox banging on the frames can be seen in the area above the axle box.

 

 

The spindle that carries the cranks for the ash pan damper doors had worn badly and is normally screwed into the threaded hole in the frame (indicated) with a nut securing it behind the trailing coupled wheel. However, at some stage, the spindle had been welded to the frame and it has been necessary to grind off the weld to release the spindle and dress the frame face for a new spindle that is now in manufacture.

 

 

The Saturday team take a well earned tea break before launching merrily into their respective tasks!

Progress in May

The vacuum pump is stripped on a fine Saturday in May (which have been few and far between) and component parts are cleaned and inspected

The pump had accumulated rainwater during the open storage of the engine whilst on the WSR resulting in an oily slurry filling most of the apertures on the pump. The oil reservoir was particularly contaminated as was the pump piston head and rings  

 

 

 

After cleaning undercoat and top coat are applied ready to start reassembly of the pump

 

 A new neoprene gasket is required for the end cover and the relief valves need to be lapped in to ensure a good seal before the pump is final reassembled. This has now been done and the pump is ready to refit to the engine

 

A sand box pipe and water overflow pipe for the fireman's side injector are prepared for painting

 

Water feed, injector live steam and steam heating pipes are all checked, cleaned and painted

 

Parking can be at a bit of a premium at Tyseley!!!

 

Whilst undercover in the former King shed, the injectors pipework and support brackets are refitted beneath the cab

 

With the insulation and oil pipes in place, the cladding on the cylinders and steam chest is secured in place

 

 

Some 1912 vintage equipment (this is not a reference to the three musketeers from the Erlestoke Manor Group) proves to be a suitable bench for lunch!!

 

 

 

 

Exciting developments regarding the future of 7820 & 2874.

We are pleased to be able to tell you what has been  planned once our flagship locomotive “Dinmore Manor” returns to steam this summer .   We can announce that we plan to be at the West Somerset Railway’s 2013 Autumn Gala, running for a strictly limited number of days around the event.  The date of this year’s WSR Gala is 3^rd/6^th October and the engine should fit in beautifully with the autumn colours and the Cambrian theme.

The Hire Team from DMLL has been talking to a number of heritage railways with the aim of securing the best combination of long term security and maximising income whist trying to present the option of attractive, varied running turns for “Dinmore Manor”.

We are delighted to announce that we have now reached an agreement with the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Steam Railway (GWSR) to operate on their line running north from Cheltenham through Toddington towards Broadway once ‘Dinmore Manor’ returns to steam.

The agreement offers many potential benefits for both organisations, because we shall have the opportunity to run in territory that is new to ‘Dinmore Manor’, near to the tourist ‘hotspots’ of England’s Cotswolds and Stratford Upon Avon -as well as being able to operate 7820 elsewhere during the ‘closed season’ and for agreed periods during the main GWSR operating season. It is through this spirit of flexibility that we shall be able to operate at the WSR’s Autumn Gala and at other times if we are requested.

What makes the next 2 years even more interesting is that we plan to commemorate 7820’s journey from a scrapyard wreck to restored glory by taking ‘Dinmore Manor’ back to the railway that first secured the locomotive by bringing it out of Barry in 1980. Next year (2014), the Gwili plan to complete the extension of their operating line south from Bronwydd Arms towards Carmarthen and we have agreed in principle that ‘Dinmore Manor’ can return to the ‘Cambrian Coast’ line to join their celebrations. We anticipate that this will provide mutually beneficial publicity and welcome income for both organisations.

Our updated 12-month programme now includes:

·         Assembling the chassis for early June

·         Refitting the boiler to 7820 in July

·         Dinmore Manor appearing as a static exhibit the Tyseley ‘Open Day’ on 22^nd June

·         7820 entering service on the GWSR – probably now in September

·         Appearance at the WSR Autumn Gala in October

·         Visit to Gwilli Railway in early 2014

Longer Term Plans

We have always stated that we will develop plans to deliver the company strategy that was part of the ‘New Horizons’ Plan. Our 2 other locomotives which are in unrestored condition and waiting for the overhaul of ‘Dinmore Manor’ to be completed will each need long and expensive restoration programmes to return them to operation. During the overhaul of 7820, we have been limited by both the absence of covered accommodation and the number of volunteers, so we have sought out ways to broaden our support and provide a base better suited to the work that will be required.  We are, therefore, delighted to report that we have concluded a second, independent agreement with the GWSR to support the restoration of 2874 at their Toddington base.

2874 Restoration

Although plans for this locomotive cannot yet be fully developed, we believe that the agreement to move this locomotive to Toddington will be mutually beneficial for both the GWSR and ourselves.  The GWSR have a young team of enthusiastic volunteers who are both experienced in restoration and very keen to be involved with another. We happen to have just what they need.

This means that work can start on 2874 later this year at Toddington. The facilities there ensure that the work can be carried out under cover when required, so not to be weather dependent, and includes the use of their extensive machine shop, which will bring with it a significant cost saving as restoration progresses.  Initially the work will involve the stripping down of the components of the engine and cataloguing all the work required to make each piece ready for reassembly in the future. 2874 is the preferred choice for our third engine because of its original build. No other 28xx with inside steam pipes is likely to steam in the future.

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.