22nd February 2014 - Toddington, GW Railway

 

GETTING READY TO STEAM

 

 

   The race is now on to complete 7820 so that it is available to the

  Railway for the Cheltenham Gold Cup Event. Inside the smoke

     box, new ejector and blower pipes are being fashioned and fitted.

 

 

       The safety valve bonnet also requires some repairs and fitting to the

       boiler cladding. The red nameplate is fitted on the fireman's side

whilst the drivers side will have a black background

                                  Sunshine catches the new paintwork of 7820 as she stands
                              amongst the detritus inside Toddingtons covered accommodation.

19th to 22nd February 2014 - On the move

                                                      THE EAGLE HAS LANDED

 

Sunshine blessed the day when 7820 was scheduled to depart from Tyseley and

 pauses for a photo on the turntable

 

The track ramp is in place as 7820 eases gently onto the transporter

 

A winches eye view

                                                          On board the transporter

                                 During the final stages of loading, a problem was discovered
                                   with the transporter requiring the assisting of a mechanic

                                             Darkness fell before the problem was rectified

 

 

The driver ran out of hours on his tacho and 7820 was shunted to spent

another night at Tyseley

 

 

On Thursday 20th February 2014, 7820 arrived at Toddington and was unloaded

 in a brief spell of sunshine

 

 

Out in the yard on Saturday, 22nd February, the fitting of a host of

finishing parts is underway.

 

Tuesday 18th February 2014 - Tyseley

 

READY TO LEAVE

 

 

      7820 stands in the yard at Tyseley ready to make the journey to

 the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Railway at Toddington

Friday & Saturday, 14th & 15th February 2014 - Tyseley Locomotive Works

 

                                                             IN THE WORKS

 

On the final weekend at Tyseley, members of the working party continue fitting the multitude of pipes, fittings and plating to the cab

                               In her new unlined black livery, 7820 is prepared to leave Tyseley
                                                                  for her new home

 

Final fitting out and steam testing will take place on the G-W

railway after which final lagging of steam pipes and covers

will be undertaken 

 

 

Smoke box door fitted, cab windows being installed - nearly ready to depart

 

                    Some of the working party members, without whose tireless efforts
                     weekend after weekend 7820 would not have reached this point in her
                    overhaul, gather in front of the engine with smiles all round.
                   Thanks also go to the staff of Tyseley Locomotive Works whose
                   friendship over the past months will be sorely missed.

Friday & Saturday, 7th and 8th February 2014.

                IN THE WORKS - The penultimate weekend

 

Tyseley's staff busy themselves fitting out the smoke box

 

The blast pipe and nozzle stand on a trolley in the foreground ready to be lifted

 into the smoke box

 

All the cladding now in place, the safety valve bonnet, whistles and feed pipe covers

 are the next items to be fitted

 

 

Work continues on the front end as the outside steam pipe joints are re-made

 

 

       One of the outside steam pipes now connected to the steam chest, saddle

          cladding in place and the snifting valve, hidden by the steam pipe, refitted.

 

Inside the smoke box, the regulator box, steam pipes from the regulator box to the

header, the superheater header, outside steam pipes from the header to the steam

 chest and the blastpipe have been installed

 

 

The joints on the superheater elements where they fit into the header are being cleaned

 

Preparation is made to install the superheater elements

 

Seen from the smoke box, four of the twelve superheater elements are ready to feed

 into the large boiler tubes

 

One by one the elements are fitted to the boiler

 

 

Meanwhile, rubbing down continues in readiness for painting

Saturday 1st February 2014 - Tyseley Locomotive Works

                                   IN THE WORKS

 

With most of the cladding now in place rubbing down of the undercoat is started as work continues on fitting out the footplate

 

 

The shoulder cladding on the firebox has not yet been fitted but the boiler barrel is complete and being rubbed down

 

Some filling work is still necessary on minor blemishes as the engine is prepared to return initially in black livery for the Gloucester/Warwickshire 'Back to Black' Gala in May 2014 when 7820 will be joined by her stable mate 3850

 

Cladding being fitted to the saddle casting as all the 1.1/8" smoke box saddle bolts (36 in all) have
                                                              been fitted and secured

 

Final fitting of the boiler expansion brackets involves some minor modifications undertaken by Tyseley Locomotive Works staff to ensure a perfect fit after the extensive replacement of the fire box plating

 

The superheater header undergoes a hydraulic test before it can be re-instated in the smoke box