Progress on the cladding

Replacement splasher being fabricated. What the photo doesn't show is the pin holes in the lower section of the old one. The curved section of the old splasher is missing because it was not corroded and has already been recycled to repair another piece of cladding.

Dressing the weld between new and existing pieces of cladding.

After rubbing down and painting the cladding is ready for fitting to the boiler. Final painting will be done on the loco.

Meanwhile manufacture of more drawgear cups to house the compression rubbers continues. These will be kept in stock for the second tender or to replace any on the working locos when overhaul or replacement of coupling hooks with one of the new batch of GWR hooks we are manufacturing and supplying to other groups becomes necessary.

Cleaning up the front end.

Now that the bogie has been removed work has shifted to the front end of the frames and the frame extensions. Much claening, scraping and painting will see this area looking as tidy as the back half.

What is usually hidden below the cylinders and above the bogie. Easy access now makes the clean up far easier.

The back of the cylinder block with the frame extensions to the top of the photo.

The bogie frame nearly cleaned and ready for paint.

You never know what you will find lurking under the front end of a steam engine, fortunately in this case it was just a hard working volunteer.

Making more new pins.

Trainee lathe operator happy at work making pins. (perhaps more concentration on the job in hand rather than the camera would be good!)

New pins being drilled for the split pin. Note the old worn pin on the corner of the table.

Putting the flats on the head to enable the pin to be rotated once installed. This allows easier installation and extraction of the split pin.

The machinist at work. (Note concentrating on job not camera!)

Will the cladding ever be finished......

Cleaning of the main boiler and firebox cladding.

Still many small bits to be sorted proir to reassembly.

Some of the lips and cladding edges have been eaten away by tin worm. Time to cut out the wasted sections.

Then weld in replacement patches prior to fianl rubbing down and painting.

bogie overhaul begins

With the frames back on the driving wheels the bogie has benn removed and is being stripped.

Tyres will be turned an the axle boxes overhauled.

Lots of parts to clean inspect and repaint ready for reassembly.

Yet more cladding!

The top fire box corners cleaned and ready for repainting.

The cylinder cladding finally completed and ready for transport to Tyseley for refitting.

Another view of the refurbished cylinder cladding.

Having finished the cylinder cladding work moves onto the firbox cladding.

Careful attention with the angle grinder removes the crud and flakey paint before sanding and painting

The next project is the doorplate or backhead cladding.

At least this time around we have all the parts rather than with the restoration when they had to be made.

3850 update

New tender main draw bar cup being manufactured.

This contains the rubber discs on the back of the main draw bar clevis which connects the loco draw bar to the tender. The rubber discs help to take out any shock loadings.

Here all of the finished bits are laid out. Next job is to transport them to Minehead and fit to the tender when it is stopped for a washout and can be separated from the loco.

You may have heard rumours about 3850 going to another heritage railway this summer and that we turned down a very good offer.  The reality is that we received a telephone enquiry, which, with the co-operation of the West Somerset Railway, we followed up. In the event the other railway hired a different locomotive, so we remain on the WSR.