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

Refitting of Drain Cocks 26.01.13

The firemans side cylinder and steam chest drain cocks refitted to the mounting plate and assembled to the cylinder mounting studs. The operating rod and pushers have been added after mounting of the drain cocks

More parts undergo refurbishment.

The first parts of the refurbished cylinder cladding are fitted before the bogie goes back in.

The coupling rods have been dug out of storage and are being cleaned off.

New felt pads being cut for all of the lubrication points.

Main steam fountain cleaned down ready for inspection of all threads and seats new packing for all the spindles will also be installed.

A start is made of refitting the slide bars.

Slide bars in place ready for measuring which in turn will allow machining of the cross head white metal.

The quadrant (expansion) links are cleaned and having been ground and fitted with remetalled die blocks are prepared for paint prior to installation.

The repainted fire iron tunnel is now resting back in place on the frames.

More parts lurking in the container, some ready for fitting some still requireing attention.

Refitting the weighbar shaft.

The following set of photos show the installation of the weighbar shaft into the frames and represent the start of the installation of all the valve motion.

First job to make sure the bushes are spot on and the grease will be distributed along the shaft where it is required.

With the bearings on the ends of the shaft everything is suspended from the gantry and lowered into the holes in the frames.

One end is slid right through the frame hole to allow the opposing end to drop down inside the frames.

The entire aseembly is then slid back to centarlise it in the frames.

Lastly a bit of final adjustment to get the fitted bolts into the frames and the locking rings secured on the shaft.

Expansion Links

Expansion Links and Suspension Links ready to be refitted to the Weighbar Shaft

Refitting parts to the chassis and a boiler update

Following many months of cleaning and painting we have finally reached the point where parts are starting to go back on the re-wheeled frames. Below is a selction of the work carried out during early November.

Having had new end bushes made for the weighbar shaft time came to make a final clean of the ends of the shaft and carry out a final check on the dimensions.

Meanwhile in the cab the screw reverser has been refitted following its overhaul.

We are now into cleaning, and overhauling all the smaller fittings. Above is a selection,

Meanwhile up north the boiler continues to progress. It now looks like a boiler again with all the new platework fitted and riveted in place. Drilling and tapping for the stays is progressing well.

Soon after refitting the screw reverser the bridal rod is back in place with its new roller and treated to a final top coat of gloss black.

The first stage of overhauling all the fittings is to clean them up so they can be easily

 inspected for wear and damage.

Good news on the drain cocks, after cleaning, inspection revealed only one new piston required with the other five only needing a light fettle and lapping to make them ready for refitting.

Final tweaks to the new weighbar shaft bearings to ensure the grease gets distributed along the bearing surface once fitted.

The merry band hard at work.

Work over the last 6 weeks

The cladding is progressing well which will make the refitting a much cleaner and simpler job.

The new tender has not been forgotten. The new tank is being painted as it is easier to reach at ground level as opposed to being up in the air on the frames.

One of the bigger components still to be attacked. The old smokebox is life expired and due to wasteage will not see another 10 years service, A new one is now on order.

Somebody really needs to decide if we are going works grey or final top coat.!!!

The cab side getting a rub down ready for undercoat and some new top coat.

Even the many oil pots are getting the full overhaul treatment.

Vacuum cylinder out for cleaning painting and replacement IR band and seals. Access is a lot easier with the boiler out and we do not want to see it for another 10 years once the boiler returns.

The other bit of the cylinder in the initial cleaning stage.

Every nook and cranny needs attention from the painters leading some less than comfortable postures.

Bogie wheel sets with freshly turned tyres. Axle boxes being fitted leaving only top coat paint before reassembly.

More attention lavished on the cab before we start to bolt bits back in place and make access far harder.

Vacuum pipe work being cleaned and inspected.