Saturday the 6th of December

Once again  we enjoyed  a sunny Canberra  day working on Australia’s largest steam locomotive. Mark finalised the strip down of the old boiler by removing the last of the crinoline bands and the superheater support brackets. He then moved onto the tedious task of cutting out the last of the blanking plates out of the smoke box on the change over boiler. Howard and Barry started the assessment and preparation of the crinoline bands for the  fire box  cladding sheets. While under the firebox Alan spent all day on his back drilling out the broken off fire bar bracket studs. 38 have to be drilled out and re tapped to 7/8 BSW. When completed all the brakes can be fitted and in turn the fire grate will be installed. Further to this Bruce is machining a full set of bolts to facilitate the attachment of the ash pan to the fire box, thanks again Bruce.

Future work will now address the change over boiler and cradle. The  list of works is as follows.

 Drill and tap 3/8 x 7/8 BSW stud holes in foundation ring.

Lift boiler cradle off engine units and set up on ground.

·     Make new 2 x reach rod brackets and install.

·     Install remaining crinoline stand off’s.

·     Hand rail brackets, fit to boiler.

·     Assess and repair boiler cradle as required.

·     Repair smoke box wrapper as required.

·     Grind flush super heater bracket mounting plates.

·     Super heater mounting bolts,  make new.

·     Install smoke box floor and associated fittings.

·     Repair smoke box door hand wheel and dart bar.

·     Assess and repair super heater header and throttle  and associated  fittings as required.

·     Install main internal steam pipe.

·     Install super heater header and throttle vale.

·     Install blast pipe and nozzle.

·     Install Smoke stack.

·     Install boiler centring bracket  

·     Install all pipe work and fittings in smoke box

·     Lift boiler onto cradle.

·     Drill and fit all smoke box to cradle bolts

·     Install expansion  brackets

·     Install all boiler feed pipes and fittings.

·     Install fire grate.

·     Repair and install ash pan.

·     Steam test boiler.

We anticipate lifting the boiler cradle off before Christmas and set it up level on the ground to facilitate the assessment and subsequent repairs.

Alan Gardner

hey..look at me now..

Nearly three thousand hits, nearly two thousand unique hits..that is a lot of interest in our blog, and more importanly, a lot of interest in our project.

To every one, a big "thank you" your support is a great help to us.

NEXT WORK DAYS

Canberra Railway Museum

SATURDAY 6 December
SUNDAY 21 December

given that it is now getting warmer we will start at 0800, finish early..hats, water and suncream compulsory options!

Sandstone-Estates.com

If you are interested in the preservation movement in South Africa,  click here 

This a great site, that seems to have something for everyone!

Sunday 16th November

The day started bright and early at 7am as we had planed to complete some critical work on top of the change over boiler before the weather got to hot.  Now that we have repaired/ replace  most of the broken studs and fittings we have started to fit all of the brackets to the boiler. The preparation of the crinoline bands has started and at this stage we will be fitting the firebox area only. After the first steam test we will fit the cladding sheets as this will facilitate the fitting of the cab.  

Strip down of the old boiler is now almost complete as Mike , Mark and Howard removed the dry pipe and associated fittings. The Baker family removed the last of the fire bar support girders and brackets. When funds permit the old boiler will be sandblasted and primed to prevent damage to the outer surfaces. A preliminary inspection supports that fact that this boiler is repairable and when time permits we will begin the removal of the tubes to enable access to the inside of the boiler to assess the predicted damage. In the afternoon Howard  and Peter Gleeson mounted up the regulator pivot housing and associated bits. Mark continued to sort out all of the hand rail mountings as we will have to fit the hand rails to facilitate the fitting of the blower and controls for the steam test. Barry Peffer worked on the shelving for the container as he is still recovering from an operation he needs to avoid getting to dirty, great to see him back and on the mend. Our next workday will continue to see work on the change over boiler particularly at the smoke box end  as we need to finish removing all of the blanked off plates in preparation to fit the superheater header and regulator. And yes after the header is fitted and completed bring on the steam test. 

Alan Gardner 

On Saturday we completed the strip down of the smoke box in the old boiler . The morning commenced with removing all of the caps on the Superheater header. With no surprise all of the 7 valves were seized in the closed position and with the aid of the oxy torch we gently heated all of the valves and gradually freed them all up. The next stage was the remove the gland and stuffing box that protrudes outside the smoke box. This allows connection two the linkages along the boiler and onto the cab and regulator lever where the driver sits. Again the oxy torch was used, however this time stubborn resistance was encountered. We allowed it to cool down and subsequently enjoy lunch courtesy of Bob Hall’s snags. After lunch the whole assembly yielded to our efforts. We then moved onto the cam shaft and with much jiggling and swearing we extracted the five foot long cam. The header to our surprise gave no resistance and was easily removed with the assistance of the fork lift. With some attention of the steam cleaner an initial inspection revealed it to be in excellent condition. In the next few work days we will crack test and if all is well the vales will be reconditioned and re lapped and reassembled. The subsequent installation into the change over boiler will be our focus over the next month or so. When installed the regulator and linkages will be hooked up in preparation for the steam tests. All three safety vales were bolted to the boiler, a big thanks to Mike Reynell for rebuilding at his Sydney workshop. The last job for the day was to install the fire hole door, this is a half types as it allows space for the stoker shaft to the fire box. A temporary plate will be made to cover this hole for the steam test. With the door in place we should prevent the blackening up of the bronze fittings on the back head.

As mentioned our next few workdays will focus on the smoke box in the change over boiler. A new floor is ready to be installed and when completed the superheater header should be ready for installation. We can also report that the boiler cradle is ready for lifting off the engine units, as the estimated weight is about 15 tons we can use our 30 ton crane to complete this task. It will be set up level in front of the change over boiler to facilitate the installation of the change over boiler as funds permit.


Alan Gardner

Click HERE for the latest photos of the project.

Ron has also made some good progress at Eveleigh, here is his note and a pic of the cab...

Hi Guys,

I finished the exterior painting yesterday and have ground off rusted parts in the arch on the tender side. I also removed one of the bent safety rails and started to grind off one of the rusted sills above it.

Looking forward to seeing the 59er steaming up here this week.

Cheers,



Ron Denholm

NEXT WORK DAY REMINDER

1000 till about 1600
Near the overhead gantry
CANBERRA RAILWAY MUSEUM
Saturday 1 November

ALL WELCOME, workers especially so!

New Photos

Howard Moffat has just uploaded some photos from the early days of the project, check them out here to see how far we have progressed in 12 months. 

work starts on the centre frame

This Sunday's workday was a fairly quiet one, with Alan playing gaurd on the train to Bungendore and both Andy and Gavin traveling to Bungendore and back on the gangers trolley as fire protection. Peter R left early to drag the hydrostatic pump back to Sydney following the succesful tests during the week.

There were two new workers today, Paul Evans and Vince Patrish (sorry Vince, I know I have spelt this incorrectly), welcome to you both.

Work has started on cleaning and painting the centre frame. Panic Pete Gleeson and Paul got started with wire wheels and followed with primer on the area inside the frames, near the firebox. Vince was a late arrival but made up for it helping with the painting.

Pete on the heavy end of the wire wheel

Before

After

And during!

It is amazing what a bit work and some paint can do for the appearance.
Thanks to Paul Evans for the photos,

Marc and Mike worked on removing the superheater header from the old boiler. The smokebox door and front plate are off and work has started on getting the throttle shaft removed to allow the header to be removed. a few of the castings that fit around the throttle shaft are broken and will require replacement with fabricated units. The next workday should see the header out, when the attentions will turn to the steam dryer and dry pipe that need to be moved to the replacement boiler.

The next workday is Saturday 1st of November...See you there!

Project Overview

The project has now progressed to an interesting stage as we are now almost ready to complete our first steam test. The only outstanding jobs are to fit the three safety valves and the fire hole door. The privilege of blowing the first 60 class whistle in over 26 years has been set aside for our greatest supporter and ex NSWGR driver Percy Forester. We hope to do this some time in November.

The main focus will now be to remove the boiler cradle off the engine units and set it up level, clear of the ground to allow a full assessment and subsequent repairs. When completed the change over boiler will be lifted onto the boiler cradle. The attachment of the boiler and the cradle will involve the drilling and fitting of 48, one inch bolts and the expantion brackets on the side of the fire box. After the securing the boiler to the cradle, we can then progress to the fitting out of all of the auxiliary pipes and fittings. The cab is progressing with our friends at Eveleigh and 3801 LTD and when completed it can be fitted straight onto the centre cradle.

Some of jobs we would like to complete before Christmas are,

· The power reverser
· The reversing screw and stand (currently with Bruce)
· The smoke box shell, including a new floor
· Preparatory work on the fire grate
· Assessment of the boiler cradle

It is anticipated that the boiler will be lifted onto the cradle in the new year, however we will need to dig deep again as we will need $2000 for crane hire etc.


Alan Gardner

Project manager

the replacement boiler has passed its second major test

So friday the 17th of October has seen the official hydrostatic test of the replacement boiler completed, and passed as fit for service. This means that the boiler has to pass one more major test to be given its 10 year ticket.

The remaining big test is the accumulation test, in which the boiler is steamed as hard as possible, to prove that the safety valves are able to release all the steam the boiler can make and that the pressure cannot be raised above a safe working pressure.

Before we can do this test, there is a little work to do. We have to overhaul the injectors, repair some of the mountings on the boiler that were removed when it was converted to a stationary boiler, overhaul and fit the regulator/superheater header, fit a new smokebox floor, replace all the mountings for the firegrate/ashpan, fit the rocking grates, repair some corrosion damage to the ashpan, and the list goes on.

And while this is being done, other volunteers will be working on the rest of the engine. The centre frame needs cleaning, inspection and paint, all the motion needs to be cleaned, polished and crack tested. The hind tank will be stripped and painted...

As you can see, we need all the help we can get. Any form of support is welcome, come along on our workdays and have a look at the progress we are making, the next one is this Sunday, the 19th, at the Canberra Railway Museum.

hey, Vince..

thanks for your comments; which I thought were lost in the ether, but which are here, but under the first entry [dunno how that happens!]

A comment..you do not have to actually be on site to help us, for example, an ongoing issue is funding, we don't only want donations but help from folks who can do fundraising stuff for us.

Next Sunday, 19 October being the third Sunday is an on site workday. Lots to do!

So Superweek is over..

Here is what we achieved:

Old boiler out; thanks B and D Cranes of Canberra..and all the hours of work by Gav; Andy, Alan; Mike and the Vintage Hyster fork lift, which in turn recieved running repairs in the form of a new alternator, thanks to David Griffiths. Others helped too, Paul Quinn and Dave Malcolm amongst them.

New boiler tested; thanks again to those named above, to Barry Peffer for his wonderful work on cleaning and polishing fittings and to Roger Maynard for his one-armed painting.

Guest worker on a couple of days was Life Member Gerry Birminghan, who was able to drill out stay tell tales that were otherwise inaccesable. Great to see him, and indulge in some "remember whens".

Kerry Mellor assisted, particularly when rail bourne movements were needed, and at story telling time when my Michael was informed of some of the good old days stunts. I denied all such tales. Simon Cowling assisted with shunting.

Dismantle Power reverser; thanks David Carroll.

Boiler frame cleaning has begun, thanks to Paul Coulter, whose Father Ted drilled boltholes in a plate which provides access to the superheater header. This is one of many bits that have to be transferred from old to new boiler, and is a good example of the work that has to be done to remove the modifications made for stationery use..the plate was welded on the replacement boiler; which of course did not have the superheater.

And a hugh big thank you to 3801 Limited for the loan of the test pump; which was delivered to Canberra in the trailer behind the V8 Superute [made a big difference to the fuel consumption, too!]

Clean site up, using the Hyster and my equally vintage body. And Howard Moffat came along on Friday and in between photos also cleaned up the work site.

Thanks too, to the owners of the carriage in which Mike, David G. and I stayed; you will no longer have a problem with stale beer!

Rumour has it that the sound of a Garratt whistle was heard; but best fact from the week was the spanner in the works!

Pictures will follow.

Gavin is making a new smokebox floor; and at some time we will need another big plate of steel to make a new compressor mount [the stationary conversion took six inches away!]

Another 300 hours [task total 1300]...so we are about 20% into the job.

Next work day is Sunday 19 October..come long.. be part of this fabulous project. 1000-1600; Canberra Railway Museum.

Superweek day 3

Too busy to blog yesterday...
The second milestone for the week...The old boiler is out, thanks to our friends at B&D Cranes and our expert preparation. There was however a spanner in the works, literally.... there was some resistance at the firebox end which turned out to be an 1 1/4" railway fitters spanner that had been dropped down between the outer wrapper and the frame many years ago.

superweek day 1

The first day of superweek is over, and as the sun sets, Gavin has fitted almost all of the backhead fittings to the replacement boiler. Paul Quinn was grinding and drilling out modifications made to the smokebox, and Alan was cutting bits here and there. Berry Peffer spent most of the day undoing the copper lubrication pipes on the engine units, so that they can be annealed. Some cleaning up of the area was done, and that pretty much saw the day out.

Speaking of time..

the official sign-on book shows that in the year we have been at it; about 1000 hours have been recorded.

So a pat on the back for everyone, that is one milestone of several expected this SuperWeek.

where does the time go?

It amazes me how much time can be consumed on seemingly small components. I have spent 20 hours in the last 3 days finishing off the backhead boiler fittings. about half of the time was spent dis-assembling and cleaning the parts in an abrasive blaster, with the balance spent doing local repairs and putting it all back together. Unfortunately some of the valve assemblies may need to be replaced in the near future, as they are near the end of their life.

All the work in the last few days clears the way for the hydostatic test scheduled to occur this week in Canberra. The countdown to superweek is over and starts in the morning. Peter and I will do the 3.5 hour drive to Canberra in the morning with the hydrostatic pump on loan from 3801 limited... Thanks again guys!

If you have a few hours or even a day ot two to spare, come along and join us, there is plenty to do, and you may even get to see an 80 ton crane lift the old boiler from the frames or the official test of the replacement boiler.

Mike

sunday 21st Sept

Workday Sunday 21 September was a perfect Canberra spring day..ideal for the small group of workers to watch 3016 go off to the Bungendore Market day, to watch miniature trains on the CSME minature railway [including a little 73class, and notably a GWR goods train] and to do some much need tidying up of the replacement boiler. Photos show Peter Gleeson and Barry Peffer cleaning up after Alan Gardner has removed even more of the bits and bobs attached for stationary boiler use.

Another photo shows some of the refurbished boiler fittings back in place preparatory to the hydrostatic test.

Whist there were only a few physically present on Sunday; work continues apace..for example Ron Denholm has completed treating the external surfaces of the cab at Eveleigh; and Mike Reynell collected, with thanks to 3801 Limited and our extended family at Eveleigh; the boiler test gear needed for SuperWeek.

a few photos from the past

Here are a few photos of 6029 in the not so distant past, to help spur us along.

Dont forget that the work day is this Sunday, from 10-4, and that everyone is welcome to attend this, or the SUPER-WEEK, Sept 29th - 3rd Oct. Come down for one day or come for the week.

Accomodation is available for those not lucky enough to live in Canberra and there is plenty of work to do. The boiler will be getting its Hydrostatic test during the Super-week, and lots more will be happening as well. Come along and join the fun!













Howard Moffat photo















Dennis Rittson collection















Dennis Rittson collection

Workday Sunday 21 September 2008

Our next workday will be on Sunday 21 September, 1000 till 1600 ish.

A bbq will take place on the famous thirtyclass smokebox plate.

Work will concentrate on getting the replacement boiler ready for its forthcoming hydrostatic test, and painting of the now cleaned rear engine unit will commence [byo 3" paintbrush]

And please remember that our SuperWeek commences on 29 September, in this period we hope to undertake the hydro test and to remove the original boiler from the frame.

work direction for sept/oct

The critical path at present is to continue to prep the boiler for the hydrostatic test and the removal of the old boiler out of the frame. For the next few months work will focus on the following.

New boiler
Tap out and fit all new studs to boiler.
Remove remaining studs on steam manifold
Finish making all gaskets
Fit new studs to steam manifold
Re-pack main steam stop valve
Fit manifold to boiler, use Dixons graphite jointing compound. Leave two ¾ inch lugs off for pressure gauge fittings.
Fit blanking plates to safety valve seats
Fit whistle to boiler with Dixons graphite jointing compound
Anneal copper ring for steam dome
Fit steam dome cover, use Dixons graphite jointing compound
Fit clack valves, use Dixons graphite jointing compound
Fit blanking plate in front tube plate
Fit blowdown valves, use Dixons graphite jointing compound
Anneal Copper pipes for steam end gauge glass fittings to boiler
Fit gauge glass assemblies and steam pipes, use Dixons graphite jointing compound
Fit all wash out plugs, use Dixons jointing compound

New boiler smoke box
Oxy cut out all welded blanks & plugged bolt holes
Oxy cut saw mill bottom exhaust extraction ducting
Flush grind all surfaces to remove remaining welds, including smoke stack and super heater header cover.
Make and temp fit super heater header cover plate
Temp fit smoke stack
Order new smoke box floor
Fit new smoke box floor
Make and weld cut off air compressor mounting plate
Fit mounting plate support brackets
Repair and re fit front plate under door
Repair smoke box door wheel and dart bar
Fit aux mountings for blower, air comp etc
Repair and fit/weld grid brackets

Old boiler
1. Remove remaining saddle bolts
2. Disconnect remaining steam and exhaust bolts under smoke box
3. Survey entire boiler ensuring nothing is still connecting the boiler to the cradle

Other tasks
Continue to steam clean engine units
Strip down of front tank
Clean up site, i.e. collect all serviceable nuts and bolts
Head stocks leading and hind... electric wire brush clean down and under coat
Remove brake stands
Remove rocking grate lever stand
Replace studs on DS steam pipe
Steam clean top of bunker, tool box and under coat
Remove stoker screw and slides

Alan Gardner

Another nice day!

Well the workday is over and it was another good day. Peter organised lunch again, after removing the cylinder clading with Marc's help, and didnt take any home, it was all eaten, yet no one went hungry.

Today we got the hind tank up off the ground so that work can start on repairing the stoker tube, which has suffered from years of exposure to the elements.

Marc continued the steam cleaning, and was cleaning under and around the cab for most of the day.

Work continued with freeing up the old boiler for removal from the frames. The high pressure steam pipe was released from the side of smokebox and has been liberated while the exhaust manifold is now loose and almost ready to lift out. This leaves only the high pressure steam pipe for the front unit to be released from the floor of the smokebox, and two stubborn bolts in the right hand smokebox saddle.

Barry Pffer started a collecion of the scrap metal around the site, and managed to colled a few pounds of corroded and cut nuts and bolts.

We had to new volenteers today, Art O'Brien who spent of the day cleaning up the hind tank, and David Clarke, who had travelled from Cootamundra, was helping Mike with the lifting of the tank and the boiler preparation.

I will post some new pics of the progress shortly, when Howard Moffat, our resident photographer has reviewed his work for the day, and selected a handful for the blog. Its great to have someone keeping a photgraphic record of our work.

Mike

This pic shows a few of the boys waiting for lunch and reading the New Order's First Commandments;-p

Actually Eddie and Andy are reading the nominations for the upcoming election.

Next Workday in Canberra..

is on Saturday 6 September, 1000 start..maybe good weather, certainly interesting and rewarding work..we look foward to seeing you all there.

a note from Ron

Hi Guys
A couple of us have been working on the cabin independently. With really great support from our colleagues at 3801 Limited, we have needle gunned, angle grinded, and primed around 75% of the exterior panels.
On Saturday week, I'll probably make a start on the roof. Alan and Steve will then need to assess the amount of exterior metal needing replacement. This is not extensive.
Work will then start on the interior wood panels.This work is very rewarding. There's nothing like swapping intellectual rigour with hard physical yakka every so often.

Cabin boy.

See http://eveleighworkdays.blogspot.com/ for information and pictures

helping with the project

Our estimate of costs to complete the job, and return 6029 to steam is $150,000, really not a lot of cash, but we do need help to raise it...one ongoing expense is to pay the wages; one day per week, of the two ARHS ACT fitters, who do one day paid work on the locomotive during the week, then come back on the weekend workdays as volunteers!

We are also interested in hearing from potential corporate sponsors, for example; is there an engineering company out there interested in helping with the construction of a new front tank?

If you can help with a tax-deductable cash donation, we will gratefully accept it, remember that the taxman gives it back to you , dollar for dollar, when you do your tax return... go to the donation form at http://www.arhsact.org.au/arhs/donations_form.php to help.

Maybe you can afford to donate $10 or $20 dollars a week? If we all do this, we will easily acheive our goals, and barely feel it in the hip pocket. Of course, one off donations are more than welcome as well.

Be sure to clearly mark the form as a donation for the 6029 project, so that your hard earned coin is used in the way you would like it to be.

Progress Report August/September 2008

Teams are working on different aspects of the project.

The cab is at the large erecting shop at Eveleigh where a small group of Sydney members, under direction of 3801 Ltd and Goodwin Alco Pty Ltd are preparing it for protective paint and the construction of a new cab inner roof. After rust removal and necessary rust repairs the first coat of undercoat is being applied to external surfaces. New timber window frames, fitted with safety glass have been manufactured, using the historic machinery preserved in the Old Erecting Shop

Many boiler fittings are being renovated off site by experienced hands, including Bruce Manuel in Camden, Mike Reynell in Hornsby and Michael Potter in parts unknown.

The replacement boiler is being prepared for hydrostatic pressure testing by a team which includes Project Manager Alan Gardner, Peter Reynell, Shawn Barker and the Society’s employed fitters Gavin Woolf and Andrew Duffy. This work is nearly finished, the surfaces for fittings have been cleaned and prepared to receive the re-conditioned safety valves, clack valves, water gauge glasses and pressure gauges. Many of the detailed modifications from the boilers' use as a stationery unit are being removed to prepare it for its new role. One very important part of the work is replacement of all the studs with which fittings are mounted as they are mostly crystallized after 50 years. The studs around the dome for the cover are being replaced too.

The old boiler, which will eventually be repaired for re-instalation in the locomotive is almost ready to come out. On 2 August, with valuable help from the society’s vintage Hyster fork lift a team including Roger Maynard, Ted Chuter, Alan and Mike removed the ash pan ; the last significant impediment to the boiler’s removal. it is anticipated that boiler removal will take place in the last week of September.

Previous work had concentrated on removing live and exhaust steam pipes in the smoke box and all the superheater elements after access was gained by removal of the petticoat and exhaust skirt. Lifting the cross compound compressor off tested the capacity of the fork lift. On Sunday 17 August 20, 2008 the coal supply screw was removed, complete with coal from twenty years ago. Tedious tasks that you would not think about, such as removal of the strapping that the boiler cladding fits to are also being undertaken.

An assessment has been made of the condition of the front tank. Unfortunately the floor is rusted beyond repair so the decision will be made to build a new unit, adding some $30000 to the restoration budget. The rear tank is in better order, requiring only some repair to the coal delivery chute.

Another seemingly endless task is steam cleaning of the engine units. Marc has the rear unit half done, and is expected to reemerge when the job is completed some time in the future.

The final task currently under way is removal of connecting rods and associated valve gear so that roller bearings can be assessed and reconditioned where necessary. This is a task allocated to the staff, who work one day per week on 6029, financed by our fund raising efforts. They work too, as volunteeers, such is their pride in the project.

Alan Gardner

Project Manager

workers picnic 17 August 2008

Here are some snaps taken by Howard Moffatt yesterday.

A message from Alan Gardner

Well another great day was spent working on 6029, and again Peter Reynell did a great job with the home made BBQ (ex 3016 smoke box).

Again Mike Reynell made good use of the fork lift and we removed the last sections of the mechanical stoker. Despite running out of gas he and Peter also stated to collect all of the Garratt bits spread all over greater Canberra. Andrew Duffy started the removal process of the motion and side rods, the bits that were removed are in very good condition. Howard continued to strip down the front tanks and he has now almost completed the entire right hand side.

The last of the old boiler crinoline bands were removed and Ted continued to remove the bolts attaching the smoke box to the boiler cradle. Also big thankyou Gavin and David Malcolm who came in last Monday (their day off) to take on the smoke box with the oxy and the jack hammer, because of their efforts the old boiler is almost ready to be removed. Basically before the boiler can be removed we will have to extract about six obstinate saddle bolts and disconnect the remaining steam and exhaust pipes, in all about two days work. Subject to cash flow we will the organised the big lift out of the cradle, hopefully not exposing too much repair work once removed.

The steam cleaner again was in constant use removing literally inches of crud off the hind unit. Once the weather starts to turn warmer we will start the process of painting the entire engine units. Could I ask you to follow my lead when you are at Bunning’s and purchase a $3 paint brush and bring it along with some old overalls to your next work day?

Our next workday is Saturday the 6^th of September and could you please advise if you are attending so Bob can organise the snags. Unfortunately I will not be able to attend as I have to be in Cairns for the ATHRA conference representing the ARA.

Now for some exiting news, we will be holding a super work week from Monday the 29th of September until Friday the 3^rd of October. It is intended to complete the hydrostatic test of the change over boiler and if successful we will continue to prep the boiler for the steam test. Again if the weather improves painting will be carried out on a large scale.

So why not take a week off work and join us in sunny Canberra and really help kick the project along. Accommodation will be as usual available in the BAM’s and yes the BBQ will get a good workout in the evenings.

Exciting times ahead, keep steaming

Alan Gardner

Manager 6029 Project

Project 6029 Progress Reports

Hi Guys
This is intended to be a constantly evolving page that will describe some of the trials, tribulations and milestones as a group of volunteers work to restore 6029, to working order.
6029 is one of the largest and most powerful steam locomotives ever to operate on Australian rails.

One of 42 Garratt locomotives built in Manchester, England between 1952 and 1957 by Beyer Peacock for the New South Wales Railways , 6029 is one of four 60 class locomotives that escaped the scrappers oxy torch and is currently the only one that is ever likely to steam again.

6029 last steamed in 1982, and has since been slowly rusting in the Canberra railway museum. The intention is to have it back in steam early in 2010.