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