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.
