Brrrrrrrrrrrr...
Monday morning 7:30 am -4 degrees. The first job as the highest priority was to light the fire. In fact this would be repeated every morning.
As planned the boiler cradle strip down was completed and the usual undercoat and two top coats of black were applied. The reversing gear was completely seized and the rollers that facilitate easy movement had in fact worn flat when the locomotive was in operation. A compete new set of rollers is being manufactured. The pivot centre oil lines and boxes were repaired and fitted ready for use. The re fit steam delivery pipes from the smoke box to the hind unit started, however we have to order a new set of inch BSW studs and nuts to complete the job. Thanks to the efforts of Mike Ridley, Peter Gleeson, Stuart Edwards, Barry Peffer and Roger Maynard.
On the engine unit side the first of the four bogies was completely stripped down to the last nut and bolt. The lessens learnt here is that even the sub assemblies are heavy. The bogie frame was cleaned down and crack tested with no significant issues found. Three of the manganese horn liners will be replaced due to cracking in the corners. The many smaller components were progressively stripped cleaned and assessed. As previously reported the lateral control springs are in poor condition and by weeks end they were dispatched to Sydney for rebuild. Thanks to Ian Senini, Malcolm Cluett and David Griffiths.
In all 290 hours of work was completed for the week realising another significant milestone. Thanks to the efforts of all involved the boiler cradle is now almost compete. We can now move onto the overhaul of the four bogies and when completed reassembly of the locomotive proper will commence. In parallel the bogie work we will continue with the strip down of the motion and the assessment of the engine units.
We are now at what can be called the turning point of the project, however as is always the biggest threat to the project is money. We now have some big ticket items that will have to be competed in the next six months. These are,
· 20 off super heater elements. $27,000.
· Hard chroming of piston and valve rods.$ 12,000.
· Spring repairs and rebuilds. $10,000.
· Piston rings for vales, cylinders and air compressor . $14,000.
· Sundries. $20,000.
So now for the big news, if we realise the above $89,000 6029 will be steaming in 2011. We have the team and the skills to do the job, so it all gets down to money, its as simple as that. So please keep the donations coming in, no matter how small every bit counts. Collectively we can once again see Australia’s largest stem locomotive gracing the rail network.
Keep steaming,
Alan Gardner
