Sunday 20 March 2011

Now that the boiler cradle is well and truly in place the boiler itself has become the next stage in the critical path of assembly. In fact the Thursday before the workday also saw the use of a 80 ton mobile crane to lift the boiler into position next to the locomotive in preparation for the workday. The boiler was packed with timbers to give relative easy access to the foundation ring so the last of the broken ash pan mounting studs could be drilled out. This job went surprisingly well as upside down work was is never easy and after an hour of the usual grunting and groaning we were done. The lift itself was a bit of an anti climax as the boiler was lowered into position with ease.



With the boiler in place, and after a quick check for clearance, the expansion slides were fitted in preparation for the expansion brackets. They could not be bolted down as some of the studs will have to be replaced. The exhaust steam ball joint that attaches to the blast pipe was checked and it comes as no surprise that some major surgery will be required.

After lunch some of the guys were treated to a ride around the yard on locomotive 1210. It was a pleasant change from eating grinding dust. With all that out of the way, the team started to piece together the remaining crinoline bands. As the name suggest these bits are the frame work that holds the cladding sheet metal in place. Some of the lower parts of the bands are rusted out so new sections will be made as required.

Looking forward, and the next few months should see the cab returned to Canberra for final fitting. With the boiler and cab in place the steam pipes and fittings will be hooked up for the eventual steam test. We are asking for everyone to make that extra effort and attend the next few workdays as the big move is on. Come April, we see 6029 shunted into the large shed to facilitate the fit out of the lubrication system, cab floor and anything else that needs doing. We will also need all hands on deck to help clean up the large shed before 6029 moves in.

Alan Gardner

Ok.... so we didn't expect this!

I don't need to say much... The pictures say it all! Hands up those that are impressed with the progress the team have made in the last month, and if you can, dig deep and help us finish what we have started... Donations are always welcome.

From Boiler in

Saturday 5 March 2011

The first day of spring realized mild temperatures that were a welcome relief from the summer heat. The day started with the usual drill of running out of the power leads and a cup hot strong coffee.

The first job was to screw down the two large tension bolts that form part of the self adjusting pivots. They are designed to be pre-set at a tension which allows the pivot to self adjust for any wear. The adjustment of the screws required the combined effort of Paul, Tony and Andy utilizing four foot long pipe on the end of a four inch AF spanner. After about an hour of grunting and groaning both screws were at the required tension. For the record, a gap of 1^1/8" is called up on the manufactures drawing. The male pivots on both engine units had accumulated some minor surface rust and David soon cleaned off the offending iron oxide and applied a liberal coat of cylinder oil.

All this activity was leading to the project milestone of once again having the three major elements of the two engine units and the boiler cradle back together. Both the engine units were positioned to approximately the correct distance from each other. The boiler cradle was gradually lowered onto the engine unit’s, one end at a time. The end result of seeing the locomotive back together satisfied the crew to no end.



With the boiler cradle off the ground, the opportunity was taken to give the site an overdue clean up. The clean up will facilitate the long anticipated lifting of the boiler onto the boiler cradle. With only some minor prep work to complete it is anticipated that the boiler lift will take place in the next few weeks. This has only been made possible with the generous donations made recently by our project supporters, thanks to all who have contributed.

Our next workday is Sunday the 20th of March 2011

Alan Gardner

Stop Press

It will come as a surprise to some, but Saturday saw the boiler cradle reunited with the loco units... More info soon, but certainly a milestone, and a sign of big things to come... Plus, not a mention of bogie's, well OK, just one!

More info, and more pics very soon!