With winter fast approaching, the early morning starts are very cold to say the least. Today was no exception with ice on the ground and the thermometer reading minus 5°C at 7am. After several hot coffee's, the team continued with the preparation around the underside of the leading water tank. The years of splashed up cylinder oil and road grime have been removed and the usual grey under coat and all over black have been applied. It is hoped that this work will be completed at the next workday in preparation for the final fit of the tank to the leading engine unit. Thanks to David and Malcolm, as working upside down is not easy.



The coupling and connecting rods have been crack tested and the polishing is realising good results. The driving wheels have been lined up and the locomotive was moved forward for about four feet to facilitate the best position for the eventual fitting of the coupling rods.The valve gear fit out is progressing, but we will need more willing hands to help progress what could be called arduous work.

The cab fit out is gaining momentum with a small team lead by our resident expert, Ian. The myriad of steam and air pipes are slowly going back together and the pile of stored pipes is getting smaller every workday. Graeme has worked out the best way to refit the control valves for the air compressor and the blower control with the fitting of the spindles (20 foot long) that run from the cab thought the boiler hand rail connecting to the vales attached at the smoke box end.

Our next workday is Saturday 2 June all welcome. Winter woollies will be essential.

Alan Gardner

Quiet Progress

While the blog, and actual physical work on the Garratt has been a bit slow in the last month or so, due in part to the need to perform some maintenance on the societies steam work horse, 3016, there has been some magnificent progress made in Ian Senini's garage.

If you have been following the blog for a while, you may remember the quality of the work he did on the mechanical lubricators , and it comes as no surprise that his next restoration task is being carried out to the same standard. Ian, and Glenn Bridgart have been hard at work on the stoker motor and Cardew valves, all of which have suffered from the years in service and years in open storage.



The Cardew valves, used to prevent damage from any excess water in the cylinders, being mostly brass, have suffered very little and look a treat now that they are clean, but the springs inside them are a different story and may require replacement before too long.

The stoker motor is also getting the royal treatment and while it is complete, and was not seized by exposure, is going to need a little work to set it right. The crank will need to have the journals chrome plated to repair some pitting and the piston rods will likely get the same treatment. Otherwise it has cleaned up very well and no doubt will give sterling service when it is finished.

A little work has been done on the front tank, and another day or so should see its underside completed and ready to fit. One badly corroded area of the floor will have to be replaced, but better now than when it is full of water and on the loco. David slaved away for hours removing the years of grease and grime that had accumulated under the tank, with a fair bit of elbow grease and some determination. Well done, its not the most glamorous job, but it still needs to be done.

Last but not least, there are a few images this monthof 3016 leaving Goulburn roundhouse after the maintenance work had been completed nearby.

Remember that the next workday is Saturday the 5th of May at the Canberra Museum, jobs for everyone and if your lucky, a BBQ lunch as well

Mike Reynell

Workday Cancelled

Unfortunately, due to some unavoidable commitments, Alan has had to cancel the workday scheduled for Sunday the 18th. Work will continue as normal on the following workday, Saturday the 7th of April at the Canberra Railway Museum.

Sunday 19 February 2012

The clean up of the coupling rods and valve gear continues with the crew getting well organised with a production line set up. David starts of the process with the de-greaser and scraper to remove the residual hard grease and road grime. Next Howard gives each rod the once over with the eclectic powered wire bush flowed by David with the polishing wheels and the end result speaks for itself. When completed each rod is stored adjacent to the locomotive ready for final fitting.



Ian was seen under the boiler cradle installing the newly completed blow down muffler that is piped to the two blowdown valves either side of the boiler. Ian advises that he still has to disassemble the whole system for final painting and then re-fit.

Paul and Carl had to squeeze under the smoke box to re-fit the exhaust ball joint from the leading engine unit. The joint itself was spotlessly cleaned some time ago and after a re check it was again proved ok to fit. The four 7/8 BSW bolts were tightened and finished off with the split pins. While in this area they also had a go at fitting the live steam ball joint to the leading unit. With all of theses task now completed the team is looking forward to standing up straight in the smoke box, and because of their effort,s the fit out of the blast pipe and the live steam pipes can now start. Oh did we mention that we still have to hand lap all those lens rings before we can fit the pipes.

The leading tank was at long last moved out of storage by a crane contractor and placed on stands to allow for cleaning of the underside before fitting. While on the stands all of the plumbing that facilitates water feed and draining have been dusted off and trial fitted.

Our next work day in on Saturday the 3rd of March and if we get a good turn out we will prep the leading tank for final fitting soon after.

Alan Gardner

Saturday 4th February 2012 The critical path work for the leading engine units is now all but complete with the lubrication system now tested. Ian continued to check and double check all of the copper pipes and he also identified some pinch points that may lead to failures further down the track. Rectifing these points will include extra brackets to will stop the pipes from vibrating or working loose. The lubricator drives from the valve gear is now fitted and the end result speaks for itself.

The valve gear and coupling rods were taken out of storage and are being checked for fit and final assembly. The coupling rods were hard grease lubricated and the residual grease is very hard to remove but the condition of all pins and bushing suggest that it did the job well. The polishing and crack testing of the rods will take quite a few workdays to complete but this work is necessary to ensure that no defects are present. The smoke box fit out is continuing with the unenviable task of lapping the lense rings that make the steam tight joint between the main steam pipes . Carl and Andy had a go with two rings almost good to go and we estimate we only have about 12 to go.... just in the smoke box area. Keep going guys! The leading tank will now be transferred to the front of the shed with the use of an external crane contractor. Some preparation work is still to be completed on the mounting pads at the bottom of the tank. Our next work day will focus on the leading water tank to ensure that it will be ready for final fitting to the leading unit soon there after. Alan Gardner

Weekday Progress

News just in.... The lubrication system on the leading engine unit has now been fully primed and tested.

Ian Senini has been working on the lubrication systems for some time, and did a wonderful job of restoring the mechanical lubricators for us. He has spent some time during the last weeks getting the lubrication lines connected and ready for test, and last week was able to prime all the lines and check for leaks. This achievement means that the front tank will soon be put back on permanently.... and then, given that there are two engine units, he will start on the hind unit.

From the collection of Howard Moffat, here is a picture he took in 1979 of a tour 6029 hauled on the Michalego line. Wont be long and it will be possible to take picture like it once again.

Sunday 15 January 2012

The install of the remaining super heater elements continued as the first job for the day. Fortunately we were able to source the six remaining tee bolts ew required courtesy of a ex NSWGR 36 class super heater header that has been stored on site for many years. With the bolts sorted the team moved quickly into the task at hand, and in no time the last bolt was tightened up home. With the elements out of the way the guys cleaned up all the tools and swept out the smoke box clean.



The steam pipes that run from the super heater header inside the smoke box were next in the critical path and as usual they had to be cleaned up for assessment. The flange spherical faces that make up the steam tight joint were wire brushed and the tedious job of lapping each face commenced. Many of the old bolts were seized in place and had to be heated to red hot before being driven out. All new bolts have been ordered well in advance ready for fitting of the pipes but we still are a few workdays away from this.

The sand box fit out continued with three of the four leading, sand traps, air connections and pipes fitted. Some of the pipes required re setting and welding for alignment, but this task is made easy with the oxy torch and sledge hammer. This work is being completed before the leading tank is fitted into place as it is easer to do this with un-restricted access.

Thanks to Ian, the testing of the leading lubrication system will now take place mid week between workdays. A test pressure gauge will be fitted to what is called the terminal check valves that is located in close proximity to each cylinder. Once pumped up to just below 225 psi all lube lines will be visually examined for leaks, and any pipes that need repair will be fixed as required. After the integrity of the pipes and lubricators is proven the system will be flushed through and primed. This will have to be done again before the steam tests commence but the hard to get at pipes will be good to go one the tank is in place.

Our next workday will be an interesting one as we will be prepping the leading tank for final fit and if all goes to plan, 6029 will be shunted out of the shed for the fitting of the tank.

Alan Gardner

The first workday for 2012 was well attended and as luck would have it many hands do make light work, particularly when you are installing super heater elements. With 20 of 50 still to go the team was divided up into three groups to facilitate delivery from storage, lifting from ground to footplate level and finally installation in the smoke box.

With everyone ready to go it was soon realized that the smoke box door would not open past 20 deg as it was fouling a very large nut that adjusts the boiler cradle pivots. After some minor adjustment the door was clear to open and the elements were soon being pushed into what is called the flue tubes. Once in position a very large tee clamp bolts is fitted and secured with a 1" BSW nut. The first element took about one hour to fit and by mid afternoon this was down to about ten minutes from start to finish. The down side being that it was getting very hot by mid afternoon so it was decided to stop with just 6 elements to go. This decision was also influenced by the fact that we are 4 tee bolts short. Needless to say that the sourcing of tee bolts is the highest priority on the shopping list.

The last of the rebuilt sand boxes was fitted into place and the sand delivery pipes have been dusted off from storage. They are bent in all directions to clear the wheels and brake gear  but once marred up to the adjacent box the fit is quite obvious. The sand traps x 8 are progressively being cleaned out and air tested before final fit and once fitted the crew looks forward to filling them with sand for the fist time in many years.

Our next workday is Sunday the 15th of January, all welcome.

Saturday 3rd December 2011

Work continues to focus on the leading engine unit and associated sub assemblies as part of the critical planned  path of re-assembly. The two leading sand boxes were taken out of storage and fitted but it took a few goes as the mounting bolts have to be assembled in the correct order to prevent them fouling each other. David also took the added precaution to run a die nut over all of the threads to ensure easy fit all...the torque gun created an effective, don’t argue with us approach. After the boxes were secured into place the painting team moved in with paint brushes and applied the standard black enamel paint.

Andy Heys put his carpentry skills to the test building all new timber packing’s that acts as an interface between the engine unit and the front water tank. The finished job looked so good that it will be a pity to paint over the new wood. Work was also taking place at ground level with the fitting of the right hand leading  valve gear including  the radius rod and expansion link with its die block. Many of the old tapered locking pins have been assessed as unserviceable but replacements are no longer available and the final fit of the valve gear cannot take place until the pins are manufactured new. Regardless, it was still pleasing to actually fit the polished valve gear into place.

The smoke box fit out continued with Graeme Kidgell fitted 22 of the 44 7/8 BSW saddle bolts that secure the smoke box to the boiler cradle. This job has not been an easy one as many of the bolt holes were welded over when the boiler was used at the saw mill in Victoria. The welded over holes had to be cut out with the use of a small pilot drill and oxy touch as they welded material was almost glass hard. A finish off with the die grinder and the bolts were tightened up with the good old torque gun.... only 22 to go!

The next few workdays will continue around the leading engine unit with the testing and commissioning of the oil lubrication system and some minor cosmetic work around the cylinders. Once completed the leading tank will be final fitted into position and inturn the water system hook up will commence with gusto.

Alan Gardner     

Sunday 20 November 2011

Work continued on and around the leading engine unit in preparation of lowering the tank into position. The main steam pipe from the boiler cradle to the steam cylinders was fitted with surprising ease. This included lapping of the two steam tight lens rings and fitting 12x 7/8” BSW bolts. While in this area the opportunity was taken to fit the reverser reach rod with its patented designed Beyer Peacock universal joints. Ian continued to fit and test the lube lines for the right hand leading lubricator.



Malcolm and his daughter had a go at cleaning out the residual mess of grease and grime from where the stoker trough was once fitted. It seems that the grease points that are situated outside of this area were never checked to see if the lines were actually delivering the grease where it was designed to go. The end result was years of congealed grease mixed with coal dust forming great lumps of crud. They also had a go at applying some long over due grey primer to the top deck above the hind water tank.

David continued with the rebuild of the crinoline bands that will support the fitting of the boiler cladding sheet metal. The boiler now sports several horizontal string lines that will help align the boiler bands correctly. The myriad of counter sunk screws that hold all of the bands in place have had to be rebuilt as many of the tapped holes had rusted out. As the bands are only ¼” thick a new nut has been welded into place under each side to make up for the poor thread.

During recent weeks, Alan has also been working to remove the life expired electrical cables from their conduits all over the loco. The insulation has hardened from years of exposure to the heat of a steam engine, and likely also from the temperature extremes from years of outside storage in Canberra. As such, all the wiring on the loco will be replaced, in some cases with new technology to help us work safely into the future. You can see from some of the pictures just how bad some of the wiring is.

Alan Gardner