February 2011

S160 No. 6046 Restoration at the Churnet Valley Railway
Work is very much on going with this project to ensure that 6046 enters traffic during 2011; recent work has been centred on finishing off the tender along with completing the rolling chassis of the locomotive.
Locomotive
Work is currently centred on finishing off the valve gear, new valve cross heads have been machined in house and have recently been dispatched for heat treatment. The return cranks had excessive wear in them and have been built up with weld and machined to suit the newly machined driving wheel crank pins. The locomotive was missing both of the union links and the eccentric rods which therefore require new parts to manufactured. The seemingly popular high pressured water jetting method is looking like the favoured option as has been the case with some of the new build locomotive projects.
The cylinder drain cocks have recently been machined and will be fitted to the underneath of the cylinders to allow the remainder of the drain cock linkage to be fabricated and fitted. Both of the lubricators have been overhauled and tested with a view to getting them fitted so that the many lengths of copper lubrication pipework can be fitted.
Much fabrication work has been taking place for the locomotive with the new smokebox, cab and ashpan being completed recently, work has also started on the brackets that hold the running boards to the boiler.
Tender
A start has been made on fitting the air valves to the chassis of the tender as the engine will be sporting a new air brake system. The new tender tank is currently being sanded down in preparation for parting into "USATC" black as per sister locomotive No. 5197.
Boiler
The welds on the firebox have all passed their NDT's and therefore we will be in a position shortly to order the new tubes for the boiler. The backhead fittings will be overhauled and fitted once the boiler pads have been machined. The boiler will be lifted out of the frames again shortly to allow the ashpan to be fitted, this will then facilitate the fitting of the various ashpan and damper linkages.

Large Prairie No. 5199 Intermediate Overhaul
5199 has received what turned out to be a comprehensive intermediate overhaul at the CVR. 5199 was stopped for its annual boiler examination in July where a number of foundation rivets were noted to be worn below the acceptable limit. The following was carried out on the boiler;
150 foundation ring rivets replaced
150 side stays replaced
40 copper doorplate patch screws replaced
20 boiler barrel rivets replaced with patch screws
This work was signed off as complete with a full hydraulic and steam test which were both passed with no issues. A new brick arch was then fitted once the boiler had been returned to the frames.
With the boiler out of the frames the opportunity was taken to give the frames a thorough cleaning and a repaint.
The locomotive had a valve and piston examination and the decision was taken to re bore the valve chest due to the amount wear that has taken place over the years. New valve heads and rings were machined by Severn Valley Railway Engineering and fitted at the CVR. The vacuum system has had a thorough overhaul with the vacuum pump being honed, new pump rings have been fitted along with new seals throughout. The vacuum brake cylinder has been replaced due to the cylinder being cracked, a new brake piston has been machined and new rings and seals fitted.
The lubricator has been overhauled by Tyseley Locomotive works which has seen the lubrication improved at valves and cylinders.
The locomotive was reassembled and tested prior to re- entering traffic on the Sunday of the Cauldon Lowe Branch Re- Opening Gala in November of 2010.

Chris Meadowcroft