Build Diary entries for October 2022

Here are the diary entries for this month. You can use the forward and backward links to see the next or previous months. Most photos taken before 2018 are small size. From 2018 onwards, most photos you see below will have a link to a full size image by clicking on the photo.

Previous Month

Return to 2022

Next Month

Cannon Box Painting - 1
03/10/2022
	Having cleaned out the inside of one of the cannon boxes last week, we gave it a final vacuum clean today. Ashley could then get on with applying the 2 pack, oil resistant paint to the inside of the cannon boxes. The first coat is a primer to be followed by a top coat of gloss. We are using a light grey colour so that we can see inside.
Cannon Box Painting - 2
03/10/2022
	Here is the cannon box with the paint drying on the first coat of primer. In the background, Geoff is working on the fit of the last bearing to be checked. We are easing the tight spots with emery paper. Ashley has taken the end covers for the cannon boxes how with him. These need to be painted with top coat as they will not be accessible once teh wheels are fitted to the axles.
Cannon Box End Covers
10/10/2022
	First job today was to return the end covers to the assembly shop. Ashley had kindly volunteered to paint the covers at home during the week so the end covers have had coats of primer and undercoat. The green top coat is on order but did not arrive today.
Bogie Spring Cradles
10/10/2022
	We have assembled the bogie spring cradles prior to them being despatched for assembly. Note that these cradles are a type of compensation beam and run fore and aft outside of the bogie frames. The spring cradles are upside down in the photo. The pivot pin domes at the outer ends engage in cups fitted to the top of the cannon boxes. The springs are connected to the cradles via spring links that pass through an oval slot in the U shaped brackets. The assembly job will involve drilling and reaming the holes for the pivot pin distance block and supplying light drive fitted bolts. The U shaped brackets are secured by welding the ends of the pins. All we then need is the leaf springs that fit between the cradle plates.
Bogie Frame Plates (1)
10/10/2022
	Today's painstaking job is the "fitting" of the frame plates to the bogie stretcher. Everything is the next series of photos is upside down. We wanted the weight of the frame plates to help bed them to the . Bob drives the crane while John gets ready for fitting. CTL Seal have kindly put 4 of us through a crane training course.
Bogie Frame Plates (2)
10/10/2022
	Before the frame plates are lowered into position, John applies a film of engineers blue to bottom surface of the frame plates.
Bogie Frame Plates (3)
10/10/2022
	With the frame plates lowered into position and secured with temporary bolts, John tests that a .0015" feeler gauge cannot fit between the plate and the stretcher. This is a standard check to make sure that they are a snug tight fit.
Bogie Frame Plates (4)
10/10/2022
	The frame plates are removed; then Geoff and John discuss where the high spots are and these are removed. Then repeat with more engineers blue and put the frame plates back again. By the end of today, RH frame plate was sitting firmly on the stretcher and no gaps could be detected along the length of the mating surfaces. The LH side is virtually complete and we will make some final checks before fitting the front and rear stays. We can then firmly bolt up the plates (with temporary bolts) after checking the the axlebox guide cutouts are correctly aligned.
Cannon Boxes - Final Painting
17/10/2022
	All of the bogie wheelsets are now ready to be sent down to South Devon Railway Engineering in Buckfastleigh. They will assemble the axleboxes, press the wheels onto the axles, machine the wheel rims to accept the tyres and shrink the tyres onto the wheels. With the whole assembly in a wheel lathe they will then turn the tyres to the final profile. Today Ashley applied one more coat of gloss to the inside of the cannon boxes. Ashley has high standards and felt that one coat of gloss was insufficient. He then applied top coat to the the end covers as these will be difficult to paint once the wheels have been pressed onto the axles. We have been advised that BR painted them green - the cannon boxes themselves will be glossed once they return from SDRE. Next week will be preparing all of the components for transit. The wheels have already been strapped down to pallets.
Bedding in Bogie Frame Plates
17/10/2022
	Most of this afternoon has been engaged with bedding in the bogie frame plates. In the photo, the bogie central stretcher is upside down and we're using gravity to help us fit the frame plates. On the far side is the right hand plate and this is seating correctly. Geoff is working on the seating for the left hand plate. Engineers blue is applied to the frame plate, the frame plate is lowered into position and checked that it is seating firmly on the stretcher. A feeler gauge is used to check for gaps. The plate is then removed and the findings from the feeler gauge are confirmed by where the engineers blue has transferred to the stretcher. Remove high spots with fine afile and then repeat. We're getting close but there's still a bit more work to do.
Bogie Bolsters
24/10/2022
	A new pair of bogie bolsters cast by Furniss and White in Sheffield. The bolsters bolt to the bottom of the frame with the domes facing downwards, one on each side of the frames. They share bolt holes with the bogie pivot stretcher. The bolsters are responsible for transferring the weight of the front of the locomotive to the bogie. They engage in bolster cups that rest on brass pads on the bogie stretcher. We did have a pair in stock that had been manufactured a long time ago. Unfortunately we could not locate any supporting paperwork. As they are critical components, they had to be remanufactured.
Bogie Cannon Boxes - ready for delivery
24/10/2022
	It's not a very exciting picture but it represents a major milestone for the project! Today we packed up all of the bogie wheelset components ready for delivery to South Devon Railway Engineering in Buckfastleigh. The left hand pallet has the 2 cannon boxes and the right hand box has the roller bearings and the internal components. On another 2 pallets are the 4 wheels. SDRE will fit the axles to the cannon boxes and install all of the components, setting the correct end float for the bearings. They will then press the wheels onto the axle. The final job will be to shrink on the tyres and machine them to the correct profile.
Fitting the Bogie Bolsters
31/10/2022
	With the arrival of the bogie bolsters from Furmiss and White last week, this week we started to fit them to the frames. The bolsters have a slot running lengthways which engages around the bottom of the main frames. This needs to be a snug fit so the bolsters were deliberately machined very slightly undersize. Today's job was to identify the tight spots then file the bolsters in that area. Refit to the frames and try again. In the photo, a tapered podger is holding the bolster in position while John checks fo gaps with a feeler gauge. As the fit improved we used the jack below to lift the bolster into position. The right hand bolster is now ready for final drilling of the bolt holes; the left hand bolster needs a bit more work to fit. The job of the bogie bolster is to transfer the weight of the front of the engine to the bogie. The bolster is lubricated by grease via the hole in the centre of the bottom section. The dome of the bolster engages in a bolster cup which is free to "float" on the arms of the central bogie stretcher.