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Build Diary entries for November 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.

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Bogie Axlebox Guides
07/11/2022
  Highslide JS
  The bogie axlebox guides were fitted today for a trial to make sure everything lined up correctly. In the photo, the bogie frame is upside down. Although all of the 8 axlebox guide castings are the same, there are 4 outer guides, 2 left hand inner and 2 right inner guides. The difference is the fixing holes at the top of the inner guides. As you can see in the photo, the top 2 bolt holes (bottom in the photo) have deep countersinks so that the bolt heads (originally rivets) do not foul the spring cradle plates. The marking "To Fin" is to indicate that the final machining of that surface will take place with the axlebox guides fitted to the frames - so that the bogie cannon box is exactly at right angles to the frame and the guides on each side are in line with each other.
   
Bogie Frame Trial Assembly
14/11/2022
  Highslide JS
  Today was preparation for the Annual General Meeting to be held on Saturday 19 November at CTL Seal. The bogie frame has been assembled with loose fit bolts and placed on stands. Alongside are the bogie spring cradles - upside down in the photo (as they could be unstable right way up).

The left hand bogie bolster has been fitted to the frame today. We will need to start drilling and reaming out the bolt holes next week.

Also, bogie cannon axlebox assembly is due to start at South Devon Railway Engineering this week. We hope to get some pictures later this week.
   
Moving the Bogie Frame
15/11/2022
  Highslide JS
  The bogie frame needed to be moved to a display position for the AGM. 4 of our team have been trained by CTL Seal to use the overhead cranes. Here Mike and Ian move the upside down bogie frame out onto the main floor so that Craig from CTL Seal can turn it right way up. Photo by John Hind
   
Wheelset Assembly (1)
17/11/2022
  Highslide JS
  Our bogie wheelset components are at South Devon Railway Engineering in Buckfastleigh for assembly. The cannon box and axle are placed vertically. Then the the parts that fit on the axle - the abutment ring, roller bearing and enclosure ring and flinger are expanded by heat on an induction heater and lowered one by one into position.
   
Wheelset Assembly (2)
17/11/2022
  Highslide JS
  The axle lowered into position looking down at the enclosure ring and flinger
   
Wheelset Assembly (3)
17/11/2022
  Highslide JS
  Now the adjustment washer, enclosure ring have been installed. Tony Wilson from SDRE then bolts down the end cover. This is a step on the way before assembling the bearing at the other end and setting the end float. Once this axle is complete, then the other axle will be assembled.
   
Heating the Bearings
18/11/2022
  Highslide JS
  The bearings are a tight (interference) fit on the axle. To help get the bearings on the axle, South Devon Railway Engineering have an induction heater. This warms up the bearings and they expand. The bearings can be slipped onto the axle and they will shrink as they cool down, thus gripping the axle.
   
Checking for End Float Adjustment
18/11/2022
  Highslide JS
  The correct end float has to be set up on the bearings. Here Tony Wilson for SDRE is checking clearances to calculate how much to grind off the adjustment ring to set the end float
   
Checking Radial Clearance
18/11/2022
  Highslide JS
  With the bearings fitted in both ends of the cannon box, John checks the radial clearances to ensure that the axle is sitting squarely in the bearings
   
Bogie Side Control Spring Beams
21/11/2022
  Highslide JS
  Before we stripped down the bogie frame assembly after the Annual General Meeting, we wanted to check the fit of the bogie side control spring beams. In the photograph, we are looking at the rear of the bogie frame, the beams are end on and fit round the horizontal spindle. They pass through the stretcher and the centre slide and engage with another spindle at the front of the stretcher. Between the 2 beams and fitted round the spindle will be 2 rectangular section side control springs. When the bogie starts to negotiate a corner, the centre slide will try to move outwards. If going round a right bend , the centre slide will try to move to the left. This pushes the right hand beam to the left thus compressing the springs. The springs help to stabilise the engine while running through the curve and also produces a smoother exit.

The beams are 700mm long, 40 mm thick and 125 mm high at the ends. They have to be placed in flat and then rotated to the vertical position once in the right place. Then the spindles can be fitted. In the photo we are only using temporary bolts. The exercise proved that the beams fitted correctly.
   
Moving the Bogie Frame
21/11/2022
  Highslide JS
  We still had to fit the left hand frame plate to the stretcher so the bogie frame was turned back upside down and moved to the trestles. Anthony from CTL Seal is in control and Mike is providing a guiding hand.
   
Engineers Blue
21/11/2022
  Highslide JS
  The rest of the day was spent in fitting the left hand bogie frame plate to the central stretcher. First apply engineers blue to the stretcher. Then lower the frame plate onto the stretcher and lightly do up a couple of nuts and bolts to secure the frame plate. Then move the frame plate backwards and forwards a few times. Undo the bolts, lift up the frame plate using the overhead crane and look for the high spots. Work on the high spots with fine emery paper and repeat.

Here Geoff and Mike are getting very close to a good fit. There are 3 places where the engineers blue has been removed showing that they are high spots.
   
Hengist gets its First Wheels!
28/11/2022
  Highslide JS
  Down in Buckastleigh, Devon, South Devon Railway Engineering were pressing the bogie wheels onto the axles. The cannon axleboxes have been fully assembled. The wheels are pressed onto the axles using an hydraulic press. A minimum of 61 tons force is required to press on the wheels. Photos by John Hind
   
Preparation for the Press
28/11/2022
  Highslide JS
  The axles are coated in grease before assembly. As a final check, the wheels are checked for squareness.
   
2 Wheels on my Axle
28/11/2022
  Highslide JS
  The pressing is finished and both wheels are on the axle. The small hole on the near 12 o clock position on the central boss is where we are following modern practise. The hole give assess to oil release grooves on the inner bore of the wheel. When removing the wheel from the axle - should it be necessary to replace the bearings - oil is injected at very high pressure into the grooves and this helps to avoid damage when removing the wheel.

The next stage will be to turn the outside of the wheels to the final diameter and then to shrink the tyres onto the wheels.
   
Builders Plate
28/11/2022
  Highslide JS
  For the AGM held last week, CTL Seal manufactured these builders plates for 72010 Hengist.

The 5 bolts around the lifting eye are temporary bolts - these will be replaced by rivets on the next riveting session.
   
Checking the Bogie Frame
28/11/2022
  Highslide JS
  Having got the bogie frame upside down again, we first checked that the right hand frame plate was sitting correctly on the central stretcher. next job was to finish of "fitting" the left hand frame plate to the stretcher - see the entry for 21 November for a description of this process. It took about 4 or 5 cycles before we were happy with the fit. Next job was to fit the front and back circular stays which you can see in the photo. Before tightening up the temporary bolts, we wanted to be certain that the openings for the axleboxes in the frames are lined up with each other across the assembly. Geoff borrowed the large (and heavy!) square from the machine shop. We found that both frame plates lined up exactly.
   
Drilling Footplating Holes
28/11/2022
  Highslide JS
  Meanwhile at the front of Hengist, Keith, Mike, Alan and Neil were using the project's new magnetic drill to drill out the bolt holes.

Note that Hengist will have the single central foot step as opposed the two steps of the original Clans. This modification was applied to the Britannias and makes life easier when working around the smokebox.