Build Diary entries for December 2023

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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Waiting for Machining
04/12/2023
	3 of our parts due to start machining this week. On the right is the new dragbox. The part in the centre is not one of ours. On the left are the pony truck centring pin and the intermediate rubbing block which is bolted to the hind beam. The centring pin will be bolted to the circular plate which you can see on the top of the inverted dragbox. The centring pin engages in a slot in the rear cross frame of the pony truck. Springs within the frame provide the centring force. The job is to drill and ream the bolt holes for the 8 securing bolts. The intermediate rubbing block needs some reduction to the radiused surface as specified in the drawings for the modified dragbox.
Bogie Axlebox Liners
11/12/2023
	2 sets of components moved from the fabrication shop to the machine shop today. First off is this set of 8 bogie axlebox liners. In the fabrication shop, manganese steel liners have been welded to steel liners. Manganese steel is hard wearing steel adopted to ensure long life of the bearing surfaces. The welds have been Non Destructively Tested before they were moved today. In the machine shop they will be machined to height and width, so we can fit them to the axlebox guides before more checks and measurements. All part of building a locomotive accurately. The left 2 pairs have the steel liner uppermost; this is the face that will mate against the axlebox guides. The 6 larger holes are where the manganese steel liners have been welded to the steel liners in addition to the weld around the outside of the liners. The 2 right hand pairs have the manganese steel liner uppermost. This will be machined down to the required thickness before machining the grease grooves in the form of an X with the centre at the small hole in the centre. The 3 holes on this side are for the bolts that will secure the liner assembly to the axlebox guides. The bolt heads are recessed below the surface of the liner.
Hind Beam Rubbing Plates
11/12/2023
	The second set of the components are these rubbing plates that will be riveted to the back of the hind beam. The front of the tender has 2 spring buffers which will bear against the manganese steel plate that has been welded to the other side of these steel plate. like the axlebox liners, the holes in the steel plate allow the manganese steel to be welded to the steel plate.
Dragbox Machining in Progress
14/12/2023
	Machining of our new dragbox is in progress at CTL Seal. The sides of the dragbox need be be machined down to the correct width between the frames. In the photograph, the left hand side has been machined and machining of the left side is in progress. The circular plate on the left (which will be on the bottom with the dragbox right way up) is for attaching the pony truck centring pin. One of the machining jobs is to drill/ream the bolt holes in the centring pin and the dragbox. Photo by Andy England