Build Diary entries for April 2024

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 2024

Bogie Axlebox Guides and Liners
03/04/2024
	The 8 bogie axlebox guides have been fitted with their manganese steel liners and are now ready for the next stage, which is machining for the 3 fitted bolts that hold each liner to its axlebox guide. Each assembly has been given given a unique identifier, according to its position on the bogie. The unique identifier will stay with it for life and is needed when the liners are taken off for final adjustment to set the axlebox clearances. The X shaped grooves are for the grease that lubricates the bearing faces on the axlebox. Manganese steel is a hard wearing steel, that is fitted to axlebox faces to minimise wear on faces.
Pony Truck Wheels
11/04/2024
	Our Pony Truck wheels have been cast at Trefoil Steel Co Ltd and machined at L&H Engineering Limited in Worksop. Today, Geoff, John and Harry went to Worksop for final inspection. Both wheels have checked out OK and will be delivered to CTL Seal, tomorrow on Friday 12 April, just in time for the Open Day on Saturday. Final machining will be completed after the wheels have been pressed onto the pony truck axle.
2024 Open Day - Front Bogie
14/04/2024
	For the Open Day, we were able to assemble most of the bogie components. The final stages now are to complete the axlebox guides and liners. We need to drill/ream the bolt holes that fasten the guides to the frames and procure the fitted bolts. Then we can start a major dimension check where we will need to determine how to finish machine the liners so that there is the correct clearance between the faces of the wheelset axleboxes and the axlebox guide liners.
Firebox Support Stretcher
15/04/2024
	After tidying up after Saturday's Open Day, today we worked on the firebox support stretcher; in particular the support bracket bolted to the bottom of the stretcher. In the photo, you can see the top of the pony truck pivot pin under the oil can. The top taper of the pivot pin engages in a taper on the top of the bottom plate of the stretcher. The drill is sitting on the bottom plate. Bolted to the bottom of the the bottom plate is the support bracket; the bottom of which is below the spanner in Geoff's hand. The bottom taper of the pivot pin engages with taper in this bracket. Today, our job was to replace the 6 temporary bolts with fitted bolts. Mike is holding the top of the bolt with the ratchet spanner.
Pony Truck Wheel Video
19/04/2024
	Tom Ingall has published his latest video on the pony truck wheels. You can view it by following this link.
Bogie Axlebox Guides (1)
22/04/2024
	This morning, Alpenbury Engineering had drilled/ream the guide to liner bolt holes on one pair of axlebox guide/liners so Geoff was able to bring them into CTL Seal. We removed the liners from the guides and put them to one side. The axlebox guides were mounted onto the bogie frames and checked they were in the right position. We then used the hydraulic jack and 2 screw jacks to make sure that the guides were seating fully into the horn gaps on the frame. Mike is fitting the temporary bolts in the photo.
Bogie Axlebox Guides (2)
22/04/2024
	The next job is to set up the Asquith "portable" drill so that the spindle is at right angles to the frame plates. This takes a bit of time for the first bolt hole. Then a 1 inch reamer is used to ream out the bolt hole before we drive in the bolt. 11 bolt holes reamed today, only another 45 to do!
Driving Wheels Pattern
24/04/2024
	Our design team have been working with William Cook Cast Products to produce the CAD model for the central driving wheel. This has been supported by a visit to 70013 Oliver Cromwell at Loughborough to laser scan the driving wheels. WCCP were thinking that they would have to manufacture the casting pattern as a manual process. However the modelling has been so successful that WCCP are able to use their CNC pattern making machine using the model as input data. Here the machine is working on the ribs which will support the balance weight plate ribs. On the central driving wheel there are 7 ribs on either side of the spokes; 5 on the leading and trailing driving wheels.
Cylinder Pattern
27/04/2024
	Tony reports on the latest progress "We’re currently working on the lower section of the main cylinder core box (the box that will make a circular plug of sand to create the void in the cylinder casting). The end caps are now complete and the fasteners added. The end caps have draft (a slight taper) of about 3/16” built into them to allow the moulder to tap the core out. In this case we’ve made the end caps removable and the moulder will probably turn the whole box upside down, remove the end caps, knock the bottom and lift the core box off. We’re also adding four handles to allow the box to be lifted off the core or generally carried. Ruth adding final pieces to achieve the correct overall length of the cylinder core plus the core prints (the extensions to the core that will support the core in the main pattern mould.) ."
Pony Truck Wheels
29/04/2024
	With the pony truck wheels having passed through our Goods Inwards checks, it's time to get a protective coat of paint on. Steve is working with the degreaser while Ashley gets to work with the paint brush and etch primer. Photo by Bob Ife
Axlebox Guides continued
29/04/2024
	Our Asquith portable drill is earning is keep. Mike is reaming out the bolt holes for the left hand trailing axlebox guides. The hydraulic and screw jacks ensure that the guides are pressed firmly up against the frames. Its a slow job as each axlebox guide has 7 bolts and they are all a drive fit. Left hand side complete today, next time we will be working on the right hand side of the bogie.