Week Four

During this week, a fair amount of progress has been made on constructing the crinolines for 4253’s boiler which is a hugely time-consuming task with numerous parts having to be cut, shaped, bent, welded and drilled. Band numbers 1 and 2 (starting at the smokebox end) are pretty well finished and trial fitted 

along with the top longitudinal band that joins them together.  

Band number 5 that fits in front of the firebox is now completed and successfully trial fitted and all that remains to tick that one off the list is to drill and tap the last joining plate.

Before band number 4 can be started we need to make the framework that surrounds the safety valve unit as it attaches to that.  A template has been made of the shape needed 

which has now been transferred to a steel plate but that will need to be rolled to the correct radius prior to being cut out.

In the smokebox, a copper ring has been made and fitted to seal the regulator box to tubeplate joint 

and the overlong mounting studs cut back to the required size.

Other jobs included measuring the underside of the new chimney casting 

and comparing it to the size of the blower ring which has shown that some machining work needs to be done to make it fit.  Also, on the 541 tender tank front, the cross brace bars have been offered up and drilled through prior to being riveted to the main outer supports.

Week Three

Work during the week centred around the crinolines and cladding for 4253’s boiler with the steel for all the cladding retaining bands delivered and immediately getting a coat of paint to protect it.

A great deal of measuring and marking out was done 

followed by cutting lengths of round bar to act as ‘stand offs’ from the boiler so the crinolines are at the same height as the insulation material.  These were then clamped to the inner side of the crinoline bands 

before being welded on.

Additionally, the smokebox was rubbed down and given another coat of paint as was the smokebox door,

the regulator box was taken down again so the mounting studs could be shortened to suit (which will also allow us room to shorten the studs for the brake ejector and blower flanges)

and the firehole door operating mechanism was bolted back on following the fitting of the new doors.

Sunday, we spilt into two teams with one continuing to drill, countersink and trial fit various bits of crinoline

while the other worked on the 541 tender tank with more sections of the coal floor support being positioned, 

surfaces ground back to remove the mill scale 

and then being welded into place.

After that, the two drain tubes to take water from the coal space were positioned and welded to the floor.

Week Two

Most of this week’s activity has been on the boiler with the smokebox getting rubbed down and a second coat of paint applied, 

the new safety valve unit was trial fitted to the studs and fitted with no trouble at all.

The regulator box was lifted into the smokebox and trial fitted 

but, after inspection, will require a little fettling of the top rivets before it’s able to sit back fully on its studs.

The regulator rod itself was taken out of storage and cleaned up ready for fitting.

Work has continued on the crinoline manufacture with the joining holes in the bands being countersunk which, due to their shape, took a little ingenuity as to how the mag drill was set up

and various measurements were taken to get the fixing plates properly positioned on the first band which will then form the datum point for the rest.

The smokebox door was moved into the field and placed on a trestle where it was rubbed down, given a coat of primer followed by the first coat of heat resistant black paint.

At the firebox end, the top fire hole door runner was fettled to clear the stays and fitted to the backhead 

while the new doors had the edges machined to fit the runners 

and were then trial fitted.

Finally, some of the backhead cladding sheets were measured and cut out.

Week One

A lot done this week with Tuesday starting with loading all the old scrap into a skip to clear some room and provide a boost to the coffers.  After that it was finish removing all the old paint from the smokebox, hoovering out as much crud as we could from the boiler’s foundation ring, cutting more old fire bars to size for the temporary grate, rolling the crinoline bands to the correct radius now we have the boiler (the previous rolling was just an estimate pending its return) before trial fitting one of them 

and, finally, finish the drilling for the 541 tender tank cross supports.

On Friday, the temp grate was finished and installed, 

the smokebox (including the front ring) received a coat of primer, 

brackets for joining the crinolines together had the component parts cut and then welded together,

all the insulation materials were delivered and stored on the loco frames until required 

and the boiler received its first washout.  We’ll boil it up and wash it out a few times before the initial steaming

Sunday was a full-on day with most of the team on smokebox riveting duties.   One heating the rivets, 

another passing each hot rivet to the two guys in the smokebox, one of which placed it in the hole while the other positioned the pneumatic holder up and locked it in position 

so it could be hammered down from the outside.  

By the end of the day all 88 rivets were installed.

On top of that, the blowdown valve was fettled to fit and the retaining studs cut down to the correct length,

and the Firehole door support runners were fitted to the backhead. This involved temporally tack welding on a flat plate on which to mount the mag-drill,

drilling and tapping the holes for the retaining studs, 

fitting the studs and then grinding back sections of the runners to give clearance around the ends of the stays.

With the runners fitted we could trial fit one of the old doors.

As a final job, the smokebox door and handrails were taken back to bare metal and given a coat of primer.