smoke box removal

Just a small blog entry this week.

During this last week the smoke box has been removed.

The rivets holding it to the mounting ring on the boiler had been removed previously.  After some front end lifting and heavy persuasion it parted company with the boiler.

The boiler has been lifted slightly from its mounting points to ensure that when the time comes to lift it from the frames it isn't stuck down.  At the back the ash pan has been freed from the foundation ring and is resting on the frames.  This will be left behind when the boiler is lifted and will be removed from the frames seperately.

Owing to work required on the other loco's and the approach of Christmas, we don't have a date for the boiler lift, it may well be into the new year.  It's just a case of watch this space.

Preparation for the boiler lift November 2024.

92219 was pulled out of the shed for a boiler lift.  Unfortunately, due to circumstances outside the railways control it didn't go ahead, but some preparation ahead of the lift was achieved.

 

 

 The cab was lifted off and placed into store.

 Back into the shed to await the next attempt.

Keeping company with 5025.

The next move will probably be to remove the smoke box in situ.  This can be achieved on a 9f because the boiler is supported by a bracket under the front boiler ring.

 

Owing to maintenance having to be undertaken on the other engines, the next attempt at a boiler lift will probably be four or five weeks from now. 

Dismantling July into August 2024.

 Extracting the left hand valves..

Putting a bit of pressure on to start the valves moving.

Once the inital movement was obtained, the valves were extracted from the front.

First one out.

And then the second one, the weight now being taken by the "A" frame.

 The valve bore now empty with a lot of debris at the front.

 

A cylinder cover 

The cylinder where it came from, leaving behind all the stumps of the studs which had to be cut.

Another pallet of parts for storage, including the R/H reverser shaft return spring.

A fully stripped left hand weigh shaft bracket with reverser pedestal and expansion link trunnion brackets.

The reverser cross shaft removed.

A tedious job is the drilling out of the cut studs which hold the piston and valve covers in place. This is the left hand front cylinder job underway.

A new front tube plate has been obtained.

 

 

Cutting out some fixings under the cab.