Nick Simpson, MPD Manager, gives us an update on the work being undertaken in the Engine Sheds at Grosmont.

In our Boilershop, No. 75029 The Green Knight is moving on a pace and with this work the team have finished some parts of the boiler project.

The boiler has had a new lower throat plate section. This part, which is rarely seen by the public once the boiler is in the frames, has been renewed, its welding was completed earlier in the project and only three tasks remain on the plate itself, they are, marking and drilling stay holes, grinding the rough edge to the foundation ring profile and fitting washout plug bosses.

These bosses are to be drilled and reamed before riveting in situ and seal welding, the drilling and reaming part of this task has begun and the rivets are on order from our supplier. Smaller holes have been marked and drilled in both the bosses and the plate work so that they can be bolted onto the boiler, the boss aligned and then the holes can be treated as one to ensure proper placement once tooled. The next job on the whole boiler is to rivet these on so that the coppersmith can come back to site and continue the welding in of new copper material that was life expired around the tube plate.  

Copper has been let into the boiler this rebuild as this one gets new lower sheets and copper inserts around the tube plate. The crown sections of around the tube plate have been fully welded in early November.

This material can now be marked out for crown stay holes and their fitting, and the lower portions ground to shape, profiled and feathered to allow the tube plate to be installed once our copper contractor has visited us again. Feathering is a time consuming task, but is crucial to get a good steam tight boiler, with the correct material thicknesses that the other boiler sections marry to.

The next work is for the steel side sheets, which are also being replaced this rebuild, being roughed to size on the bench for a trial fit and then marked out to drawing, and working off the original pieces of plate structure for drilling. These plate sections on both sides are bring replaced due to the thickness of the original material. With any plate section replacement on boilers the main task is the drilling, reaming, tapping and staying of the inner and outer plates. As I have previously written with Hartland, this boiler is no different, but with each task completed the loco becomes one step closer to a return to traffic and trips to the seaside for our passengers to experience.

Nick Simpson, MPD Manager.

Read the Previous Entry and as ever, if you are looking to join #TeamShed and help them in their work, please consider submitting a Volunteer Expression of Interest to start your volunteer journey at the NYMR.