Build Diary entries for June 2025

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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Preparing for the Greatest Gathering
02/06/2025
	Our main focus at the moment is to prepare the bogie for our stand at the Greatest Gathering in Derby in early August. The aim is to have it assembled and painted for display. Here Jim is working on polishing the wheel rims while Ashley gets the first coat of undercoat onto one of the cannon boxes.
All Coupled Wheels now on Site
10/06/2025
	The trailing coupled wheels arrived on site yesterday from William Cook Cast Products Ltd. This mean that we now have a full set of 6 coupled wheels. The wheels are at the proof machining stage. The final machining work will take place at the wheelset assemblers would will machine the axle bores and crank pin bores. They will also machine the rims to suit the tyres.
Bogie Preparation
12/06/2025
	Work on the bogie continues. Ashley has been applying the first coat of undercoat while Neil cleans the wheels.
Cab Windows
20/06/2025
	Currently the wooden cab side windows are being manufactured locally. We have recently been supplied with these glass retaining frames which have been made from stainless steel by Express Lasers in Blaydon-on-Tyne.
Bogie Bolster Cups
23/06/2025
	The weight of the front of the engine is transferred via bolster cups that are free to slide on bogie bolster brass pads fitted to the bogie central stretcher. In the original design, Ferobestos pads were fitted to the bottom of the bolster cups which are upside down in the photo. The Ferobestos pads are to provide "appropriate damping" (E.S. Cox Locomotive Panorama, Vol 2) to the action of the side control springs. Ferobestos contains asbestos which we cannot use. The pads in the photo are made from Tufcot which has very similar characteristics to Ferobestos. The screws on the left are to the BR drawing. When fully tightened, the heads shear off leaving the remainder recessed below the level of the pad as on the right hand pad. Note the the 1950s British Railways Standard Locomotive Instruction Manual shows that these pads are grease lubricated.
Wheel Stand
30/06/2025
	As well as taking the bogie to the Greatest Gathering in Derby, we will also be taking one of our coupled wheels. CTL Seal have kindly made us a stand for the wheel. Today we tested that the wheel and stand lift cleanly when using the single lifting point. This was successful as you can see in the photo. The wheel was then removed from the stand so that the stand could be painted. If you look in the background, you can see that the bogie frame has changed colour from green to black.On 10 July, the pipework will be fitted and we should be assembling in 2 weeks time.