Build Diary entries for August 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.

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Drilling/Reaming Hind Beam Gussets - 1
05/08/2024
	Following the set up last week, today we started to drill/ream the holes in the hind beam gussets for fitted bolts. Mike is making the first pass of drilling with a 26.5mm drill. The drill is located by a Boneham and Turner drill bush; in turn located within the aluminium drill jig plate.
Drilling/Reaming Hind Beam Gussets - 2
05/08/2024
	Once the drilling is complete, the drill bush is replaced with a 27mm diameter drill bush. Mike then makes sure that the reamer is lined up before reaming the hole with a 27mm reamer
Pony Truck Frame Keeps
06/08/2024
	The frame keeps for the pony truck are being manufactured by Helix Precision Machining Ltd in Hull. This is one of the frame keeps after stage 1 machining. They will now be sent for heat treatment - to remove any stresses caused by machining - before the second stage machining which will produce the finished article. The frame keeps are fitted across the gap at the bottom of the pony truck frames below the axleboxes.
3D Model Developments
06/08/2024
	Will has been working on the 3D CAD model of Hengist. The area he has been developing is the Walschaerts valve gear. We intend to make the same change that has recently been introduced on 71000 Duke of Gloucester whereby an extension to the rear cylinder cover supports the front of the slidebars (for more details see Construction > Design > Clan Improvement Report (CLIP). This cylinder cover extension was originally fitted to the Standard Class 5 Caprotti engines. It has now been fitted to 71000 which is also a Caprotti valve engine. We need to establish if any of the Walschaerts valve gear (on 72010) will foul the extension and Will's model is helping us to do that. Its looking good so far!
Visit by Brell Ewart
12/08/2024
	Today we had a visit by Brell Ewart, President of the Princess Royal Class Locomotive Trust. Brell is in the centre below the smokebox door with Geoff on his left. Brell has loaned us his original Master Cutler headboard. The Master Cutler express is the crack express from Sheffield to London. It was first named in 1947 and applied to the 0740 from Sheffield Victoria to London Marylebone. The then Master Cutler, A Balfour, later the 2nd Lord Riverdale, rode on the footplate of the inaugural train. It has since been a tradition that the Master Cutler ride with the driver of the train during their year of office. In 1958 the service was routed from Sheffield Victoria to London Kings Cross via the East Coast Main Line. In 1968, the service was switched to Sheffield Midland running down the Midland Main Line to London St Pancras.
Driving Wheels for HENGIST
22/08/2024
	The driving wheels have now been cast and fettled by William Cook Cast Products in Sheffield. We expect them to go through Non Destructive Testing shortly.
Dragbox Installed
27/08/2024
	The dragbox is now installed in the frames - we now need to drill and ream the holes for the fitted bolts. In the photo, you can see that the drill jig has been installed on the left hand side. Note the 2 blocks on the right and bottom of the drill jig. These set the datums against the back and bottom faces of the frame extensions. The top right bolt hole is now ready for drilling/reaming next week. In case you missed previous instalments - due to the shape of the gussets, it's not possible to drill through the gussets, frame extensions and dragbox in one pass; we can't get the drill in close enough. So the drill jig is used to correct positioning. The gussets have already been drilled. Now we need to do the frames and dragbox.
Pattern for Leading and Trailing Coupled Wheels
28/08/2024
	The pattern for the Leading and Trailing Coupled Wheels has started being machined at William Cook Cast Products Ltd. The pattern is being produced on a CNC pattern making machine.