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News Archive entries for March 2020

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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Sand Traps
02/03/2020
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  At the bottom of the sand boxes are these sand traps. The round flanges are bolted to the bottom of the sand boxes, the sand pipes down to the ejectors are bolted to the oval flanges. The other flange, without studs, are an inspection hole that can be used to free any stuck sand. These were a common part and the drawing shows that were fitted to class 03 shunters and the D95XX Class 14 "Teddy Bear" locos as well as to most (if not all) BR standard steam locos. We've dug them out of our stores and we're going to give them a good clean and inspection.
   
Sandpipe Stay Locking Plates
09/03/2020
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  Here's an example of the myriad of minor parts that go to make up a steam locomotive that you never see in photos - probably because they are covered in layers of grease and grot! Directly in front of each driving wheel (and at the rear of the centre driving wheel) are sand ejectors. Steam and sand come together in the ejector to produce a jet of sand where the wheel meets the rail head. The ejector is bolted to a sandpipe carrier; this is bolted to a sandpipe stay which is bolted to the spring hanger "feet" on the cast steel stretchers. The adjustment comes from a pair of oval bolt holes in the sand pipe stay. To make sure that the bolts don't slip in the slots, these locking plates are welded to the carrier and the stay. They mesh together to make sure that the assembly stays put. Generic Engineering in Rotherham have done their usual high quality job
   
Brackets
16/03/2020
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  Another mundane part for you. The main train vacuum pipe is a 2" diameter pipe going from the driver's brake valve via a pipe tee to the front buffer beam and the heind beam (for the tender and train connection). The pipe to the front buffer beam starts off under the left hand running plate and then crosses over to the right hand running plate in its route to the front buffer beam. This pipe clip supports the pipe in its traverse from left to right. The pad on the right hand side is the base needs to be welded to the brake cylinder stretcher. A pipe clip is fitted on the other side. Ashley will be painting this next week witha coat of undercoat.
   
Monday Working Group
23/03/2020
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  CTL Seal have introduced Covid-19 procedures and we are complying fully with them. Some of group did not attend today and may not be able to attend for some time. Those of us who did attend kept mainly to the container area and ensured the correct social distance. As the sun was out Ashley took advantage and painted some of the parts that have been blast cleaned recently. Here you can see sand trap covers on the left, sandbox inspection covers in the front, sandpipe flanges (for the top of the sandbox) on the right and retaining brackets for the brake hanger pins at the back.
   
Sand Boxes
23/03/2020
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  Finally for this week, the sand boxes have been welded up and have been given a coat of undercoat. The lot 242 Clans were to have 3 sand boxes. The back sand box is bigger than the other 2 and serves the front side of the trailing driving wheels (for forward running) and the rear side of the centre driving wheel (for backward running). Bits quickly collect a layer of dust in the CTL Seal Assembly shop!
   
Hind Beam Gussets
28/03/2020
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  We may be restricted in movement at the moment but there's lots of design work going on at home. We're going to place orders for frame components at the back end of the frames. We have the hindbeam and the 2 rubbing plates that fix to the hind beam in stock. We need to procure the heavy gussets that sit on the outside of the frame and abut the front face of the hind beam. The gussets also transfer the weight of the rear of the locomotive to the trailing truck. The gussets were originally a casting but are really a set of flat plates. We've agreed with CTL Seal to fabricate this with full depth penetration welds. Keith has been working on the fabrication drawing and has added the component to our 3D model. The gusset is in green and it is bolted to the frame extensions in blue. The bolts also go through to the dragbox which is brown. The hind beam is riveted to the rear face.
   
CAD model updated
30/03/2020
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  Keith has updated the CAD model to show the hind beam gussets in place. The trailing truck bolster and bolster cups still need to be modelled. The bolsters - with a raised dome pointing downwards - are bolted to the gussets. The bolster cups are free to float on the oval shaped pads on the truck frame.