News Archive entries for May 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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THE 'CLAN' PROJECT announces David Buck as New Patron
05/05/2020
	THE STANDARD STEAM LOCOMOTIVE COMPANY LIMITED (SSLC), building 72010 'HENGIST', is pleased to announce the appointment of David Buck as its new Patron. A lifelong rail enthusiast and entrepreneur, Mr Buck brings many years of experience in business and in particular the heritage rail industry to THE 'CLAN' PROJECT, which is constructing Standard Class 6 locomotive 'HENGIST', the 1000th British Railways Standard locomotive, in partnership with engineering firm CTL Seal in Ecclesfield in Sheffield. Mr Buck has become a well-known figure in the British railway preservation scene in recent years. After a successful career in the film and television industry, he bought several historic locomotives, including former LNER B1 Class locomotive 61306 'Mayflower' in 2014, restoring it to running railtours on the national network for the first time in 40 years. This was followed in 2018 by acquiring the Steam Dreams Rail Company, one of Britain's most successful railtour promoters. In addition to this, he has taken on other roles in the heritage industry, such as acting as Vice President of the Friends of the National Railway Museum (NRM), South of England Group, and as a Patron of the Science Museum, the NRM, the London Transport Museum and the British Postal Museum. He has also built a half-mile-long railway in his garden near Windsor, on which he runs his own locomotives, and is an avid collector of railwayana, including historic locomotive nameplates. Mr Buck said: "Standard Pacific locomotives have always been one of my favourite classes and I couldn't be more delighted to be involved in the creation of the missing link – a new 'Clan'." James Baldwin, President of the SSLC, said: "I'm delighted to welcome David to THE 'CLAN' PROJECT. We are privileged to benefit from his experience in the heritage rail industry, and I look forward to working closely with him over the coming years as we progress towards our goal of seeing 'HENGIST' in steam, pulling its first train." Mr Buck is THE 'CLAN' PROJECT's second patron, following the late Sir William McAlpine, the former owner of 'Flying Scotsman', who acted as the project's patron until his death in 2018. You can find out more about the project on this web site.
Small Parts
18/05/2020
	A number of small parts have been taken into stock this week. At the top of the page is the bracket that carries a tee and drain valve for a steam supply for the cylinder drain cocks. This is bolted to the bottom of the first vertical stretcher behind the smokebox saddle. A steam supply pipe coming down from the driver's actuating valve is connected to the tee and is then split to the left and right drain cocks. The drain cocks are opened when an engine starts after standing to ensure that any water is blown out of the cylinders. This provides the large volumes of steam which obscures the photograph you were trying to take! The bottom left photo is a set of flanges for the 8 sanding ejectors - 6 sited in front of each driving wheel and 2 behind the centre driving wheel (for rearwards running sanding). From the drawing, you can see that they will be welded to the delivery pipe. On the bottom right are 8 release covers for the sand traps which are bolted to the bottom of the sand box. This allows the driver or fitter to check that sand is running freely and to clear any blockages.