GW County Project - November 2011 progress

November - 2011
The driving wheels have been moved to the road leading off the turntable adjacent to the Black Python. It is imperative they are moved under cover as soon as possible, consequently a shelter has been ordered from Danport which should arrive by the end of November. The shelter procured should be large enough to accommodate work on the tender underframe. The design and acquisition file for the wheels was handed over to the Project by Dennis Howells on 12 November in a brief ceremony. LaDonna and a small team will handle all the cosmetic cleaning and bare metal protection at Didcot Railway Centre.	12/12/2011 - Dennis Howells, Locomotive Manager & Wheels Contract Manager handing over the Project File for the wheels to Mike Cooper, Project Manager.
A new workstream under Geoff Gore has been established to plan and oversee the re-wheeling of the chassis. As part of this process, measurement of and refurbishment of the main axleboxes is in hand.
The wiping lubricator slots in bogie axleboxes are now being cleaned out, and minor repairs carried out, in preparation for final assembly. The spring hanger bolts have had their shafts bitumen coated, and the oil sump covers repaired and painted.
19/11/2011 - Spring hanger bolts coated in bitumen.	19/11/2011 - Completed locomotive vacuum reservoir.
Fabrication of the loco vacuum reservoir is now complete - ultimately this item will be located behind the buffer beam. A vacuum test is to be carried out in late November. All major work on the reach rod has been completed, consequently it has been mounted on the frame. The last job is to locate the split pin hole in the wayshaft lever pin.
19/11/2011 - The completed reach rod assembly. The bar below the reach rod, running parallel with and along the running plate is the front sandboxes linkage. The little excrescence to the right of the reach rod steady is an anti- bowing block present on all Lot 354 locomotives, but not shown on any drawings, but was put together by reference to photographs.
Cleaning the front coupling hook, brake pull link, cylinder drain cock lever and reverser screw cover has also been undertaken.
A number of planning issues have received attention: The boiler meeting, held on 3 November, went well although the “novel and contentious” proposals did not find favour thus the engineering will be conservative. The schedule document, forming the main part of the contract document, has been recast and passed back to our boiler smith for his views. Once a firm schedule has been drawn-up, we will hold a second meeting with the Society’s boiler consultant, our insurer and the Project’s VAB, at which agreement will be sought for the scope of works. It is likely the boiler will move to Crewe in mid-2012. KWG has located an engineer able to produce a 3D AutoCAD of the superheater header which can then form the basis for a resin pattern. This is to be followed-up and, in conjunction with a firm in High Wycombe, estimated costings will be sought. This follows a recognition that there is considerable engineering risk in using a second hand header, even if the holy grail for this component does exist, because of the potential for bad corrosion and cracking. Following lengthy discussions a survey of the Modified Hall and 2885 class eccentric straps will be undertaken to confirm the strap dimensions. These components will be cast in EN 8. Consultations continue with Nigel Trotter to inform us of any gauging issues that need to be taken into account to ensure 1014 will have wide utility for the main line. To date, his advice is to work towards a maximum height of 13 ft (3962 mm) and KWG has stated this is congruent with the alterations that we are considering. Finally, more useful parts have been located in security, including patterns for cylinder drain cocks and the smokebox steam lance.