A day with 76077

Thursday at Loughborough

The work done to our Toddington Standard 76077 by LMS at Loughborough is open to GWSR volunteers - this keeps the job going, and reduces the costs of the overhaul. So two of us went to work on the locomotive on Thursday. We were made very welcome. It seems that volunteer numbers on the locomotive are down, so a few extra hands would be welcome, otherwise we will have to pay for the work to be done. You don't need any special skills.

The locomotive has now been re-wheeled, a big step forward! To permit work on the springs, the frames are just held aloft by the 4 lifting jacks, just an inch or two. Andy and John discuss the day's work.

A few items have been laid out to give an impression of how the loco will look, eg the grab rail, lamp iron and Horwich works plate.

The steelwork is temporary, it needs to be cleaned up next.

We liked the little brass oil reservoir by the valve chest.

Many items are on order, but delayed. With/after COVID the market is in disarray and prices are high, or products unavailable. This has delayed the timing, but the loco continues to advance. The re-wheeling is proof! It is 6 months behind, but we did it.

Accessories laid out over the smokebox

We had two jobs on Thursday. The first was to sand down the inside of the frames, ready for filler to be applied to the pitting that 20 years out in open storage have caused.

John on the sander, in the frames.

 

The second job was to clean the reverser shafts of oil and crap accumulated over 20 years of storage, and indeed service for BR.

Here are the two halves of the reverser shaft. This one is ours, as it's stamped '76077'. Parts were pitted from the rain in open storage on a wagon at Toddington north sidings, other parts were not pitted, as covered in a thick coat of old grease.

It took all day, but we got the grease and dirt off with a scraper, and then liberal application of old diesel.

There were no traces of paint, so these items will have been polished steel, as visible from the outside, like the coupling rods. Rather beautiful, we thought.

The bearing surfaces had a small amount of surface rust. This shaft only rotates through about 30 degrees at a time, so its not as critical as say the wheel axles, which rotate quite quickly. We polished these with emery paper.

 

 

We are gradually burning through the 76077 project funds, although we should be able to complete the frames and wheels. There is an income stream every month, (eg your blogger's standing order of £25) but expenses are steady and we could do with more support. Standard 76077 is a locomotive project run by GWSR people, it's our locomotive, so let's pull together and see it through.

On the longer term horizon is the boiler refurbishment. We are currently awaiting a report on its condition. It should be quite good as it's not very old, but you know how these things are, they always find unexpected stuff.

In the more immediate future is the smokebox. This will be a new build. And we have commissioned a new reverser gearbox, even though we don't have all the money yet. This is being raised through a special parts sponsorship fund, which you can see here:

 https://standard76077.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/Sponsor-application-form-v4.pdf

We are something over half way to raising the £10.500 for this gearbox, which was taken from the loco at Barry. For £140 you can be part of this. Or buy some shares, and be part owner! Or, if it suits you better, set up a standing order like your Blogger. It isn't much per month, but over time it adds up, and it plays a really important part in securing a steady income stream to underwrite the work.

Thanks for your help, guys!

Finally, a little peek (with permission) into the work of our contractor Locomotive Services Ltd at Loughborough:

(Picture with kind permission from Andy)

Bulleid Pacific 92 Squadron in one of the halls, receiving work on the firebox. When you come and volunteer here on 76077, you'll be astounded at the work they carry out on preserved steam locomotives. There is a lot to see, but we can only show a very limited amount. That 92 Squadron is there is common knowledge, so a picture of that was OK.

Friday at the foundry

Having had 4 more ball-topped GWR gateposts cast for Broadway, we went to the foundry on Friday to recover the pattern that we have, and put it into storage.

Finding a foundry that will do your kind of work is not easy these days, as many have gone to the wall recently. Those that survive don't necessarily do the sort of work you want.

We have had gate posts cast for Broadway by this one, a private foundry with an old fashioned smelting column. This is filled in alternate layers of scrap iron (in this case principally car brake discs) so that is good recycling, and smallish amount of coking coal, which is imported from Poland. 

More modern foundries use expensive electric ovens, but many of these have been forced to close, due to rising costs of power, the rising minimum wage, and disposal costs of foundry sand. Not to mention the COVID crisis.

In the picture you can see the little chariot which ferries the scrap iron and coal to the top of the column. About a third of the way up is a blower, and once the column is lit, the molten iron pours out (inside the building) after only a few minutes. We were surprised by how fast it went.

When the molten iron has been drained out and emptied into the crucible (inside the building) the impurities which float to the top are blown out through a vent at the bottom. 

You can see a shower of sparks, and a treacly drip like lava coming out. Inside they are busy filling the many moulds with the molten iron from the crucible.

The column is then refilled a number of times, with more scrap brake discs and coal.

 

 

We haven't actually got a picture of the casting process, as we asked the proprietor whether he was OK with us filming it, and he said OK, so here is a film of it happening. It was fascinating. Not many people get to see this:

https://youtu.be/VgmUyWh1Dio

In another part of the building we were allowed to see various castings already made and fettled, e.g. pump casings, impellers, valves, gate posts, finials, even cylinder blocks like this one:

This is a block for one of the IOM engines. We think they are reversible, so with one pattern you can do both blocks. GWR engines had this possibility as well, we heard.

Here is a pattern for the single cylinder block for a traction engine. It was well worn, we thought, it must have been used multiple times.

Next to it was an actual example of the original block, with part of the original exterior sheeting still attached, in red and yellow. We also saw a smokebox saddle for a smaller engine, and in the background you can see some of the pump casings that are ready to go.

The foundry, we learned, specialises in small runs, which is attractive in the railway preservation world. Your blogger once needed a foundry to cast him an 18 inch cast iron signal bell (smashed in a shunting manoeuvre gone wrong) and there was none to be found in the country where he was living at the time. A typical answer was, we can cast you 500 brake blocks, but not one signal bell.

Hope you enjoyed the film. We returned home grubby, with grit in our hair as if we had hung out of the window of a steam special!

Saturday on the PWay

Another good team turnout today. It looks like they all came in the hope of more doughnuts like last week, but there were none :-(

Thus are expectations raised....

 

 

 

We've had a request to improve a hand operated turnout in the C&W yard, so the first thing we did was to sort out some reasonable second hand sleepers.

Is this off the rails, or what? Can't tell in this infestation of Mares' Tail.

Then we set off to inspect the site, passing by our PWay mess coach. It has received a beautiful new coat of paint, and a watertight roof, but now it is parked in an inaccessible spot, without electricity or water. No one could explain to us why it is not back where it was.

The good news is that on Wednesday (i.e. today) the coach had finally been shunted back to where it was. It still needs connecting to water and electricity, and the kitchen given a once over.

Dinmore Manor chugs past with the well filled first train out of CRC.

The turnout controls part of the fan of sidings leading to the C&W barn, and beyond. The lever controlling it has become unreliable, we were told.

... and heads off for Chicken Curve, still at 10mph as within 'Station Limits'.

Only at the end of the curve can the loco open up, but what a cracking sound Dinmore Manor makes when under load!

After inspection of the lever mechanism we decided that two replacement half sleepers were required, to secure it better. We think the installation dates back to the late 1980s, so could well be life expired.

 

At 11 am we felt it was time for a coffee, particularly as a fine drizzle had started.

On the way we met this gentleman, with an interesting Pashley bicycle. It was very well appointed, and we stopped to admire it.

The break was only short, the drizzle faded away and there was no longer an excuse to linger.

Here Nick has posed with an old fashioned T spanner to undo some chair screws holding down two 75lb fishplates. Note that we said 'posed'...

... because as soon as we had taken the picture for the record, he set off with his true intention of using the motorised impact wrench, which burped angrily 4 times, and then the bolts were out.

The turnouts in the yard are a real jumble of second hand stuff, assembled way back when we got recovered material from places like Gloucester docks. The best quality rails and turnouts went in the main line, what was left went into sidings, which were only there to get coaches in and out of the old Winchcombe goods shed, which became the base for indoor carriage maintenance.

Here we see two point levers, one which is spring loaded (our difficult one) and one which is more basic and which works with a heavy weight. They were connected by a common length of sleeper, which had become life expired and too wobbly.

Bert Ferrule and Mike thought, why lie down, when you can stand up and saw?

We pause briefly to watch a Broadway bound train to trundle out of the station.

After screwing down both point levers to the two new sleepers we couldn't get the turnout to operate correctly. We spent a long time fiddling with the position of the lever (drilled three times!), with the turnbuckle in the middle of the rodding, and with the tie bar between the blades

Adjustment of the tie bar - it didn't help.

We got the lever to throw the switches, and lock them, one way but not the other. Whatever we did, it was always the same.

What's this 'ere then?

Eventually, having tried all options, suspicion began to fall on the point lever itself. Bert Ferrule and Tony took a very close look underneath, and started poking and rattling various components. It's a funny system, you always pull the lever in the same direction, whether you want the through road, or the diverging road. But that damned lever would only ever lock the through road.

Triumph!

Eventually Bert Ferrule emerged from the dusty ash with a broken bolt. This sits inside the coiled spring, and makes sure that it stays straight when the lever is pulled (i.e. does not go banana shaped, as it must have done).

It cost us a whole day to discover the cause. We did also manage to fit the two new half sleepers, and fettle the point blades so that they fit better.

At the end of the day we went to the Coffeepot for our usual ice cream and mugs of tea. We watched the diesel hauled trains at the end of the day, always interesting, as you never know what is going to appear this time.

On Saturday is was Growler 37 215, which rewarded us with a satisfying growl as it set off.

Monday at Broadway

Work on cleaning up the Eynsham platform bench is nearing completion.

 

 

It took ages to strip off the old varnish, bits of green paint (?), drops of red oxide and chainsaw oil and general sweat and dirt. But we got there - the bench is finally ready for a new coat of varnish!

Half an hour later.....

Once it was dry, we carried the bench over to the mess room, where it will be stored safe and dry, while performing a useful function. 

Now to wait for the building of the platform 2 building, to complete Broadway station. A proposal has been submitted.

At the same time, Neal and John were working on the footbridge. John was giving the inside of the LH row of boards a final top coat, while Neal made a start on completing the final run of the forecourt side.

Mid afternoon Neal had gotten this far.

Need a bolt?

We left early, to visit our local Broadway hardware shop for some more supplies. It's a brilliant shop. They have everything, and it's not hung out in self service isles in little bags, where you have to buy 20 to get half a dozen. If you need 29 M12 x 100mm bolts, you can have 29 M12 x 100mm bolts. They have solid brass screws (not 'brass' which turns out to be brass coloured steel) and a lovely range of door and window furniture in solid brass, We managed to secure a replacement solid brass sash lock for the big Usk hut window, which had a broken lock on it.

On the counter is this cat in a round basket. It's always asleep, as it's very old. The temptation to pet it is very strong, but - you do not touch!

Tuesday at Broadway

A busy day for the station staff at Broadway, a lot of people were waiting for one of the first two trains.

Both positions are now open in the mornings. Previously we coped with just the one.

People who want to buy a ticket, we hear, always make a bee line for the first window, the one on the left. So if you are the relief booking clerk to the normal window on the right, you get all the hard work.

Due to booking on line, station staff cannot now say how many people boarded at Broadway. 170 tickets were sold though.

Work on the footbridge covered three areas on Tuesday. John gave the forecourt side of the recently fitted boards a topcoat, after filling in countless little nail holes from the nails holding the boards in place.

Yours truly worked on the P2 treads, which are in place, but not bolted down yet. It meant drilling x new holes into bone hard, three inch thick wood. That was very slow, but we got there, and all bolt holes are now present.

Neal made a start on the Malvern side steps. In the picture you can see him cutting to fit the lower supports for the boarding. These were profiled and primered last winter and stored.

In the background you can see the stream of passengers on Tuesday morning. We think there were 80 or 100 people on the platform for the first two trains.

The P1 boarding is now complete. John is giving it a last coat of paint on the inside.

To complete the 1904 picture, we still need the final part of the canopy to reach across, and keep the bottom of the steps dry.

Some of the work today was rather repetitive, so from time to time we would wander over for a chat, or get some coffees in from the cafe.

Neal is working on the third support, starting from the bottom.

Later in the afternoon people mostly left, having spent time in Broadway village. Stationmaster and assistant watch the last train pull out, then it's time to empty the litter bins, and, sadly, wash parts of the platform of dog urine that was left today - twice!

Wednesday with the Usketeers.

It was the three Usketeers today - just the 3 of us. Jules is moving house, and Paul has gone on a much needed (but short) holiday.

It was John on painting windows and cleaning blocks, Dave laying blocks, and yours truly measuring up and sourcing them for Dave to lay.

 

 

Here's our starting position: A line of 7 inch blocks loosely laid out, and tipped over, ready for mortar to be applied.

We still had difficulties with Maxie, what is this, a mid life crisis? Today she kept stopping, but later stopped - stopping. Then she spat at Dave! He got a big blob on him. How very ill educated she is.

 

Here's Dave, ready to kick off. More loose blocks were laid out last week on each side of the door frame.

After doing the 7 inch blocks (they were 7 inch, as that is the height of the window cill in the middle, which they will tie in) Dave moved over to the door frame, and gave those blocks a hard stare. There is one big one in there balancing on a small step in the level, which will be tricky to accommodate.

The quoin on the corner was one of three we put down today. It was a red letter day. It's always more fun to put down exterior blocks than backing up, as the exterior blocks give a much more visible sign of progress.

 

The big lump by the door frame was the tricky bit today. How to bridge the one inch gap, and bridge over to the next block underneath? We must have no pairs of vertical joints.

We had a 'sneck' (one of those small stones that make things fit) but it was too thick. Dave must have N Wales family in him, as he expertly split the thickish sneck into two thinner ones. Brilliant!

For a break from painting windows, John came over for a chat and to see how we were doing. Here you can now see the line of 7 inch blocks in place on the right.

As we had a barrow of mortar going off in the sun, Dave was keen to use it profitably, so we decided to put up our second quoin here, on the corner nearest the station. This is another 7 inch job, again to fit in with the window sill on the facade.

When we saw the Telehandler out and about, we jumped at the chance to use it, and lobbied for Bob to bring up a few more baskets of rough stones. He did this, very gracefully. It was unkind of us to push our luck then, and ask Bob to help us lift in the third and last quoin, a really big and heavy one. John had found it under a pile of stones on a pallet and said to us, guys, if you don't use this heavy one soon, you'll be sorry when the wall gets higher.

There's no picture of us lifting this jobbie up to by the door frame, as all 4 of us lifted it together. You can see that it is easily bigger than any of the others on this part of the wall. But now it's in.

After that quoin was put into its place, Dave filled the gap up to the corner, then did the inside as well, so that this corner has now gone up a level, inside and out. We find that the mortar is going off well, and is quite hard a week later when we come back. You can only really lay one row of blocks at any one time, as they are so irregular that any weight on top would put them out of position before the mortar goes off.

Here is our end of the day shot. Blocks were laid in 4 places, marked by the hessian and blue covering plastic.

It was a good day, and, we felt, with more progress than average, despite the absence of Paul.

Stop Press!

A blog reader has come forward with a very generous offer to sponsor one of the two Robel tampers that the gang would like to have so much. There are some very kind people reading this blog, and the tired PWay gang is very grateful.