A quick call to the workshops this evening met with the response "just bumbling on". It's been one of those weeks when the job has moved on, but we're still in the thick of things. The bearings which allow the motion to turn are coming on nicely; two of them have now been machined and inserted into the relevant slots in the forged sections of the rods. Restoration Engineer David Pritchard (Daffy) says he still needs to do the wedges to hold them into place.
There has been some noticeable progress with new bits arriving on site. Most of the parts for the new smokebox have arrived on site, so we now have the wrapper plate, the strengthening plates for the bottom and the angle pieces to hold everything together. The bit we don’t have yet is the front plate, which still needs to be ordered.
Will post some pictures when we have them.
R
Friday 19 November 2010
Sunday 14 November 2010
The THING!
Top of the list of jobs on Russell recently: make THING! Our Restoration Engineer David Pritchard (Daffy) has been working on machining the outsides of the bearings that enable the rods to turn. He explained that the THING! Is basically a piece of metal which enables him to get the bearings to sit in the rods correctly. The bearings are held in place by wedges, and the THING! helps Daffy to make the wedges at the right angle.
If you don’t believe that it really is called the THING! look here:
- http://whr.fotopic.net/p68087153.html
To see what it looks like, click here:
- http://whr.fotopic.net/p68087152.html
And to get an idea of why it’s needed, click here:
- http://whr.fotopic.net/p68087151.html
Daffy has been keeping some more late hours recently, working until 21:00 one evening. He’s also been working in the mess quite a lot sorting out drawings recently, though he also admitted that when he’s in there, his consumption of tea goes up!
R
If you don’t believe that it really is called the THING! look here:
- http://whr.fotopic.net/p68087153.html
To see what it looks like, click here:
- http://whr.fotopic.net/p68087152.html
And to get an idea of why it’s needed, click here:
- http://whr.fotopic.net/p68087151.html
Daffy has been keeping some more late hours recently, working until 21:00 one evening. He’s also been working in the mess quite a lot sorting out drawings recently, though he also admitted that when he’s in there, his consumption of tea goes up!
R
Saturday 30 October 2010
Rods and rolls
Time for a progress update......
Work continues in the machine shops, and the connecting rods now have new end straps. The end straps are pieces of metal in a slightly rectangular U-shape, which hold the bearings in place. They were made by a contractor, and have now been machined and attached to the connecting rods by specially made bolts, as can be seen here:
- http://whr.fotopic.net/p67873814.html
Fifteen of the sixteen bearing brasses have been machined, though there was a problem with the last one, and it will need to be white metalled again. There’s also been progress on other fronts: the piston rods and the Westinghouse pump rod have been sent for chrome plating and drawings for the brake cylinder have been completed (the locos original brake cylinder is long since lost, and the one it carried from 1987 onwards was too large and was causing damage to other components.)
Away from site, the new plates for the smokebox are being rolled at Brunswick Iron Works in Caernarfon. When these are finished, the boiler can be put back into the frames for the smokebox to be built. The smokebox forms part of the structure of the frames, so needs to be built in situ. Before this, David Pritchard (Daffy) plans to make some minor modifications to the front and rear pony trucks to ease the passage of the locomotive round sharp bends.
R
Work continues in the machine shops, and the connecting rods now have new end straps. The end straps are pieces of metal in a slightly rectangular U-shape, which hold the bearings in place. They were made by a contractor, and have now been machined and attached to the connecting rods by specially made bolts, as can be seen here:
- http://whr.fotopic.net/p67873814.html
Fifteen of the sixteen bearing brasses have been machined, though there was a problem with the last one, and it will need to be white metalled again. There’s also been progress on other fronts: the piston rods and the Westinghouse pump rod have been sent for chrome plating and drawings for the brake cylinder have been completed (the locos original brake cylinder is long since lost, and the one it carried from 1987 onwards was too large and was causing damage to other components.)
Away from site, the new plates for the smokebox are being rolled at Brunswick Iron Works in Caernarfon. When these are finished, the boiler can be put back into the frames for the smokebox to be built. The smokebox forms part of the structure of the frames, so needs to be built in situ. Before this, David Pritchard (Daffy) plans to make some minor modifications to the front and rear pony trucks to ease the passage of the locomotive round sharp bends.
R
Friday 29 October 2010
Pictures Online
The photo gallery has been updated with a few more random shots of bits of metal. There's even one in there which looks vaguely like a loco. You can find the pictures here:
- http://whr.fotopic.net/p67873805.html (click next to see the rest)
R
- http://whr.fotopic.net/p67873805.html (click next to see the rest)
R
Thursday 28 October 2010
New Kettles For Old?
It's been a while since we posted anything, but there's been plenty of activity on the ground. Expect an update in the next day or so.
We've also started thinking of new ways to raise money. Someone suggested writing to people or companies with "Russell" in their name. A quick search on the internet, and the top of the list was "Russell Hobbs. Cue all sorts of gags - sell more new kettles and help us restore our old one......
R
We've also started thinking of new ways to raise money. Someone suggested writing to people or companies with "Russell" in their name. A quick search on the internet, and the top of the list was "Russell Hobbs. Cue all sorts of gags - sell more new kettles and help us restore our old one......
R
Tuesday 14 September 2010
Not Back To The Drawing Board
You wouldn't think you could work from home when you have a steam locomotive to rebuild...... Our restoration engineer, David Pritchard (Daffy), has returned from a few days' exile in his living room with only his drawing board for company.
Daffy has been doing engineering drawings so we can move on with the next few stages. He was due to be doing some final checking against the loco today and adding tolerances. But it means we now have a set of drawings for the smokebox which are due to be sent to a firm in Caernarfon, plus drawings for the brake cylinder which will go to an engineering firm in Birmingham, plus drawings for a replacement swing link for the pony trucks. (Daffy isn't happy with the current setup).
The smokebox is likely to be the next thing that we do once the motion is complete, probably towards November. It carries the added excitment of seeing the boiler go back in the frames.
The fundraising effort continues in parallel with the restoration, with e-mails flying back and forward between Ken Farrance (the boss) and everyone else to make sure the address list has been updated. Louise Hall spent most of this afternoon franking around 220 newsletters...... there's still more to go. Her husband made up for not helping with the last stuffing party when he did help with updating the address list!
Daffy has been doing engineering drawings so we can move on with the next few stages. He was due to be doing some final checking against the loco today and adding tolerances. But it means we now have a set of drawings for the smokebox which are due to be sent to a firm in Caernarfon, plus drawings for the brake cylinder which will go to an engineering firm in Birmingham, plus drawings for a replacement swing link for the pony trucks. (Daffy isn't happy with the current setup).
The smokebox is likely to be the next thing that we do once the motion is complete, probably towards November. It carries the added excitment of seeing the boiler go back in the frames.
The fundraising effort continues in parallel with the restoration, with e-mails flying back and forward between Ken Farrance (the boss) and everyone else to make sure the address list has been updated. Louise Hall spent most of this afternoon franking around 220 newsletters...... there's still more to go. Her husband made up for not helping with the last stuffing party when he did help with updating the address list!
Saturday 11 September 2010
Are These Your Boxer Shorts?
Like any railway, the WHHR goes through large amounts of rag...... for cleaning, wiping, polishing and mopping up. Thankfully, members and volunteers are very good at bringing old sheets, towels and clothes down to Porthmadog to keep the rag bins topped up.
David Pritchard (Daffy) was working on the motion the other day and suddenly noticed something about the rag he was using. It seemed to be the remains of a pair of Winnie the Pooh boxer shorts. Click here to have a look.
It started all sorts of speculation about who they once belonged to, why anyone would have bought them and where they came from. On second thoughts, we probably don't want to know the answers......
David Pritchard (Daffy) was working on the motion the other day and suddenly noticed something about the rag he was using. It seemed to be the remains of a pair of Winnie the Pooh boxer shorts. Click here to have a look.
It started all sorts of speculation about who they once belonged to, why anyone would have bought them and where they came from. On second thoughts, we probably don't want to know the answers......
Friday 10 September 2010
Against the CLOCK!
Restoration work on Russell is actually taking place in Cambridgeshire this week. Our restoration engineer David Pritchard (Daffy) is back at home near St Neots doing drawings for the smokebox and brake cylinder -two of the next jobs.
But things are still happening in Porthmadog. We've produced a newsletter which was picked up from the printers earlier this week. Another stuffing party took place to get it into envelopes, ready for dispatch to donors.
At the railway itself, there's now a fresh supply of nameplate prize draw forms in the museum. Like all small jobs, getting them there was a task which expanded to fill the available time:
17:00 - get to printers just before they close to pick up forms. There's two hours left until we have to be in Penmaenmawr for dinner with friends.
17:15 - get to railway after spending far too long stuck in traffic jams in the centre of Porthmadog - it's not even high summer any more!
17:30 - get sidetracked realising that there are several small jobs to do around the shop, including putting up posters at Porthmadog (WHR) station.
18:00 - arrive at the museum laden with stuff. Realise that the Russell leaflets have been left in the car. Go back and collect them. Put Russell leaflets into the rack and realise that the rack has been smashed up so it has one side missing.
18:01 - spend a minute wondering whether to just leave the leaflets in the broken rack anyway. Decide that the first person to take one will probably deposit the whole lot on the floor, and something needs doing.
18:02 - spend a further minute remembering that Penmaenmawr is an hour's drive away and we're already late.
18:03 - resign self to being late and think of how to keep leaflets in three sided rack
18:09 - trying to find a piece of wire in the depths of a toolbox. Spend a further five minutes cutting wire to length and tying round the remains of the leaflet rack to hold it together.
18:15 - remember the other job that needed doing before we can leave site (topping up the rag bins).
18:25 - shut up the museum. Get to the car and can't remember if we did or didn't lock it. Go back and check. Guess what: locked!
18:35 - remember the front gate needs locking before departure.
18:40 - leave Porthmadog at speed heading for the North Wales coast. Call people who are expecting us and hint that we're somewhere near Caernarfon......
If you do happen to be passing the Welsh Highland Heritage Railway in Porthmadog, then please take a form for the nameplate prize draw, even if only to make our efforts worthwhile.
R
But things are still happening in Porthmadog. We've produced a newsletter which was picked up from the printers earlier this week. Another stuffing party took place to get it into envelopes, ready for dispatch to donors.
At the railway itself, there's now a fresh supply of nameplate prize draw forms in the museum. Like all small jobs, getting them there was a task which expanded to fill the available time:
17:00 - get to printers just before they close to pick up forms. There's two hours left until we have to be in Penmaenmawr for dinner with friends.
17:15 - get to railway after spending far too long stuck in traffic jams in the centre of Porthmadog - it's not even high summer any more!
17:30 - get sidetracked realising that there are several small jobs to do around the shop, including putting up posters at Porthmadog (WHR) station.
18:00 - arrive at the museum laden with stuff. Realise that the Russell leaflets have been left in the car. Go back and collect them. Put Russell leaflets into the rack and realise that the rack has been smashed up so it has one side missing.
18:01 - spend a minute wondering whether to just leave the leaflets in the broken rack anyway. Decide that the first person to take one will probably deposit the whole lot on the floor, and something needs doing.
18:02 - spend a further minute remembering that Penmaenmawr is an hour's drive away and we're already late.
18:03 - resign self to being late and think of how to keep leaflets in three sided rack
18:09 - trying to find a piece of wire in the depths of a toolbox. Spend a further five minutes cutting wire to length and tying round the remains of the leaflet rack to hold it together.
18:15 - remember the other job that needed doing before we can leave site (topping up the rag bins).
18:25 - shut up the museum. Get to the car and can't remember if we did or didn't lock it. Go back and check. Guess what: locked!
18:35 - remember the front gate needs locking before departure.
18:40 - leave Porthmadog at speed heading for the North Wales coast. Call people who are expecting us and hint that we're somewhere near Caernarfon......
If you do happen to be passing the Welsh Highland Heritage Railway in Porthmadog, then please take a form for the nameplate prize draw, even if only to make our efforts worthwhile.
R
Sunday 5 September 2010
Late Nights
Russell is a coal fired engine, but there's been plenty of midnight oil being burned in the last few days with a triple whammy of late nights.
Daffy, our Restoration Engineer, has been working into the evening to machine the bearings for the coupling rods and the connecting rods. They're now nearly ready to have the white metal added - the white metal surface is the bit that actually comes into contact with the moving bits of the crank pins. Late nights in our machine shops can be a bit dark and draughty; once the seasons start to turn, it gets cold quickly in what is an old farm building unless you put the heating on. Thankfully we've had what the locals call "y haf bach", better known as warm sunny weather after the schools go back.
Louise, who does the admin, has been up late stuffing appeal letters into envelopes and trying to get her printer to play ball. She was able to do this in the comfort of her own home, though we note that her husband didn't offer to help. Finally, Wendy has also been up late designing the next newsletter, which needs to be at the printers by tomorrow morning. While the other two do late nights, she doesn't. Happy are those who may profit from the suffering...... or something like that.
R
UPDATE: we've had a letter back from a contributor, setting up a new standing order. It seems the late nights were worth it!
Daffy, our Restoration Engineer, has been working into the evening to machine the bearings for the coupling rods and the connecting rods. They're now nearly ready to have the white metal added - the white metal surface is the bit that actually comes into contact with the moving bits of the crank pins. Late nights in our machine shops can be a bit dark and draughty; once the seasons start to turn, it gets cold quickly in what is an old farm building unless you put the heating on. Thankfully we've had what the locals call "y haf bach", better known as warm sunny weather after the schools go back.
Louise, who does the admin, has been up late stuffing appeal letters into envelopes and trying to get her printer to play ball. She was able to do this in the comfort of her own home, though we note that her husband didn't offer to help. Finally, Wendy has also been up late designing the next newsletter, which needs to be at the printers by tomorrow morning. While the other two do late nights, she doesn't. Happy are those who may profit from the suffering...... or something like that.
R
UPDATE: we've had a letter back from a contributor, setting up a new standing order. It seems the late nights were worth it!
Pictures Online
We've started putting some photographs online of progress. Don't expect to see anything too stunning as there's lots of bits of metal looking like - erm - bits of metal. But it does help some of us understand the difference between a coupling rod and a connecting rod.
The pictures are here - http://whr.fotopic.net/c1891649.html
R
The pictures are here - http://whr.fotopic.net/c1891649.html
R
Thursday 2 September 2010
Croeso!
Welcome to the Russell901 blog. Over the next few months, we'll attempt to post regular updates on the restoration of Hunslet locomotive 901, Russell, the only engine left from the original Welsh Highland Railway.
The work is being done at Gelerts Farm Works in Porthmadog, the engineering base of the Welsh Highland Heritage Railway, which owns Russell and runs a short railway line and museum.
The work is being done at Gelerts Farm Works in Porthmadog, the engineering base of the Welsh Highland Heritage Railway, which owns Russell and runs a short railway line and museum.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)