27th April 2006:
 |
|
| Andy
was in the main shed trueing* and welding Bittern's smokebox joints.
Note that the superheater
header
is now installed and can be seen through the access hole ahead of
Andy's feet. (Superheater elements on A4s are expanded into the header
from above: an access hole is needed to get at the very outside ends) *The occasional heavy hammering this involved made communication difficult for Frank and Steve who were setting Bittern's valves just below. In the movie of the scene below (1.6MB) it is hard to discern the movement of the valves, but it does show the setup and the driving wheels turning on rollers |
 |
Photos
and movie
(all 27th April 2006): Tony Wood |
|
 |
21st April 2006:
Ropley loader/forktruck raises Bittern's chimney onto the platform around the smokebox ready to fit Photo (21st April 2006):
Ray Sully
|
| Doggie balls installed ready to seal the element holes for superheater hydraulic tests | |
 |
More photos: One Two Three Four These photos (5th and 7th
April 2006): Andy Netherwood
|
| 30th
March 2006: Andy
has ordered 86 hard rubber balls (dog toys from a local pet shop) to
seal
the superheater header
during pressure tests. The pet shop owner thought it was a wind-up at
first and was looking for the TV cameras, but has ordered extra
supplies and given a substantial discount d:-) |
|
 |
Drop
grate control under construction Photo (4th April 2006):
Tony Wood
|
| 28th March 2006: The new rhs backhead cladding corner looks good ... |
 |
|
...
and Steve was busy tidying-up the left-hand one
Photos (28th March 2006):
Ray Sully
|
 |
| 22nd March 2006: 'Cut & shut' is not the ideal way to create such pieces, but Ropley doesn't have one of those wheel machines to do 3D shapes, so Steve has had to improvise. If anyone knows where there's one looking for a good home, please e-mail us: boballen@watercressline.co.uk
Andy was fitting studs to Bittern's superheater header (below) Photos (22nd March
2006): Tony Wood
Linked photo of cut & shut (21st March 2006): Ray Sully |
 |
 |
|
| 16th March 2006: |  |
 |
Steve Humby
and
John Redgrave were working today
on Bittern's
new firebox cladding around the
backhead, a challenging 3D sheet metalwork job Photos (16th March
2006): Tony Wood
|
| 8th
March 2006:
Up in the Boiler Department shed, Andy was blueing-in the face of Bittern's superheater header. He was rubbing a sheet of glass spread with just a trace of engineer's blue against the header face, then using a scraper on the marked bits you can make out in this Movie. It's a lengthy and painstaking business to get a good metal-to-metal seal, but Andy points out: "You don't want a leak here; it's a week's work just to get at it once it's all assembled." (Movie, 980KB, 8th March
2006): Tony Wood
|
 |
21st
February 2006:
Andy Netherwood has modified Bittern's backhead so we can fit or remove the regulator stuffing box without taking off the whole backplate in future. By afternoon the fittings were on (click pic) |
| At
the front of the boiler, a start has been made on rivetting
the smokebox to the boiler barrel. Adjustments were being made (!) to the smokebox doorplate Photos (21st
February 2006): Tony Wood
|
 |
 |
17th
February 2006: Duncan Richardson puts the finishing black gloss on Bittern's backhead before the boiler fittings go back on. (Note the ceramic fibre insulation) Photo (17th February
2006): Ray Sully
|
| 15th
February 2006: Crinoline completed. Scaffolding erected for access for rivetting and completing the smokebox Photos (15th February
2006): Tony Wood
|
 |
|
|
|
| 8th
February 2006: Steve Humby and Jim Griffin were cutting the new backhead to fit |
 |
 |
 |
 |
John
Sowerby carries an under-boiler crinoline component back from up the
yard for
wire-brushing and undercoating |
| 7th
February 2006: Fitting the crinoline
|
 |
 |
 |
| Photos (7th February 2006): Ray Sully |
Restoration of A4 'Bittern' at MHR: Index
Overhaul of A4 'Sir Nigel Gresley' at Grosmont
Very
Latest News from Mid-Hants
Railway's Loco Shed
