| 21st May 2007: Today Bittern's safety valves were set - Movie (2.8MB) Both injectors were tested; they work automatically and eagerly when the steam valve is opened. It was noticeable that the boiler retained its pressure very well: Keith pulled the fire back under the door after the valve-setting, but after an hour or two there was still about 225 LB psi on the gauge - Movie (1.8MB) Roland Kennington came down to see how it was all going. He's been an invaluable source of expert engineering advice to the Ropley team during repairs to this loco - Movie (2.4MB) |
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Here's
a clip to raise the hairs on the back of your neck
Movie (600KB) Bittern will be out of sight in the wheeldrop shed for at least the next couple of days for the signwriter and the air-braking contractors to finish their work. The springs will be adjusted to set the loco at the correct height and weight on each wheel and trials will resume at the end of the week Photos
and movies (all 21st May 2007): Tony Wood
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| 19th
May 2007: With Bittern's boiler filled and the tender coaled and being filled with water, the first fire was lit by Rupert Drury* late this morning The
movie (4.6MB)
*Rupert is the son of Geoff Drury who bought the loco from BR to save it from the scrapyard Note the fish:
MHR humour, Ropley-style!
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 Tender
water-gaugeGubbins locker
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 Before Bob Allen puts in a
few shovels of coal for a small warming-fire
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 New spark
arrestor panels not needed yet |
 Rupert Drury had just
lit the first fire in the loco:
"I feel very emotional about this" - he said |
 Over a few days we'll bring the loco slowly up to pressure for Andy to set the safety valves. Then it'll go through the usual procedure of progressive trial and checking Photos
and movie (19th May 2007): Tony Wood
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16th May
2007:  Duncan had finished the gloss coat of Bittern but there's a delay on the signwriting (boiler bands, cab sides, etc.) He was working on the strips of black between the treads on the running plate. Frank was working on spark-arresting gear in the smokebox. |
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 Photos (16th May 2007): Tony Wood |
| 9th May
2007: John Wright lays floorboards in Bittern's cab. At the other end of the loco's long boiler, Duncan was flatting the paintwork (Movie 1.3MB) Photos and movie (9th May
2007): Tony Wood
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| 2nd May 2007: Here you see the left-hand lifting arm of Bittern (just above the red inspection lamp on the return crank rod in the photo below.) On the reversing shaft is a cam acting on a microswitch to indicate to the TPWS whether the reverser is set for forward or reverse travel. Because the loco and tender make a longer loco than normal, there are two TPWS sensors - one under the loco bufferbeam and one under the tender bufferbeam - and the tender sensor is selected for TPWS by this microswitch when the reverser is set for 'Backwards'. Glossary of Walschaert valvegear terms Walschaert valvegear in action Below: Bittern in first undercoat. It will receive another, then a 50:50 undercoat/gloss coat. After rubbing down: final gloss coat |
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 Photos (2nd May 2007):
Tony Wood
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| 26th
April 2007: Inside Ropley loco shed
today: |
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 Mandy Sharp was fitting the electronics of the OTMR, TPWS, network radio- telephone, etc., into the steel box Bob Preston made to fit on the tender in Bittern's cab and Jim was fitting the associated gubbins (technical term!) under the front buffer-beam. OTMR = on-train monitoring recorder (a 'black box') TPWS = train protection and warning system |
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| Photos (26th April 2007): Tony Wood | |
| 25th
April 2007: Right hand side of shed was nearly empty. Bittern moved out and then re-appeared on the left hand side ready for Duncan to work on and paint. |
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Photos and report (25th April 2007): Dick Chapman |
18th
April 2007: Duncan has applied undercoat to the rhs cladding of Bittern, and a 50:50 mix of undercoat and gloss coat to the rhs of the tender to give a harder finish for flatting before the finishing coat. He'll do the other sides when they are moved to the painting road where: "The light is better." The gap under the driver's seat is for the air braking control box. Kim Malyon was installing modern valves in place of the Baldwin valves. He explains why in this Movie (5.4MB) More info |
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| 4th April
2007: Preparing Bittern for painting Movie (2.3 MB) and photo (4th April 2007): Tony Wood |
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| 30th March 2007: Two unusual views of the (dusty)
streamlined cladding
Photo (30th March 2007): Tony Wood |
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| 21st March 2007: Duncan has made a start on painting the tender coal-space Photo (21st
March 2007): Tony Wood
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| 13th March 2007: The blastpipe, surrounded now by concreted smokebox floor |
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| 3rd March 2007:
Driver's side of Bittern's cab Photo (3rd March 2007):
Tony Wood
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28th February 2007: In the shed today, Bob Preston was finishing the sump he's made for Bittern's tender. He had to pause every now and then as another pot of molten pitch was carried past to seal the steel tender counterweights (each end of the tender corridor) against ingress of water |
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Handbrake mechanism (see photos below, 31st
Jan) of Bittern
was being installed - the view is from the pit, looking towards the
right-hand steps up to the footplate. |
| Once
the cladding was all fitted and checked
(movie 950KB),
the handrails were installed Photos (28th February 2007): Tony Wood |
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20th
February 2007: Steve has been making many sections of stainless steel cladding for Bittern's throat-plate (See movie of 14th Feb.) He has welded nuts under the bolt holes where sections overlap - "Hank bushes just rotate uselessly when things get rusted up, but these won't!" - he explained. Photo (28th February 2007): Tony Wood |
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| 17th
February 2007: Kylchap exhausts in process of adjustment on Bittern Precise alignment optimises the performance of the loco Two photos (17th
February
2007) contributed 'anonymously'
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Restoration of A4 'Bittern' at MHR: Index
Overhaul of A4 'Sir Nigel Gresley' at Grosmont
Very
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