Restoration of the MHRPS
Stanier Black 5 #45379 at Ropley

  November 2005 to recent

Very latest progress with #45379     

8th May 2008:   Wheels and frames in the wheeldrop shed       Photo (8th May 2008):  Tony Wood

From: Andy Netherwood Sent: 07 May 2008 19:53 Subject: #45379 tubeplate   I went to Crewe last week to view progress on the Black Five boiler and took some shots of the new tubeplate in place, and putting in the copper set screws in the lower tube plate seams Andy

26th February 2008:   Hugh tells how he made these split bushes for Black Five #45379 - Movie  (18MB) and photo (both 26th February 2008): Tony Wood

	5th February 2008:       Valve spindles ...
... and the crossheads to which they connect         Photos (5th February 2008): Tony Wood

4th February 2008:   The engine brake cylinder has been refitted after an extensive overhaul. This included a new cylinder liner, new rings and a new fitted pin to the wayshaft. This is now fully operational. The rear valve covers have been fitted with new slide bars and the whole assembly has been fitted to the loco. The bobbins are ready to fit to the spindles; once this is done we can fit the valves and concentrate on the rest of the valve gear. The cylinder drain cocks have now been connected up and new copper pipes fitted and are now fully operational. All of the motion is being cleaned up and you can see your reflection in the rods, we are going to have to keep these well oiled, they look too good to use! The cylinder cladding is nearing completion with paint being applied as I write. The cab has been giving us some headaches as the original was for some reason out of square, so when our new square panels were offered up they didn't want to fit. We have had to make a few adjustments to the outriggers at the back of the cab and now all seems well. It shouldn't be long before we trial fit it to the engine before rivetting. Report and four photos (3rd February 2008): John Wright

30th November 2007:       Geof Maskens was trying for fit a new valve spindle crosshead cotter he was making (to replace the lost one) for Black Five #45379         Photo (30th November 2007):  Tony Wood
Valve-chest covers   Photo (22nd November 2007):  Tony Wood

From: Andy Netherwood Sent: 18 November 2007 14:00 Subject: #45379 latest pics Hi Tony Was on a visit to L&NWR at Crewe last week and here are pics of latest developments to #45379's boiler. The new copper firebox tubeplate was away to a contractor's works for machining of the plate to thin down the edges where it is to be flanged and also the lower section which forms the throatplate. The former (or flanging block) which has had to be made specially, is shown propping up the copper throatplate section from #70000 Britannia's boiler.  Regards Andy     Inside barrel without tubeplate     Top feed                    Top view     Tubeplate former
	Photos (Crewe, 12th November 2007):  Andy Netherwood

23rd October 2007:
 
Darren and Frank were tinning the crossheads for #45379 in preparation for white metalling:  Movie   (2.6MB, 23rd October 2007)
Frank explained that pure tin adheres at a molecular level to the steel of the crosshead: the tin has to be thick enough so the oxide layer floats off leaving enough tin to make a good bond with the white metal.
 

 
  Aluminium axlebox oil trays
 
  Hugh is machining new ones - Movie  (1.9MB  This one: 23rd October 2007)
 
 
   Photo and movies:  Tony Wood

 
Movie:  Rivetting the running plate of #45379  (2.9MB, 18th October 2007)
Alistair above, Frank below, Steve heating, Bob Allen and Morley delivering the rivets

9th October 2007:   Brake hangers partly assembled   Photo (9th October 2007):  Tony Wood
From: John Wright Sent: 7th October 2007 15:37   Took my camera down on Thursday night and took a few photos of work in progress
	Photos (4th October 2007): John Wright
From: Richard Street Sent: 06 October 2007 21:04 In the last month we have put up 3 slide bars, in the cab we have restored the driver's tool box and battery box, put the doors back, drilled hundreds of pilot holes for rivets and the new sunroof has made and put in the cab roof complete with new handles/clamps. The brake crossbeams have been put back on, the oil boxes for the slide bars have been fabricated and are having the hinges made & the oil holes drilled. A lot of the motion is out and a lot of work has gone into getting it towards looking the part. The tender is also getting attention. It is going to be painted with a temporary topcoat to make it waterproof in case it has to go outside again. At the moment we have sanded the tank sides ready for filler paint, etc. The top rear of the tank is now in black. Duncan has allowed us to do this as he is busy with other projects.

3rd July 2007:     Pressure-testing the manifold for #45379   It was immediately apparent that one of the valve castings was porous so that will have to be replaced
Duncan has been painting on the tender for #45379   Photos (3rd July 2007):  Tony Wood

C107 copper sheet to supplied for #45379 firebox

30th May 2007:  

Dick had a piston for #45379 on the radial drill bed and was tapping core plug holes with a taper tap ready for plugging:  

Movie  (1.0MB, 30th May 2007):  Tony Wood

 

16th May 2007:     Dick Chapman had just lifted a piston he'd made for #45379 off the big lathe.    The brake adjusters he made had been given a coat of primer and grease nipples were fitted                 Photos (16th May 2007): Tony Wood

9th May 2007: One of #45379's radius rods, polished and oiled     Photos (9th May 2007):  Tony Wood

18th April 2007:  Sid Weaver's team works on #45379 mainly at weekends, but it's all coming along well     Photo (18th April 2007):  Tony Wood

21st March 2007:   "You haven't put Dick Chapman on the website yet" said Chris Wrathall: so here's Dick today, making a brake adjuster for the Black Five         The finished adjuster   Photo (18th April 2007): Tony Wood

Also for #45379, valves and spindles have arrived*

*From: Hugh Caldwell Sent: 22 March 2007 17:50 Dear Tony I can assure you that the valve heads and spindles didn't just arrive - they were machined on site!  I made the valve heads over the past month, while the spindles (one refurbished, one new) were done rather earlier, I think by Phil but perhaps John.  The new one still needs a taper, a cotter slot, and two keyways for the heads. The heads await their anti-rotation pegs and the making of the rings. Keep up the good work.  By the way, I haven't been on the website either, but that's probably because I work the wrong days - Monday and Tuesday! Kind regards Hugh Sorry Hugh - they had that 'just delivered' look and, as you noted, I hadn't seen you doing them. Lovely job!  ... tw     Photos (21st March 2007):  Tony Wood

From: Andy Netherwood Sent: 28 January 2007 17:33 Subject: 45379 boiler Visit to L&NWR works at Crewe last Thursday 25th January 2007 The boiler is back in the workshop and now turned upside down. The main progress is that the foundation ring has now been refitted and partly riveted in place. The firebox tubeplate is still out and you can see the throatplate clearly from the water side. You can also see the steel stays that have been removed from the sides: these are quite large holes and will be replaced with copper stays. All the other stays still in place have had the new nuts fitted, as have all the crown stay nuts to the existing stays. To summarise: good progress and a good standard of workmanship noted
	Photos (25th January 2007): Andy Netherwood

19th January 2007:         The recently-riveted plates over the bufferbeam of the MHRPS Black Five are now in grey undercoat    Funding the restoration of #45379       Photos (19th January 2007): Tony Wood

Photo (23rd November 2006): Tony Wood

19th November 2006:     #45379's tender body and chassis have been united.            Your webmaster rarely gets to Ropley on a Sunday and it was good to see #45379 getting lots of attention          Restoration of MHRPS Black Five #45379      Funding its restoration
Photos (19th November 2006): Tony Wood

16th November 2006:             Fitting the body on the tender chassis       Tank being lifted up ready for fitting ...
... offered up to chassis.
Cutting l/8" off flange to enable it to fit
Minute adjustment needed to line holes up in order to fit bolts
Job done - unit being pushed back into shed for final assembly and painting         Report and photos (16th November 2006): Bob (the welder) Preston Peter Smith took ones with Bob in shot

	14th November 2006:      Tender chassis has been turned onto its wheels.   (Another) Bob was painting the surfaces which will support the tender body - the crane is in the yard ready to fit it. The water tank and coal bunker rest on the wooden pads you can see ready on the floor alongside.   He's applying an evil-smelling quick-drying black paint
In the Boiler Shop, Andy took me to see the regulator for #45379, just brought out of storage. "It's in such good condition" - he said - "I reckon it was a new one fitted just before the engine was withdrawn. Look at this - that's normally worn level, not proud like that: excellent."
	Photos (14th November 2006): Tony Wood

12th July 2006: Bob Preston has got the #45379 tender brake weighshaft installed and working freely.  When the steps are rivetted on, it'll be ready to go right side up onto its wheels     Photo (12th July 2006): Tony Wood

5th July 2006: Photo (5th July 2006): Tony Wood
27th June 2006:            Bob has been setting up the brake weighshaft on the tender to #45379. The chassis may be turned right side up as sson as next week if the remaining riveting is completed
Photos (27th June 2006):  Tony Wood

14th June 2006:     Chris Wrathall fits bushes he's made for brake rigging of Black Five #45379
Bob the Welder was cutting some ½" thick spacer plates for the tender of #45379     Movie (790KB, 14th June 2006): Tony Wood       (David was welding an end arch for coach #4549) Photos (14th June 2006):  Tony Wood

12th June 2006:     Bob Preston trial-fits brake weighshaft to tender of MHRPS Black Five #45379
Two photos (12th June 2006): Ray Sully

31st May 2006:     Out in the yard a jolly gang of Rangers was preparing the axleboxes of #45379 for renovation and painting
	Bogie and the tender steam brake cylinder
	Photos (31st May 2006):  Tony Wood

28th May 2006:   David Charlesworth reports: Welcome to LMS Ropley! This morning the MHR Black 5 was an 0-6-0. This afternoon she had been re-united with her bogie and was later moved by the Class 11 shunter (itself an LMS derivation) as a 4-6-0 past class sister, Bert's beauty shining once again after the attention of several Gremlins. Once back in the shed restoration continued apace. Further to the report of 26th May the tender frame is  - now inverted  - back under cover. It's probably stretching the LMS theme a bit far to suggest that in the background is Duchess.of Hamilton being re-streamlined! Funding the restoration of #45379
	Photos (28th May 2006):  David Charlesworth

26th May 2006:    10-ton steam crane DS58 turned the tender chassis upside down. This gives more convenient access to complete the rivetting
The loco's now renovated bogie will soon be refitted in the frames so that the driving wheels and axleboxes can be removed. With a trolley supporting the rear, the loco will then temporarily become a 4-0-4   Photos and movie (all 26th May 2006):  Tony Wood

24th May 2006:       Frank Boait and Bob Preston were fitting the new angle brackets to support the running plate of our Black Five. They rivetted the top angles too, today
Neil Davis had been sorting out the steam brake from the tender: in the left-hand picture you can see the cylinder (upside down) and its cover. The gadget in the foreground is part of the drain cock gear
Photos (all 24th May 2006): Tony Wood

Andy Netherwood was at Crewe on 17th May 2006 to view progress on our Black Five's boiler repairs, and he reports:   It's going along quite well. The boiler has now been moved into the main workshop and is lying on its right hand side to make access to the crown of the firebox easier. The pics show the crown plate with a section cut out. This was where the worst part of the quilting had occurred after the boiler had run dangerously short of water in it's BR days. A new patch will now be fitted to this area and new crown stays fitted. Another pic shows the section of crown plate and just how close to disaster this boiler came. It appears that just the crown stay nuts had - only just - prevented the boiler pressure from forcing the plate (by then seriously overheated and in a plastic state!) off the roof stays. The nuts (now removed) have left a clear impression in the copper plate for nearly two-thirds of its thickness! The final pic is of the outside top of the firebox showing the crown stays that have already been removed for renewal.
Five photos (all 17th May 2006): Andy Netherwood

4th May 2006:       Rich Walters, on one of his visits - "Just drove over, 15 hours, good eh?" - to Ropley from his home in Switzerland, was on the rivetting team working on the tender chassis of our Black Five #45379.  Here he's heating up the rivets ...
... driven home by Bob Preston and Frank Boait   Movie  (2.1MB)  of this noisy scene Photos and movie (all 4th May 2006):  Tony Wood

21st February 2006:     On the tender, Bob today fitted the rear middle (grey) stretcher and dragbox    Movie  (1MB) Photos and movie (all 21st February 2006): Tony Wood

17th February 2006:     Frank Boait and Bob Preston rivet the frames of the tender for #45379 Photo (17th February 2006): Ray Sully

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8th February 2006:       Photo (8th February 2006): Tony Wood

	17th January 2006:     Two views of the bogie of the MHRPS Black Five #45379, dismantled by a team led by Martin Buckle and Sid Weaver The wheel bearings were fettled by the previous owners and are in good serviceable condition, but the side-control gear needs attention to remedy some wear to the centre casting. The bronze rubbing-strips have been replaced
Progress that Bob 'The Welder' Preston and his helpers have been making with the tender for #45379   The stretchers, inner frames, drag boxes and buffer beams are being bolted-up to make the whole structure rigid and square for rivetting. Frank has repaired a 'holder-upper' ready for doing the difficult-access rivetting Photos (17th January 2006): Tony Wood

11th January 2006:
	Bob, and Pete on his first day as a shed volunteer, offer up the new buffer-beam for the tender of #45379 prior to bolting it in place. This will stiffen the structure ready for rivetting stretchers and inner frames in position         Two photos (11th January 2006): Tony Wood

6th December 2005:        The MHRPS's Black Five #45379  frames are being painted       Photo (6th December 2005): Tony Wood

Sand boxes and tender steps for #45379 have been renovated Photo (30th November 2005): Tony Wood

24th November 2005:   Bob Preston has the two inner frames of #45379's tender bolted-up for drilling and then rivetting. More stretchers have been painted ready.     Photo (24th November 2005): Tony Wood

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