Maintenance Work on #35005 'Canadian Pacific'

(Late Spring 2001)

23rd April 2001:

No more than 180 LBpsi could be obtained at the steam-chest of 'CP' #35005 so the linkages of the regulator valve were checked today and and found to be very worn. Andy Netherwood was fitting new pins, and was confidently filling the boiler shortly after this pic was taken.

Not long after that he had lit the fire, even before replacing the dome cover. Between them, Neil Davis and Andy later lifted the heavy cover into position and bolted it down.

24th April 2001 at 1700 hr: 'Fitness to Run' tests for Wednesday's "Cathedrals Express" excursion revealed other problems, and the run is cancelled. We're all very disappointed we couldn't find and fix everything in time.

Status

13th April 2001: Whilst the crowds were watching Thomas and his friends, work continued to put CP back together after a pair of driving wheels had been dropped (12th April) for adjustments to a hornguide. Here a team of six loco shed volunteers replaces the rhs coupling rods.

Once the connecting rod was fitted at the big end, Roger Thornton moved CP a few inches with the Class 11 to align crosshead and rod with a clear space to fit the small-end pin through from the back

25th April 2001:
#35005 'Canadian Pacific' is having a full valve and piston examination, and all superheater elements replaced.
Plan is to bring CP up to full Ropley standard before returning it to mainline service.
(Inspection on 19th April 2001 of the rhs piston of #35005 had revealed all three rings broken. New ones had been made and fitted by 24th April.)
Status

2nd May 2001: Jim was cleaning-up Canadian Pacific's lhs valve, whilst efforts continued to release the reluctant rhs one (which eventually came out after 3 days' work)
15th May 2001: Efforts to remove the centre valves of Canadian Pacific have reached the stage of applying a constant high force to the valve spindle whilst dowsing the valves with Duck Oil to soften hard carbonised deposits from lubricant (additives?). It's a bit like the ring of carbon you used to get around the top of a petrol engine cylinder in the bad old days, only much harder

New superheater elements ready to fit

2nd May 2001:
A chill has been fabricated ready for re-metalling
½ an eccentric strap from Canadian Pacific's
valvegear
Status

17th May 2001:
With so much effort going into dismantling other parts of Canadian Pacific #35005, the remetalling of the eccentric strap for the centre valvegear had been on hold. Here is one half of the strap just released from the chill, and cooling. When the other half is done, they'll be bolted together and machined in the big borer

19th May 2001:

Worn regulator linkage and pin from inside the dome of #35005, Canadian Pacific

Photos: Clive Holliday

Removing the Centre Valve of #35005 'Canadian Pacific'

Ropley Loco Yard, 22nd May 2001

22nd May 2001: The removal of the centre valve of #35005 proved particularly challenging. Constant high pressure had been applied for some time with a hydraulic jack at the rear, whilst soaking the gap between bore and valve with Duck Oil. This method slowly worked until its limits were reached. A chunky sliding hammer was then made and fitted onto the spindle at the front to act on a bolt and washer on the end of the spindle.
We were having a breather when the front valve was free after we'd moved it forward over a foot, but the rear valve was then stuck firm in the front half of the bore. Frank's foot has been moved for clarity from it's working position on the strap-operated, foot-returned hammer.	The bundle of woolly pullover cushioned our hands from otherwise painful jarring during the vigorous action.

Once it was all out, we could see the deposits, on the valve and under its rings, which made dismantling such hard work.


	Rod, tw and Frank cleaned up the valve in the sunshine, whilst young Tom Milburn (on 'work experience' - sorry, no pic of Tom) reached into the valve-chest with emery to clean carbonised deposits from there.

Whilst working in the smokebox, we'd heard occasional mutterings through the boiler tubes from Dave Sibley in the firebox. He was working on the rocking grate linkages which had been recalcitrant in service. When I looked in, he'd gone off to make something and there was just a big hole in the grate where he'd removed bars for access. Here's a solitary grate 'finger' lying next to the manifold on the footplate. Manifold is off so that joints can be remade (properly, metal-to-metal, blued in)
	This is being done for all direct-to-boiler joints, e.g. gauge-glass mounts
The only superheater elements still in situ are those recently replaced. Nice view of the front tube-plate shows how elements are fitted to the header. The chalk says: 'Do not remove'.
25th May 2001 update: The centre valve is now reinstalled. Once the crud was removed, and the valve-chest bore tidied up, the valve could easily be moved in the bore by hand. 26th May 2001 update: Piston was removed, cleaned and replaced. The cylinder end-cap is now back on. All photos: Tony Wood

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