This page has been stealthed to render indexing by search engines more difficult. We are concerned that young browsers might be alarmed to see their hero - "with his lid off" (as 2-year-old Matthew Hatherly described it whilst visiting the yard during our Autumn 2004 Steam Gala).
This page consequently receives a
Certificate:
(Parental
Guidance: May contain scenes of moderate violence)
Renovating the ex-Thomas boiler to fit onto Douglas
| 3rd April 2006:
Shiny black smokebox, and white running plate and face Photo (3rd April 2006):
Ray Sully |  |
| 30th March 2006: David was welding on a bracket to support Thomas's face; it's part of the new system to allow the loco crews easier access to the smokebox for the work of 'putting Thomas to bed' |  |
| Duncan
was lining the splashers in red - he was at the undercoat stage Photos (30th March 2006):
Tony Wood |  |
| 14th March 2006:
Duncan lining Thomas today Photo (14th March 2006):
Ray Sully |  |
| 10th March 2006:
Roger Thornton applies gloss Photo (10th March 2006):
Ray Sully |  |
| 8th March 2006: |  |
| 21st
February 2006: Mike Cross flats Thomas's paintwork |  |
| 16th
February 2006: Thomas went back in the shed for work to continue on his repaint. How about this for the Tate Modern? Photos (16th, 21st February and 8th March
2006): Tony Wood
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| 10th
February 2006: Thomas in steam for boiler inspection and certification. Movie (592KB) He's scheduled to go in the shed to Duncan on Monday 13th Feb for a full repaint in good time for our Easter Thomas event (8th - 17th April) |  |
 | 3rd
February 2006: Thomas with his water tanks refitted. His 'old' boiler (ahead) will go into Douglas once it is complete with the inner new firebox, and when Douglas's wheels have been re-tyred |
| Under
Thomas's
boiler and sitting on the rods, Chris Smith tightens bolts on the
balance pipe. (When you fill one of the water tanks, the balance pipe
transfers water to fill the other tank too.) Photos (3rd February
2006): Tony Wood |  |
| 24th January 2006: Chris and Andy have been busy with Thomas. Blast-pipe, blower and main steam pipe are in, and the chimney has been properly aligned - the draughting problems of this boiler cured? Photo (24th January
2006): Tony Wood |  |
| 22nd January 2006:
Progress with Thomas |  |
| 11th January 2006: Securing the smokebox to the frames Photo (11th January 2006): Tony Wood
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| 10th January 2006:
Thomas's boiler and cab were fitted today. Ray Sully captured the action: | |
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| Four photos (all 10th January 2006): Ray Sully | |
| 6th January 2006: |  Photo ( 6th January 2006): Ray Sully |
| 4th January 2006: Chris and Graham were preparing the boiler from Douglas for fitting into Thomas's frames. | |
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| The
blow-down valve, an innovation, will be secured by those three studs
and controlled from the footplate Three photos (all 4th
January
2006): Tony Wood |  |
 | 13th December 2005: Lots of noise near the boiler from Douglas which was being needle-gunned ready for painting in the same heat-resistant silver paint as was used on Bittern's boiler It will be fitted onto the frames of Thomas in good time for our Easter event Photo (13th December
2005): Tony Wood |
| 13th April 2005: Thomas's
new firebox was delivered this morning, together with the old one and
its serviceable foundation ring and firehole ring (all sent as a pattern to our contractors with the
drawings). |  |
| The inner
firebox is out and will go to Pridhams to check against engineering
drawings for replacement box Photo (6th December 2004): Ray Sully |  |
| 1st
December 2004: The 45-ton steam crane
was used to turn Thomas's | |
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 Movie of today's boiler lift (11MB) Two photos and a movie (all 1st December 2004): Tony Wood |
| 11th
November 2004: Spud was in the water-space of Thomas's boiler, cutting side stays with a gas axe. Movie (1.2MB) (sound is dominated by the compressor for the drill Keith was using on backhead stays) Two photos and a movie (all 11th November 2004): Tony Wood |
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| 2nd November 2004:
Spud is still drilling out stays Photo (2nd November 2004): Tony Wood |  |
| Up the yard in the Boiler Dept.,
Andy was in the firebox, cutting an access hole in the
firebox tubeplate. As you can see here, the inner firebox is steel, not copper. |  |
| All the foundation ring rivets have
been removed, and Spud had started on those around the
firehole Two photos (12th October 2004): Tony Wood |  |
| 30th
September 2004: All boiler tubes have been removed from TH0MAS's boiler and during the operation a hole was cut in the firebox tubeplate (which is to be replaced) to make it easier to remove the tubes. This hole will be enlarged to Spud's diameter [ d:-) ] so he can work from the waterspace to burn out the roof-stays. Photo (right) taken by poking camera lens through a tube-hole in the smokebox tubeplate, looking towards the firebox. Click pic for view from firehole looking towards smokebox. |  |
 | Foundation
ring rivets were being burned out. Next, roof-stays will be removed,
with Spud Murphy working wholly in the boiler's water-space. A new
firebox has been ordered from R K Pridham
Engineering in Tavistock, and we're getting the old inner
firebox and foundation ring out to send to them for comparison with the
J94 engineering drawings. Movie
of Spud (well, just
his knees, actually, but he's in there alright) burning
out the foundation ring rivets. Pity the little mic on
the camera couldn't pick up the strains of a Mozart Piano
Concerto (#21, IIRC) wafting from Andy's office Three photos (all 30th September 2004): Tony Wood |
| 22nd September 2004: TH0MAS's boiler was lifted today with the 45-ton steam crane, ashpan removed by Spud, boiler lowered onto trolleys, and loco and boiler were moved into the Boiler Dept shed.
Colin Chambers and Andy
Netherwood check slings
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| Movie of the boiler lift (9MB, 22nd September 2004): Tony Wood |
Six photos (all 22nd September 2004): Tony Wood |
| 17th
September 2004: With the Steam Gala happening all around them, the Boiler Dept were hard at work removing TH0MAS's water tanks. Photo (17th September 2004): Tony Wood
Ray Sully also took a pic just afterwards (17th September 2004) |
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| 25th
August 2004: John Sowerby and tw were stripping out the smokebox of TH0MAS today
Photo during our lunch-break, hence no people! (25th August 2004): Tony Wood |
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| 24th August 2004:
Work has begun to strip TH0MAS ready for replacement of his inner firebox. Arrangements have been made to hire a suitable replacement for our Easter 2005 event. |
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Copyright © 2004: Tony Wood
http://www.watercressline.co.uk/tw
