Recent
News from Ropley Motive Power
Depot: showing work-in-progress of
interest to the steam railway
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Follow our restoring of heritage steam engines
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| 16th February 2005: Inside the cab of the Jinty, now in Ropley yard Not sure what the red bar held on by wire across the reverser handles is for, but it would lock it in position. Maybe it's a reminder that the loco has no eccentric straps! (See below - 8th Feb). See letter We were tinning and metalling the first of those straps in the afternoon, so were too busy to take photos of the process; but we were being filmed for a Mid Hants video about Ropley MPD |
 |
| In the Boiler Dept., Bodmin was having
30 smoketubes replaced by Keith and Spud. This routine job should be
completed in about a week. Behind Bodmin is Canadian Pacific. Andy was sitting inside the dome working on the regulator valve, preparing the loco for its boiler inspection. Looks as though there's still too much to do to have CP ready for the Spring Gala
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| Both middle driver axleboxes of Bittern
have been re-metalled | |
| Work
proceeds on MHR's Black Five:
These are new stretchers ... |
 |
 | ... for the tender frames Photos (all 16th February 2005): Tony Wood |
 | 14th February
2005: Bert's Black Five has been moved to the loco yard. See also Photo (13th February 2005): Matt Allen |
| Diesel gang were changing cylinder liners on the
Class 27 Photo (13th February 2005): Matt Allen |
 |
| Ropley MPD yard and Boiler Dept in
evening sunlight Photo (12th February 2005): Steve Leek
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NewsExpress
for latest news from all the UK heritage railways
Ropley Shed Carriage
Restorations and
Maintenance
| 8th February 2005:
Douglas #10 has been having a routine piston and valve exam The piston rods were found to vary in diameter - probable cause of the rapid gland wear - and have been machined true. New piston rings and gland neck-rings have been made
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 | The eccentric straps for visiting Jinty #47493 arrived at Ropley ahead of the loco. They will be re-metalled, and this afternoon all four went into hot caustic soda solution to degrease |
| The caustic soda bath on the left of the picture was
specially made to degrease Bittern's axleboxes,
here heating to be tinned Click pic for Ray Sully's photo (also 8th Feb 05) of the tinning in progress |
 |
 | After
tinning, Neil cooled them The chill will be reassembled (see 28th January 2005 report) and the white-metalling starts tomorrow Photos (8th February 2005): Tony Wood |
| The Boiler Dept took afternoon tea with, I thought, self-satisfied smiles: they have fitted the new Monel stays on #35005. Long job now for Andy though, welding all those smoketube ends |
| 4th
February 2005: Bert Hitchen's Black Five #45231 arrived yesterday (3rd Feb) Photo (Ropley, 4th February 2005): Ray Sully |
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Archive of previous Loco Shed News
pages of this website
Restoration of former SR Bulleid 'West Country Class' #34016 Bodmin (index to pages) MHR loco and carriage stock details More information about MHR locos' history "I'd love to help but I haven't any spare time ..... Anyway I live too far away" Links to other recommended websites MHR Ropley Shed website in Japanese is on-line here ( see also )
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Webmaster: tonywood@watercressline.co.uk
Copyright © 1997 - 2005: Tony Wood
http://www.watercressline.co.uk/tw
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