Recent News from Ropley MPD, in continuation of the Latest News page
Follow our restoring of heritage steam engines from Barry wrecks to high performance, mainline certified steam classics
| 11th January 2002:
Bittern's frames (in red oxide) have been moved into the shed, and #73096 (now fully wheeled, below right) is on the same road nearer the doors. Later #73096 was moved into the yard and replaced on the shed pit by #35005 for David to finish fitting CanPac's airbrake pipework and for Andy to deal with some stays. John Redgrave (below left) was grinding the heads off some Thomas stays for removal. (Thomas's right-hand water tank had been removed 9th Jan.) Andy had completed the roof stays job, and was cutting out eleven boiler tubes. Tw was annealing the replacements. |
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Photos (10th January 2002):
Tony Wood |
| Keith Hoddy was out the yard (8th Jan.) fitting the cladding on #73096's
boiler. It all has to come off again to install the ceramic fibre insulation,
but we'll know it fits and that everything is there with its position marked.
(Keith himself was well-lagged)
(Below) The cab (in undercoat) has been remounted on the frames, and axleboxes and then springs were being fitted to the final driving axle ready for the installation planned for today (9th Jan.) over the wheeldrop. Photos (8th January 2002): Tony Wood |
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 Dave Sibley (he was making up through copper pipework for air brakes on the Bulleids outside) with Frank Boait |
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| Despite below-freezing temperatures outside (2nd Jan), Keith Loughlin
was getting hot in the firebox of #35005 (Canadian Pacific) still warm from
the New Year's Eve Countryman and New
Year's Day service. To give him a break, tw went in to continue removing
grate fingers whilst he had a breath of (very) fresh air. After working
in the cold shed, tw found the warmth very welcome - for a while.
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Job done, out Keith popped, pipe still in place. We'd stacked the grate fingers on the footplate ready for sorting between reusable and scrap.
Photos (2nd January 2002): Tony Wood
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| 31st December 2001: Ropley Vale, still with traces
of snow. Temperature was just below freezing point this afternoon when this was taken. |
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| A start has been made on re-cladding the boiler for Standard 5 #73096 |  |
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Kyoichi Oda has come again from Japan to help out at Ropley. He and your webmaster climbed up onto the footplate of #35005 to warm ourselves and to watch David Sibley ... |
| ... tighten the regulator stuffing-box, which was leaking steam. |  |
| Shortly afterwards, David handed over the loco
to Andrew Naish and Rosie Jacob, driver and fireman for the New Year's Eve
'Countryman' dining service.
Photos 31st December 2001: Tony Wood
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'How a steam loco works - inside story' worth your patience (explained with photos and drawings)
| 11th December 2001:
Meanwhile, out in the cold (!) Wayne and Tom strip a coach bogie, and ... |
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| ... Frank Boait directs Colin Chambers in the
45-ton crane as work begins on
removing Bittern's remaining wheels
Bittern's frames will be sand-blasted under a temporary tent by subcontractors, releasing to other work those volunteers otherwise needle-gunning the frames for weeks |
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| 11th December 2001:
New Bulleid firebox grate 'fingers', still wet with dew Photos: Tony Wood |
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| The Watercress Line, The Railway
Station, Alresford, Hampshire, England, SO24 9JG Tel 01962 733810 Fax 01962 735448 information@watercressline.co.uk www.watercressline.co.uk/tw |
How to get to the Watercress
Line
