Tag: National Railway Museum

Welcome to the January update.

After the Christmas and New Year break our volunteers are back on site at Loughborough.

After discussions with the Boiler Inspector we now have a clear plan of action on the roof stays. Work has commenced to remove the nuts from the first 4 rows of roof stays. The stays will be measured, threads cleaned and new nuts fitted.

Further progress has been made, when weather permits, with external descaling work on the boiler. The work is now focused on the firebox and backhead.

As reported last month, we’re still waiting for a big shunt in the shed which will give us the opportunity to lift the tender. A start has been made of refitting the brake work to the front tender bogie.

The motion and crank pins are being polished and covered in fresh oil to protect the clean surfaces.

After some machinery movements in the Machine Shop, work has restarted on getting the valve liners prepared for refitting.

If you would like to get involved in the overhaul and join us on a working weekend, please contact us at comms@5305la.org.uk. We are  a stage where we can outsource some of the technical work. If you are able to offer us further financial support through donations please go to https://www.sirlamiel.org.uk/monthly-donations/ We also accept donations of railway related items and books to sell in our shed shop and sales stand.. If you would like to get involved without getting too dirty, our sales shop at Loughbough is open during events at the GCR. We’re always looking for people to man the shop and you get to see the loco’s going on and off shed! Please contact us at comms@5305la.org.uk

Thank you for your support for the overhaul of Sir Lamiel.

Alan Berck-May

Chairman

Welcome to the October update.

As I’ve previously reported, the valve liners have been cast and are now in the machine shop being machined to size. The piston valve heads have all been de-carbonised and examined for any cracks and damage all looks to be in good order and fit for further service.

The Boiler Inspector has asked for 2 rows of roof stays to be removed and replaced. This is not the easiest of tasks. It will require the removal of two large pieces of boiler plate to be removed to access the top of the firebox. Looking at the boiler, there is evidence of previous practice. It would appear that the whole top half of the boiler over the firebox was cut out and lifted off, judging by the large weld lines. That’s not something to take on lightly! A further discussion with the Boiler Inspector will take place before we start cutting anything out.

We’re waiting for a big shunt in the shed which will give us the opportunity to lift the tender. This will enable us to replace the front bogie and remove the rear bogie for overhaul.

If you would like to get involved in the overhaul and join us on a working weekend, please contact us at comms@5305la.org.uk. In addition to our shopping list above, we are also at a stage where we can outsource some of the technical work. If you are able to offer us further financial support through donations please go to https://www.sirlamiel.org.uk/monthly-donations/ We also accept donations of railway related items and books to sell in our shed shop and sales stand. Please contact us at comms@5305la.org.uk.

Thank you for your support for the overhaul of Sir Lamiel.

Alan Berck-May

Chairman

Welcome to the June update.

Once again, work has continued  on the frames. The bottom of the cab sides, running plate and running plate framework has been needle gunned and primed. The running plate top has received two coats of undercoat black. The inside of the rear splashers has been cleaned, primed and undercoated. Apart from a few final cleaning and painting jobs the frames are virtually finished presentation wise. The cab sides and splashers will remain in red primer until we do the final painting when Sir Lamiel is all back together.

The three cracked valve liners  have been removed and the bores cleaned out. An order will be placed for casting three new liners which will need to be machined before fitting.

A start has been made on cleaning up the motion in preparation for refitting. Interestingly, whilst cleaning the driver’s side connecting rod the number 787 appeared. King Arthur 30787 Sir Menadeuke was scrapped in 1959.

The work on the boiler is in the final stages. The new grate carriers have been trial fitted ready for some serious riveting to the bottom of the firebox and foundation ring. On the superheater header all the studs have been removed and are in the process of hole taping ready for new studs. The front tube plate studs for the header have been removed and the holes rethreaded. The studs for the clacks on the boiler sides are also being removed.

It really feels like we’ve turned a corner this year. The locomotive is coming together and even with a fair bit of red oxide, it looks good with new paintwork. As I’ve said before work can continue at a much quicker pace if we had more people working on the locomotive. We have had a couple of new volunteers recently but there’s always room for more. We are working most weekends  If you would like to get involved in the overhaul and join us on a working weekend, please contact us at comms@5305la.org.uk We are also at a stage where we can outsource some of the technical work. This obviously will impact our cost plans. If you are able to offer us further financial support through donations please go to https://www.sirlamiel.org.uk/monthly-donations/ We also accept donations of railway related items and books to sell in our shed shop and sales stand. Please contact us at comms@5305la.org.uk.

Thank you for your support for the overhaul of Sir Lamiel.

Alan Berck-May

Chairman

Once again I apologise for the lack of monthly reports recently. As you are aware we have been unable to make much progress due to the asbestos found behind the cylinders. The NRM quarantined the frames and tender pending remediation work to remove any trace of asbestos. At the end of February a scaffold tent was built around the engine and contractors have spent the past month cleaning the frames and surrounding areas. The tent is expected to be removed during the first week of April. We are standing by to quickly paint all the newly cleaned areas.

Things have not stopped completely though. We have continued work on the boiler. The replacement stays have been fitted. All the lap set screws have been replaced. The tube plate holes for the large flue tubes have had their threads taped. The replacement tubes are on hand ready to go back into the boiler. We then plan to complete hydraulic testing to make sure everything is ok. The grate carriers were found to be extremely worn. New grate carriers have been produced and trial fitted ready for reviting. 

Once we get back to work on the frames we plan to refit the slidebars and prepare the frames for lifting as we need to check the axle boxes and journals. 

It’s now a few years since we launched the Knights of the Round Table to help fund Sir Lamiel’s overhaul. Some of the Knights monthly donations are now coming to an end. We would really encourage Knights to maintain (or increase) their monthly donations to support Sir Lamiel’s overhaul. Every contribution make a real difference. Without your help the overhaul would not be possible. All donations can now be made with gift aid. https://www.sirlamiel.org.uk/monthly-donations/

Once again we apologies for the lack of regular reports over the past few months.

Thanks for your help and support. We are looking to have a members day at Loughborough in May. Look out for further details once we have developed our plans. 

Alan Berck-May

Chairman 

Welcome to the January update.

Firstly, I apologise for the lack of a report for December but as there had been no change to the situation regarding Sir Lamiel and the asbestos contamination I had nothing really to report. The more positive news is that there is now a tentative schedule for the remediation work to be completed next month. We hope that we can return to work on the engine in early April. This has set out work schedule back some six months. However, the remediation work will entail a thorough cleaning of areas on the frames and cylinders which will mean that they will be paint ready at the end of the process. This may mean that the schedule may not have slipped as much as we fear.

We have continued work on the boiler. The set screws in the firebox have been replaced and our boilersmith is cutting the threads in the tubeplates for the flue tubes. The small and large tubes have all been delivered. We will also be placing an order for the “bottle ends” for the flue tubes. These will all need a thread cutting to match the tubeplate, then welding on to the flue tubes. Any help with the purchase costs of the bottle ends would be much appreciated. The plan is to refit the tubes and then to do a hydraulic test on the boiler.

The front bogie of the tender has been reassembled. The tyres have been reprofiled and the axle journals polished. The axleboxes were examined, measured and machined before reassembly. We now await some time on the jacks to lift the tender body to replace the front bogie and remove the rear bogie. The tender will be covered by the remediation process, so once again we are unlikely to make any further progress before April.

The 5305LA committee and I are very frustrated that we have had to stop work but remain fully committed to getting Sir Lamiel back into traffic in time for her centenary in 2025. If you have any questions, please contact me via comms@5305la.org.uk

Thank you for your support for the overhaul of Sir Lamiel.

Alan Berck-May

Chairman

Welcome to the November update.

I was really hoping to announce that, following the discovery of asbestos between the frames and the rear of the cylinders, we are able to return to work on the locomotive. Unfortunately we are still awaiting clearance from the NRM.

After the asbestos survey, the NRM had concerns about how widespread the contamination might be as this would affect the scope and process for its removal. The NRM requested the GCR to undertake a further survey and sampling in the MPD. This took place in mid November. Further samples have been analysed and the good news is that it has been confirmed that the contamination is restricted to the cylinder block area. A meeting has been held with the NRM and GCR to confirm next steps. These are that the work of removal scoped out in the next week or so, with a tender document going out soon after. It is hoped that the removal work can be completed by the end of January.

I have requested that the NRM allow us to return to working on the boiler, tender and other p[arts in storage and I await a formal response to the request.

The 5305LA committee and I are very frustrated that we have had to stop work, but remain fully committed to getting Sir Lamiel back in to traffic in time for her centenary in 2025. If you have any questions please contact me via comms@5305la.org.uk

Thank you for your support for the overhaul of Sir Lamiel.

Alan Berck-May

Chairman

Welcome to the June update.

We have been hard at work on Sir Lamiel’s frames. The wheels have all now received a coat of undercoat black. The inside of the frames is now sporting red gloss where the firebox sits. The final cleaning up is progressing on the area behind the cylinder block in readiness for gloss paint. Some areas of the frame stretchers have required some additional work to remove patches of loose paint but the existing paintwork is in very good condition. The poorer areas are being cleaned up prior to repainting. The exhaust injector has been refitted. Further work on gaskets for the pipework for the exhaust injector has been undertaken. The motion brackets on the outside of the frames are being needle gunned prior to painting.

The set screw work in the firebox continues and the measurements are being taken for the new small and large tubes.

On the tender, the front tender bogie wheels are, unfortunately, still at Tyseley after issues with their wheel lathe. Work on the axleboxes is almost complete and a kit of parts for refitting the wheel sets is being prepared..

We have a few new knights to welcome to the news reports. Their support is really important. Many thanks.

Any donations towards the cost of the tubes and the overhaul of Sir Lamiel are greatly appreciated. Further details can be found at https://www.sirlamiel.org.uk/supporting-the-quest/

Work can continue at a much quicker pace if we had more people working on the locomotive. We are working most weekends and also most Thursdays and Fridays. If you would like to get involved in the overhaul and join us on a working weekend, please contact us at comms@5305la.org.uk

Thank you for your support for the overhaul of Sir Lamiel.

Alan Berck-May

Chairman

Welcome to the April update.

Work continues on the cleaning and preparing the inside of the frames for painting but the good news is that this phase of the overhaul is nearing completion. The inside frames have been thoroughly cleaned and painted in primer. Last week saw the area where the firebox sits cleaned down and a coat of undercoat has been applied. We’ve also started undercoating the spring hangers and horn guides. Various panels, the linkage for the cylinder drain cocks and the tender doors are also being cleaned and painted.

The changeover valve for the exhaust steam injector has been overhauled. This will enable us to trial fit the steam pipes the cylinder block to beneath the cab of the locomotive.

The pony truck wheels are also receiving a final clean down and a coat of black undercoat.

On the tender, the front tender bogie wheels are still at Tyseley after issues with their wheel lathe. We hope to have them back in Loughborough in the next few weeks. This should coincide with the completion of work on the axleboxes. Work has also started on the plating of the tender body and the first piece of new steel has been let in.

Work can continue at a much quicker pace if we had more people working on the locomotive. We are working most weekends and also most Thursdays and Fridays. If you would like to get involved in the overhaul and join us on a working weekend, please contact us at comms@5305la.org.uk

Thank you for your support for the overhaul of Sir Lamiel.

Alan Berck-May

Chairman

Welcome to the March update.

I apologise for the lack of reports. My only excuse is that I have been in the Alpes skiing. Sadly came back injured which has impacted on me getting to Loughborough.

Work continues on the cleaning and preparing the inside of the frames for painting. Why is this taking so long? You may well ask. If the inside of the frames were plain steel plate it would be very quick and easy. Unfortunately, the frames have stretchers to keep the frames square and to add strength to support the wheels and boiler. Add to this pipe runs for steam fittings, vacuum pipework, conduit for the TPWS (Train Protection Warning System) electrical systems  as well as Horn blocks for the axleboxes and the axles, it becomes quite difficult to get to places let alone start to clean the accumulated oil and muck. Hopefully you’ll get a bit of feel for this from the pictures. One thing you may notice in the pictures is a large round valve hanging down with some white writing. This is the oil separator for the exhaust steam injector I have mentioned in previous reports. This is the first item that has been fitted back to the frames.

As you can also see from the pictures, we now have the driving wheels in undercoat black following a significant amount of needle gunning. The pony truck wheels will receive similar treatment shortly.

Work continues on the tender bogie frames. The axle box work is continuing in the machine  shop. The front tender bogie wheels have been sent to Tyseley for tyre turning and journal polishing. We expect them back in early May. Once received back, the front bogie will be reassembled and returned to beneath the tender. The tender will then be lifted again to release the rear bogie. We expect that the rear bogie wheels and axles boxes will require the same treatment as the front bogie.

As part of the overhaul, the boiler will require ultrasonic testing. This is schedule for later in April and will include magnetic particle inspection on the outer throat plate.

Work can continue at a much quicker pace if we had more people working on the locomotive. We are working most weekends and also most Thursdays and Fridays. If you would like to get involved in the overhaul and join us on a working weekend, please contact us at comms@5305la.org.uk

Thank you for your support for the overhaul of Sir Lamiel.

Alan Berck-May

Chairman