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| Summary | Latest news | Working Party reports | Working Party dates | CAD Drawings | Archived news and reports |
The April 2024 Working Party
For this working party it in effect started on the Friday before with a shunt in the afternoon to get the tender into the loco shed ready for the weekend.
Following on from this, one of the main tasks on the Saturday was then to put the tender and loco in the correct order once work on the tender that required the use of the pit was completed. This is hopefully how it will now stay until the loco is finished. To do this shunt the first job was to move the loco and tender (connected in reverse order) out of No2 road in the shed and pop the loco into No1 road outside. The tender was then put back inside at the rear of the shed. The loco was then collected and and put back in the shed in front of the tender - all now in the correct order.
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134 outside the shed whist the tender is shunted in to the back of the shed (left),
and
the tender being shunted into the shed (right).
A few working parties ago we'd taken the water connection pipework off the the tender so as it could be painted. With job now complete it was duly put back, although on one side someone had now fitted the handbrake mechanism and this clashes with one pipe so a small spacer will be needed to complete the job.
More small bore pipework was added, the run from the front of the loco for the steam chest pressure gauge in the cab was progressed to a fitting in the cab floor, and the two water gauge glass drain were fitted.
As the cab layout has altered a bit with the new cab design the reach rod for the reverser was modified so as it fitted the changed reverser position.
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The reverser showing the modified reach rod coming out of the cab (left),
and
drains have been added to the cab's gauge glasses (right).
On the tender various bits of the ancillary pipework for the vacuum brake was progressed, although we're still missing a fitting to finish it off.
The ashpan door also received attention. This is a sliding door at the front of the ashpan through which all the ash is pushed from the rear of the ashpan. It was based on the original design however, we found that some small modifications were need involving some welding of the stainless steel components.
The motion is progressing well toward completion. This weekend the the lubrication pipework to the cylinders was checked then the front covers attached. Some checking and finalising of the mid-gear position took place with the now modified reach rod. The lubrication activation arms from the motion had previously been finished and so we're now just short on one set of lubrication feeds to the main piston rod gland then the whole system can be primed and tested.
It's all getting so much closer.
The March 2024 Working Party
Once again the working party was held over a full weekend with some work continuing with one of the team into the following week.
With (hopefully) all the work now complete on the tender's frames and brake gear we started fastening the tank down for the final time. Also on the tender we re-fitted the handbrake handle after it had been removed for some further work.
There was plenty of activity on the loco as well as we continued trial fitting the various controls to the cab. Specifically this time we were positioning the vacuum ejector and brake control. Due to the new cab design and layout we were particularly checking for usability and that it didn't clash with other fittings. For the steam-chest pressure gauge the pipe run for this was started from the front of the loco and this included making yet more pipework fastening brackets. We've made a few of those over the years!
The full time staff had made us a set of steam operated drain cocks as are used on the NGG16 Garratts. These were duly fitted in the week following the working party.
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A set of drain cocks ready
to be fitted (left),
and
the drain cocks fitted to one cylinders - Photo: Andrew
Cole (right).
Work continued on the motion supplementing that being carried out by the full time staff. This time we were setting the correct mid gear on each side so as a new customised key could be made to fasten the reversing arm on one side onto the reverser shaft. Due to various issues, some possibly associated with valve heads and liner position in the casting both sides had a slightly different mid-gear setting 5using the reverser as it was. This needed correcting.
On the 'bits n'bobs' job front, as the first brick arch has been fitted we cleaned out and re-assembled the moulds ready to cast a second set of bricks for a spare arch. This second arch was duly cast the following week. As always at this stage of a project there's always plenty of painting to be done. This included painting some of the injector pipework and the cab roof.
The steam pipes to the smokebox have now been fully fitted and the covers attached. One job we'd been asked to do for the ease of future maintenance was to split the running plate on each side, just behind the lubricator so as these didn't have to be removed when access was needed to the area around the reverser and expansion link.
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The cover now fitted to
the steam pipes - Photo: Andrew Cole (left),
and
the new blast pipe casting (right).
The front 'cow-catcher' was repaired in the traditional way of using old boiler tubes, in this case these were 'donated' from the Quarry Hunslet Britomart. The man-hole cover was fitted to the cladding during the week.
One last item worth mentioning is the blast pipe casting that has been received ready machined from the foundry. A second casting will be delivered however this won't be machined at this stage.
The February 2024 Working Party
February's working party consisted of the usual weekend plus a few of the team staying for a number of days into the following week. Once again this resulted in really good progress being made.
On the tender we fitted the lamp after it had been fitted with an LED module and battery, much the same as with the loco's headlamp. The tender bogies also had the mounts fitted to take the flange lubricators. The lubrication is done the same was as is standard on the carriage fleet using a wax stick. This is held in a holder so as it lightly presses onto wheel flange. Whilst the mount for the holder was fitted the holder itself will be left nearer to the completion.
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One of the tender's flange
lubrication holders shown in place (left),
and
a view of the boiler's back head (right).
We've designed and fitted an insert int the coal space to raise it slightly to a better shoveling height and also to allow for a drain to ensure rainwater can easily escape.
Talking of lubrication, more of the loco's small bore lubrication pipework was fitted. There just a couple of pipes left to attach that are awaiting the fitting of the main cylinder glands. With the pipework fitted to the cylinder lubrication we were able to fit the cylinder covers.
On the subject of pipework, the vacuum pipe has now worked itself back the cab area ready for the mounting of the ejector.
Work around the cab area continues and the photo above shows the state of play of the boiler back head.
We're now in receipt of the stainless handrail tubes so these were trial fitted - and look very smart indeed.
At the end of the weekend we were treated to the view of Blanche being used to take the tender back to the carriage shed after we'd finished working on it. Blanche had been on 'drive an engine' duties at Caernarfon Station for the school's half term weekend.
The January 2024 Working Party
The first main working party for 2024 produced another outstanding weekend of progress.
Plenty of activity on various fronts over the weekend, but starting with the tender, the handbrake hand wheel has been fitted and operated successfully whilst the tender sides were rubbed down - yet again - and subsequently given another coat of paint. The two new locker cabinets for the new tender design have been fitted - more details about these and the new design can be found in the latest issue of the Ffestiniog and Welsh Highland Railways' Moving Pictures video updated (No.87). Link from the home page with the NG15 №134 being featured from the 11minutes in mark.
On the loco, pipework featured again, both the small bore for the lubricators and the larger bore for the injectors. This featured fabricating the stainless pipes for the water input to the injector and the bending of the large bore copper pipes to the boiler's input clacks. The rocking grate and the ashpan door mechanisms where both progressed.
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The fireman's side water
feed pipe to the injector (left),
and
copper pipe for the injector feed to the boiler being bent to shape
(right -
Photo: Adrian Strachan) .
The most obvious signs of progress however, was the addition of the boiler bands, but this didn't last long as these were quickly put out of sight by some protective sheeting being attached over them to prevent damage during the final assembly stages of the loco.
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134 with the boiler bands fitted. (Photo: Adrian Strachan) .
Early January 2024 Update
A new year and more new progress to report following a full week with a number of us working on 134. Just a few of the team were there all week and being joined for anything from a day to several days by other members. This week has set progress off to a good start for the year, and with the main working party still to come this next weekend January's progress should be outstanding.
Plenty was achieved both visible and none visible, but let's start with the significant step of casting the brick arch. During the second half of last year we we'd be making the moulds for the individual bricks, these being welded out of stainless steel. Middle of the week saw the concrete mixer brought out and the fire cement mixed and the moulds filled. After a few days to set they were taken out and will now be put in the dryer to fully cure and ensure there's no residual moisture left that could boil off and crack the bricks when the first fire is lit.
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The loco's firebox arch
bricks being cast (left),
and
the bricks after being removed from their moulds (right -
Photo: Andrew Cole) .
The first few days of the week however, required a 'mega shunt' to get the tender and loco where we wanted them, the tender being previously stored & worked on in the Goods Shed, but was needed next to the pit to enable the brake rigging to be progressed. With this, the whole handbrake assembly was trial fitted and its action checked. A few issues were encountered but hopefully it's not far off to being completed.
In the Goods Shed, that has now become our 'paint shop', we'd been continuing the painting of the cladding, especially that round the firebox. The rest of the painting has been taking place at Boston Lodge or at Minffordd. On the painting front, the tender also received attention having some filler applied then a(nother) coat of paint.
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Painting (again) - this
time the cladding for the firebox. (left),
and
the tender side after having minor pitting filled and another coat of
paint (right - Photo: Adrian Strachan).
Pipework was another area progressed with the injector pipework started and more of the lubrication pipework bent and fitted. On the latter, all that for the bearing oil lubricator on the Fireman's side running plate has been finished as is most of that needed for the steam oil to the cylinders and slide bar. On the drivers side, the pipework from the steam oil lubricator was started and a pair of splitters mounted.
On the tender again two holes were drilled in the front drag box ready for the eyelets for safety chains to be mounted.
Finally,
before everyone went home the cab front and the main boiler cladding
was fitted...........
The earlier working party reports going back to 2008 can be found in the Archive