Saturday 6 September 2014 - Project Update

Well it's been some weeks since the last update, so this is well overdue.

Removal of the Smokebox Concrete - 2 August 2014
A section of the concrete in the smoke box was required to be removed so the section in which hidden could be inspected by the boiler inspector. The concrete is fitted to the floor of the smoke box so it is easier to clean the ash from the floor as the concrete covers the boiler to underframe mounting bolts and the lower section of the exhaust manifold. On an S class the concrete at its deepest section is approximately 6 inches thick, so to remove it a concrete saw was required to cut grooves into the concrete and then broken up with a jack hammer. This was hard, heavy and loud work which unfortunately restricted other activities on the locomotive for the day.


The Removed Concrete

Removal of the Grate - 9 August 2014
The fire grate was required to be removed so the area of the boiler in which it covered could be inspected. Nothing seems to be light work on a locomotive of this size and this was no exception. The dump grate was removed the following Saturday. Well done team.


The Removed Grate

 

Where The Grate Used to Sit - Inside The Firebox

Boiler Wash Out - 6 September 2014
The long a tedious job of trying to clean the scale from the bottom of the boiler barrel has commenced. The scale, mainly tannin fell from the small tubes when they were removed and found a new unwanted home at the bottom of the barrel. We originally came up with several ideas to remove the scale but opted to use a high pressure hose and wash it towards the firebox and down the throat plate cavity and remove it through the foundation ring washout plug holes. On an S class the cavity of the throat plate is long and angular and it was found the scale would form a dam and would bank up which would require constant blasting to free up. It is though approximately half of the scale has been removed and the remaining should be removed next weekend.

So the list now looks like this.

• Removal of the firebox door. Completed
• Finish removal of the welds on the firebox tube plate. Completed
• Removal of the safety valves, crown mounting and clack valves so the mountings can be inspected. Completed.
• Continue clearing the stay tell tale holes. Completed, well done Chad, Jaydan and Josh.
• Removal of a section of the concrete in the smoke box so the front tube plate can be inspected. Completed
• Removal of the grate so the foundation ring rivets can be inspected. Completed
• Boiler washout to remove the scale left in the barrel as a result of the removal of the small tubes. In Progress.
• Remove the scum cock so the boiler can be inspected.

Saturday 26 July 2014

Over the weekends of the 19th and 26th of July, further work was carried out on the outstanding tasks.

• Removal of the firebox door. Completed
• Finish removal of the welds on the firebox tube plate. Completed
• Removal of the safety valves, crown mounting and clack valves so the mountings can be inspected. Completed, well done Dom.
• Continue clearing the stay tell tale holes. In progress, Chad, Jaydan and Josh were last seen inside the firebox happily drilling.

It must be noted that Greg has been doing a great job cleaning down the exterior surfaces of the boiler, removing the remaining traces of the insulation and other debris left behind from the past twenty years. 

Next week should see the following tasks well under way if not completed.

• Removal of a section of the concrete in the smoke box so the front tube plate can be inspected.
• Removal of the grate so the foundation ring rivets can be inspected.
• Boiler washout to remove the scale left in the barrel as a result of the removal of the small tubes. 

I have been asked over the last couple of Saturdays as to what is the purpose of the stays, why are there holes in the stays and why do the holes only go only so far in, well I'll give it a go to explain;

The sole purpose of the boiler stay is to maintain the distance between the firebox (inner) shell and the exterior shell of the boiler and to support these sheets when the boiler is under pressure.


Arrow points to the stay, the inner firebox and outer wrapper are located to the left and right of the stay respectively

Arrow points to the stay, the inner firebox and outer wrapper are located to the left and right of the stay respectively

 The holes in which the stays are inserted into are threaded of which a long tap is used to ensure that the thread is the same pitch between the outer and inner sheets. The stay itself is threaded however the thread is removed and the material reduced in the area that would be in the water space (white area on the photo above). The holes in each end of the stay also go past the treaded section and just into the area that had been reduced by removing the thread as per the cross section view below.

Stay showing the threaded ends, the 3/16th hole in the end as well as the reduced centre section.

Stay showing the threaded ends as well as the reduced centre section.

Cross section view of the stay.

So why the hole.? The hole or tell tale hole as it is properly referred to has two purposes;
1) To give a weak point in the stay so if it was to break it would more likely break in the area where there is the least amount of resistance i.e. where there is the least amount of material through the section with the hole.
2) To advise the operator that it is broken by allowing water to leak out through the hole.
If the stay was of solid material there would be little evidence that it was broken.

Hopefully the above gives some explanation for the purposes of stays and the reason for the tell tale hole.

Saturday 12 July 2014

Well we finally got there, the removal of the cladding and insulation is completed. The WAGR cladded the boilers before the cab was fitted and this practice continued when S549 was restored all those years ago. However it caused a headache this time around as we really didn't want to remove the cab but the cab was hindering the removal of the cladding as it was pinching the sheets, so after much debate we decided to cut the sheets adjacent to the cab walls which then made the removal so much easier. As the sheets were the originals from the WAGR days, they were heavy corroded in sections so replacements were always on the plan anyway.



 

 

Dom had done a great effort the previous Saturday removing the remaining fittings from the back head of the boiler allowing access to remove the remaining cladding. As we were packing up, Dom arrived with spanners in hand to commence afternoon shift so we will have to wait until next week to see what he achieved. 

 

 

The other task that was started was the cleaning out of the tell tail holes in the stays, there is hundreds of them. Andrew, Jaydan and Josh did a stirling job completing approximately 60% of the holes located on the outside of the firebox by the end of the day. (What we haven't told them is that the same amount of holes are located on the inside of the firebox).

Josh clearing the stay tell-tail holes



There is still some work to be completed prior to the boiler inspector giving the boiler a visual inspection, the main items are;

• Removal of a section of the concrete in the smoke box so the front tube plate can be inspected.
• Finish removal of the welds on the firebox tube plate.
• Removal of the safety valves, crown mounting and clack valves so the mountings can be inspected.
• Removal of the grate so the foundation ring rivets can be inspected.
• Removal of the firebox door.
• Boiler washout to remove the scale left in the barrel as a result of the removal of the small tubes. 
• Continue clearing the stay tell tale holes.

With a little luck, the jobs will be completed over the next couple of work days, at least the list is getting smaller.

Saturday 28 June 2014

What makes a project successful comes down to the team and the way they interact to reach a common gaol, a good team can move mountains. The team on the S549 project is a very good one and it is currently moving a "mountain" class locomotive with some momentum.

The target for the days activities was to lift the sand box to allow for the last of the cladding sheets to be removed followed by the removal of the insulation.

To do this the ladder had to be removed, then the sandbox lifted by packing it up with timber blocks (Remember a crane is not available or accessible to do any heavy lifting where the S class is currently located) so the sheets could be slipped over the fastening studs.

The insulation could then be removed, a chicken wire cage held this against the boiler barrel so this had to be removed first, hopefully the insulation would come away with it, Wrong..!! It had to be plucked off the boiler in clumps.

The team grew again this week with welcomed guests Ned and Josh lending a hand.

Whilst this was going on, Dominic continued to remove the majority of valves and fittings from the backhead of the boiler. The amount of progress made in this area was not originally planned for at the start of the day so it was an extra bonus.

We're getting closer, Saturday by Saturday.

Saturday 21 June 2014

The 549 work team arrived at the museum just after 9.30 for what seemed to be a beautiful morning with blue skies and the temperature not being too cold or windy.

Today's goal was to remove as much as possible of the boiler barrel cladding and maybe some of the fibreglass insulation that lies beneath it.

The Before Shot, Note: Sunlight on the Pavement.

To remove the cladding the following tasks were identified as needed to be done prior to removal, they were then allocated to a team member or members;

1. Remove the cylinder lubrication lines.
2. Remove the pipework to the clack valves. 
3. Remove the handrails and brake exhaust pipes on the drivers side. 
4. Remove the regulator connection rodding/brackets. 
5. Remove the screws that hold each half of the cladding together located under the barrel. Once these are undone the same can be removed from the top seam.

Although the team participated in all the tasks, Greg and Kirk took control on items 1-4, whilst Jaydan and Andrew were given task 5.

Jaydan and Andrew couldn't believe they would have to once again be in the bowels of the S class (yes, its a sh:t of job being in there), I bet they dream of having a pit one day.

Andrew - We all know its a forced smile..!!!

Andrew was first under there removing the screws manually but several just wouldn't budge, if only the original restorers had thought of a better way of securing the sheets together..!!!! I wonder where they are now..?

The guys then decided to use a bit of force and remove the remaining heads of the screws with a grinder, thus releasing the sheets. This time it was Jaydans turn to get in there.

Jaydan laying down on the job again.....

During the period in which Jaydan (was happily.?) grinding the heads off the screws, the sky went black and the heaven's opened up on Bassendean; although the S is under cover, the downpipes around the work area progressed on transferring the water from the roof to the ground around the S. By the time Jaydan had completed his tasks, the track bed resembled a lake, so how to get out..? Lets just say Jaydan is no Kieran Perkins...

Whilst all this was going on Kirk and Greg completed their tasks in methodical style and the removal of the cladding commenced.

With all hands on deck including a welcome visitor Paul Collins, the barrel sheets were removed, revealing the insulation that will have to wait for another week to be put into black garbage bags. We're getting there slowly...



 

The after shots - Note how dark it is at 3.30 in the afternoon
 and the remnants of Lake Greenmount.

Whilst we were packing up for the day, afternoon shift commenced (Dom) and he proceeded with the removal of the fittings on the back head of the boiler (basically all the equipment fitted to the boiler that is seen in the cab, gauge glasses etc.).

Next week; The plan is to lift the sand box to enable the remaining barrel sheets to be removed and remove the insulation. Any help welcomed..?

Saturday 14 June 2014

Another early start was made of which was the coldest morning so far for 2014. The main priorities of the day were to remove the remaining five tubes, remove a sample of the axle box lubrication pads and to continue removing the cladding/insulation.

Whilst all the equipment was being gathered for the days proceedings, the remainder of the team arrived and tasks were allocated.

There were five tubes remaining, two in the bottom row, two in the next row up and one in the top left hand corner that had been previously plugged due to leaking. The plugs and securing rod were removed from the upper tube and the beading at the firebox end removed, the beading on the other four had previously been removed or most of it at least so a light dressing was carried out to remove any remaining dags and burrs. They were then warmed internally at both ends with the oxy to enable them to shrink and then punched out. The hardest part was to remove the lower four past the blast pipe, one was stubborn and had to be cut in segments to get it out. What didn't make it any easier was the scale from the removed tubes sitting at the bottom limiting movement, this won't be a problem putting the new ones in as all this will be cleaned out prior.

So all the fire tubes have now been removed, the flues are still in situ and will be evaluated in the next couple of weeks. They actually look in good condition.

The Smoke Box Showing The Small Tubes Removed

Inside of the Boiler
The Scale Fell From The Small Tubes During Removal
It is Mainly Tannin Which is Used as a Corrosion Preventative.
 

One of the tasks set for the day was to remove a sample of the axle box lubrication pads to enable them to be used as templates for the manufacture of replacements. This task was given to the two youngest of the team, Jaydan and Andrew due to them being a lot more agile than the oldies. It required crawling under the loco and getting in positions that are awkward to say the least and getting covered in the smelliest blackest oil one can imagine. They both did a Stirling job and carried out the task with minimal fuss. These will now be cleaned up and to record the measurements etc. on a drawing to enable sub-contracting out.

Driving Wheel (Left) and Pony Truck Axle Box Lubricating Pads

The other task was to continue in the removal of the cladding and the insulation that lies below it. The sheeting on the firebox was removed and the sticky fibreglass plucked and stored in garbage bags for later disposal. Of the areas that were removed revealed a boiler in very good condition, the rust preventative paint had done its job well over the past 20 years. The remainder will be removed over the next coming weeks to enable a full boiler examination.

The Cladding & Insulation Removed on The Firebox.

Saturday 7 June 2014

The main objective today was to remove the remainder of the fire tubes. The removal of fittings was also to continue to allow the cladding and insulation to be removed.

Whilst all the tools and equipment were being assembled for the days work ahead, the newest member of the team arrived to give a helping hand. With the aid of Andrew and Jaydan, Greg went straight onto the task of removing the boiler bands and miscellaneous parts so the cladding could be removed.

The remaining fire tubes required the beading to be removed of which was undertaken with the grinder and a very careful hand to ensure the tube plate was not touched in any way. It was a dusty dirty job with every piece of PPE worn to limit the risk of being hit with grinding sparks. They were then warmed internally at both ends with the oxy to enable them to shrink and then punched out. By the end of the day only five remained, one that had been previously plugged and four stubborn others. One vast improvement was the use of recently purchased LED flood lights, it was a vast improvement within the firebox.