BOILER IN ‘PATRIOT’s’ FRAMES THIS AUTUMN
A ‘complete’ LMS ‘Patriot’ 4-6-0 is expected to appear by the end of this year – with a trial fitting of the boiler to the frames of No. 5551 The Unknown Warrior. Assembly of the boiler “continues to make good progress” at Heritage Boiler Steam Services of Swanwick Junction, Derbyshire, with the copper inner firebox expected to be trial-fitted inside the steel outer wrapper by the end of June. In preparation for this, the holes were being drilled for the crown stays as this issue was going to press, with the side stays to follow. It is anticipated that the milestone of attaching the boiler barrel to the firebox will take place by October, and the LMS-Patriot Project is aiming to have the locomotive’s ‘rolling chassis’ completed by the end of August, for the boiler to be trial-fitted into the frames. For this, says Chairman David Bradshaw, the two will be united by either transporting the bottom half of the Fowler ‘5XP’ to the Midland Railway – Butterley, or bringing the boiler to the locomotive’s construction base of the Llangollen Railway. This is necessary, he explains, because the nature of the ‘Patriot’s’ construction – with the front tubeplate forming part of the smokebox construction and attached to a frame stretcher – makes it essential to ensure that the boiler is lined up precisely. On later LMS Stanier designs, this was replaced by a cylindrical smokebox resting on a saddle, which allows for slight adjustments. With the blastpipe and its cap delivered to Llangollen, and the lubrication pipework under the smokebox completed, the bottom of the smokebox can also be assembled. “We need to have a clear run at it when the boiler is finished in January 2019,” said Mr Bradshaw. Work on the locomotive in Wales has been hampered by a number of issues, including components that have been delivered late and others that have been rejected; two parts of the brake cylinder went missing in transit and have had to be replaced, while new castings had to be produced for the reversing gear owing to “unacceptable machining”. However, preparations are being made for the assembly of the valve gear, with the return cranks delivered and the inside radius rod nearing completion at Harco Engineering. Quotes have also been obtained for the construction of the tender tank, with an order expected to be placed “in the near future”, while the tender frames are being prepared for riveting. For more information on the project or to make a donation, contact the LMS-Patriot Company Ltd, The Hub, 17 Eastgate Street, Stafford ST16 2LZ or visit www.lms-patriot.org.uk