What’s happening to…
Our monthly round-up of restoration projects around the country,
Now its ownership has been resolved, a start has been made on overhauling the Class 03 shunter at the Llangollen Railway. The cab steps, air tanks and side rods have all been removed as a start towards being able to lift the locomotive and drop the wheelsets for final drive repairs and tyre turning. It is now under cover in Llangollen MPD. This is a long-term project, so it may take a while to complete as there’s plenty to do on the bodywork.
03179 – Rushden:
In early March, the compressor – which was removed in 2016 – was refitted and is now back in place. With new oil on order, the team restoring the locomotive can look at getting the new upright air tanks painted and fitted into place. A set of rods is also being prepared ready for fitting, with just one more coat of gloss required beforehand.
D2302 – Moreton-on-lugg:
February saw much activity by the group’s members on three major projects. D2302’s exhauster, along with the Conflat L and 03145 were all given a wash and brush up, with particular attention paid to the Class 03’s radiator elements. Work continued apace on the Class 04, with all the electrical conduit refitted inside the bonnet front below the radiator, the original equipment having just about rusted away.
With this task completed, all the bonnet front panels could be bolted into place and cleaning, filling where necessary and painting has commenced.
Work on the cleaning and painting of various areas of the chassis and running plate have also continued, as well as some preliminary work on the engine.
By the end of March, the first coat of yellow had been applied to D2302’s bonnet front.
The Gwili Railway has agreed the loan of D4118 (08888) from the Diesel Electric Shunters Company be extended for a further year until May 2024. The locomotive has a running date planned for September 30.
D4107 – Williton:
The maintenance work on the Class 09 shunter D4107 (09019) has included repairs to electrical and mechanical items that have been on site at Williton, but a leaking oil cooler element will have to be sent to an outside contractor for repair. This element has been isolated to confirm that it is the source of an
oil leak and must now be removed and sent to Applied Radiators in Stoke-on-trent.
12088 – Alnwick:
The restoration of the Class 11 has seen many positive steps in the last six months. After successfully designing and installing a vacuum brake system, attention turned to the electrical control systems and general aesthetics. After several recent failures to start, especially in cold temperatures, it was decided that the next job was to sort out the electrical system. The first task was to replace the original braided copper battery links with a solid copper earth strap. The strapping was cut to size and drilled to connect each of the 2.2v cells to give 90-96v, which ensured excellent cell connectivity and starting reliability. In 1951, these locomotives were fitted with carbon pile automatic voltage regulators. Over the years the carbon pile rods degrade and start to fail, which results in battery charging issues and under or over charging. In 12088’s case, the batteries were not charging.
As replacing or repairing the carbon pile unit was not an option, the owning group looked at a solid state regulator and found a company to supply them. After several weeks, the unit was delivered and installed. Using the adjustment via the integral potentiometer, the regulator was commissioned.
The exhaust elbow in the engine room had been leaking, so the expansion elbow was stripped, cleaned and reassembled with new packing.
All body panels and doors were removed, ready for the painting team to restore them to their former glory. Originally, ladders were fitted to both sides of the locomotive, but 12088 only had a ladder on one side and this wasn’t original, so the decision was taken to fabricate new ladders to the authentic design.
The radiator vane doors have been removed for the paint team to work on them, and this also provided the opportunity to repair the vane operating mechanism. The restoration continues with an outstanding team effort to return 12088 to its former glory.
D9518 – Williton:
The cardan shafts for the Class 14 are almost ready for refitting, with just the final coat of paint required before they are hoisted into position. The splined joints have been checked and re-greased, and the universal joints have passed inspection and been filled with fresh grease, so these heavy and expensive parts are still fit for use after all these years.
D9525 – Wirksworth:
The power unit was transported back from Crewe in late March after work at the Locomotive Services Group’s depot. Now back at Wirksworth, work will continue to build the power unit up, before lifting it back into D9525 in early May.
D9551 – Bridgnorth:
In mid-march, the exhaust stack, which is very ‘tired’, was delivered to Shrewsbury Stainless for a quote to be arranged for its repair. The starter motor contact box has also been sent away to ICS online for overhaul.
The fan control box has been removed, along with unbolting the other exhauster for removal. The task of cleaning and polishing the rods has also started. Another job now underway is the deep-clean of the turbo, and while it is out, it will allow for an examination of the new shroud ring. The defective door has been repaired and painted, and a start to apply the first bit of green paint has been made, as D9551 will return to its original two-tone green paint scheme. It will sport its own number on one side and a choice of various other Class 14 numbers on the other. After a heroic fight with the turbo mounting bracket, it was removed from the engine. Attention then turned to the removal of the fuel header tank. Various bodywork areas have been needle-gunned.
The turbocharger’s joint faces have been cleaned and the exhaust ducts removed and the bolthole threads were then checked. The shotblast booth was put to good use, cleaning various exhaust ducts.
Removal of the relays has continued with refurbishment and replacement planned as required. Some more coolant pipework and vacuum pipe work was also removed and the second exhauster was then lifted out. Access to the underside of the locomotive was required to remove some bolts to remove the exhauster cradle in front of the transmission heat exchanger.
D8057 – Cheddleton:
Work is to recommence soon on the Class 20, and while nothing visible has appeared for many months, work has continued in the background.
Work will start on the removal of the crankshaft, which will be sent away for polishing.
The removal and refitting elements are being undertaken by contractors with specialist tooling and, more importantly, the time required to do the work. It was clear quite early on that the locomotive would need lifting off its bogies, not only to fix the cab but to also undertake the bogie overhaul. With that came an issue – there were no lifting jacks for locomotives. A set of jacks were acquired, but they needed to be fully refurbished before use. Part of the deal was the need to refurbish another set. The first set was completed and tested back in December 2022, with the second set now well on the way. With jacks ready, lifting brackets for a Class 20 were needed, and they were collected between Christmas and the new year. The final bit of work required is that the concrete in the shed needs to be tested; assuming all of this is in order, D8057 will be heading upwards very soon.
Other work continues with the generators being overhauled offsite, the cubicle is being overhauled component by component, most of the heads have been overhauled, the liners have been honed, and fuel pump and injectors have been overhauled. Both turbos and a spare have been overhauled, waiting for the day they can be put back on to the power unit.
There is still a lot of work left to be anywhere even close to starting up the locomotive, but all of these little steps are bringing the former 20057 closer to a return to use.
D5310 – Llangollen:
The Class 26 has been withdrawn from traffic
with cylinder head coolant leaks after working hard for the last couple of years.
Work has already started on stripping the power unit for replacement of soft iron rings, head and liner seals. The aim is for this to be complete by the summer, but it will depend on resources, and offers of financial assistance and especially manpower are welcomed. If anyone fancies a working holiday in Llangollen to help blitz getting the liners out, resealed and refitted, you will be made very welcome!
31463 – Ruddington:
Work continues apace on the Type 2. On the power unit, most of the fuel pumps have been fitted; the remainder will be fitted when the engine is next barred over, as some of the fuel cams are in the ‘up’ position.
The connecting rods have been having a deep clean and the little end bearings pushed out.
The modified roof gutter welding has been completed and all of the roof gutters have been put on for a trial fit.
The doors for the radiator compartment have had their paint stripped and the locks have been worked on to make them work a bit more freely. Stripping of the walls in the radiator compartment has also begun.
40118 – Shackerstone:
As the owners move towards the start of 40118’s power unit, they have commenced the first of the dynamic testing and running the oil system. They have checked and charged the batteries and then set to running the oil pump. This was quite involved as it was necessary to ensure all the relevant contacts in the cubicle were doing what they were supposed to. As a side benefit, it was possible to check and prove the driver’s desk warning lights and the cubicle warning lights, as well as the air/vacuum selector switch gear.
Then the group ran the oil pump. After a complete power unit strip, they wanted to ensure that oil was flowing and getting where it should. The result was the oil pump started as soon as the locomotive was in ‘engine only’ and pumped to 15psi and then held at that pressure.
45133 – Swanwick:
Work on the locomotive on March 29 saw various tasks completed, including finishing the exhaust system, cleaning the two extra fuel tanks and cleaning out the water header tank of debris and rust.
47292 – Cheddleton:
When 47292 arrived in Staffordshire last year, it was clear that it would need some repairs to be undertaken before it could be used.
It had some issues with its coolant system, which were patched up sufficiently to enable it to be run up. However, there was only one way to fully fix the problem – and that is to remove the auxiliary room roof to enable the entire cooler group to be removed.
While this has stopped the locomotive from being used, the cubicle has received a component-by-component repair, with each contactor being removed, tested and cleaned on the bench. Having an extensive collection of Class 47 spares has come in useful.
Substantial refurbishment has been undertaken in the cabs also and while not yet complete, they should be done in time for its launch into traffic, hopefully in time for the diesel slots in the June timetable.
1566 – Llangollen:
The Class 47 should hopefully be in use later in the spring, subject to a post-winter exam. Tyre wear is starting to be a cause of concern, so the locomotive will be operated on restricted mileage for the foreseeable future while the owners assess whether it will be possible to get a partial turn out of the tyres.
D402 – Buckfastleigh:
In late March, all the fuel control gear assembly was cleaned and fitted. A and B banks are made up of two long lengths of bar with shoes for the fuel pumps to sit in. They connect at the generator end with a rod and pins.
These lengths were split to make four pieces and were cleaned in white spirt and then dried. One small section was dunked in the de-rusting tank and then rubbed down with strips of wet and dry sand paper. Once it was clear it wasn’t going to get any cleaner, the halves were put back together and fitted to the engine.
The overspeed trip was set up mechanically and tested. It worked, and limited to movement of the fuel control gear.
50019 – Dereham:
The pre-heater is now on Ramillies, with installation plans now taking place. The auxiliary generator has been found to have a fault, so the brush ring has been removed for cleaning and further attention.
D1010 – Williton:
Progress on the overhaul of Western Campaigner has continued on multiple fronts, with refitting of the wood trim around the side windows at A end. At the opposite end of the locomotive, volunteers have worked under the floor at B end, removing the life-expired conduits and cabling, preparing for new wiring where necessary.
The team is also busy assessing the radiator elements, while the transmission overhaul team made further progress with the fully separated component parts of the B transmission.
55008 – Barrow Hill:
After completing pipework jobs last week inside the cab of The Green Howards, short sections of pipework were made to run from the nose end to the horns. Both pieces were made up and fitted with just painting to do.
Inside on the display engine section, the Perspex cover was removed and the grey areas were repainted to touch up those areas that had previously worn away, chipped off, or that had faded.
D9015 – Barrow Hill:
After a short break, work returned to preparing the bodysides of Tulyar for painting, with attention being paid to particular areas that needed a bit more work. Most of the preparation is now complete and awaiting for the locomotive to be wheeled and the engines lowered in before painting can be done.
After a delivery of new lagging for the silencers and collector drums, a start was made on fitting the pieces to one of the silencers. The metal bands that wrap around the silencer with the mounting brackets on needed some attention to straighten out, repair and replace fastenings, both of which were sorted and fitted to the silencer.