More metal… at long last!

AT LONG last we have received the second cab side panel to enable us to build up the cab. It has taken longer than expected, but things should move more quickly now. In our picture, the panel is lying on its side, inside face up. It is being trial fitted to the cab rail, and fortunately the corner radius of the panel, as bent by T H E Section Bending of Sheffield, is a good match for the radius of the rail, manufactured by GGS Engineering. The lower view shows the inside face of the bend. The marks on the bend show the stages of T H E’s bending operation. The panel will next get grit-blasted and painted with primer. A series of ‘rivet’ holes will be drilled round the perimeter of the panel, and those at the top drilled through into the rail. Why the inverted commas? Because the ‘rivets’ will be button head screws, looking just like rivets on the outside but allowing the cab top to be readily removed for transport to shows and for maintenance. Keyte-Smith will now be working on the cab assembly, and early in 2023 we will host a viewing for supporters who have contributed £50 or more towards the cab. Please join us – we would love to see you there and, yes, we do need your donation! Less tangible work has been progressing on the main frame assembly. Having identified the purpose of all the frame holes on the LNWR drawings, we have been able to produce a drawing for our strengthened main frame plates. Changes are required to avoid a few features that are not acceptable today and to allow larger horn gaps to accommodate roller axlebox bearings. Of course, to do this we have had to design the motion plate, frame stretcher, driving and trailing hornblocks and dragbox. The last of these needs detailed design; the rest are fully detailed. As you may imagine, it has been a substantial piece of work. Our next steps are to produce a justification for our design and submit it to Ricardo for review. In parallel, we will be going to tender for the main frame plate drilling and machining. As the plates are 24 feet long, we will need someone with a big machine… and sadly, this means money. On the subject of money, we are pleased to report that we have won some new contributors, and one supporter has made a very generous donation to our cause. Just the same, we will need more, and anything you can do to assist will be gratefully received. Another helpful step is that we are now members of the New Build Steam Group. Through our membership, we hope to play our part in sharing knowledge rather than each group reinventing the wheel. All our immediate efforts are focused on our planned display at Crewe Heritage Centre this coming summer. We hope to meet up with Gordon Heddon, chairman of the CHC, and the council’s heritage officer in the near future, and we will announce the plans in the new year. We stand ready to welcome volunteers into our ranks – engineers, quality managers, IT specialists (particularly for Sharepoint), fundraisers, volunteers to attend publicity events, and a painter who can paint our display when it is ready. As ever, we owe thanks to our friends and helpers: Ken Wood; Gordon Heddon, of Crewe Heritage Centre; Jamie Keyte, of KeyteSmith Ltd; and last but not least, you, our supporters and donors, without whom nothing could be accomplished. We at the trust wish you all a merry Christmas and look forward to an exciting new year. www.newprincegeorgesteam.org.uk