Battle of Britain class 92 Squadron - 34081

[Boatbuoy]

longshot said:

Roget said:

"Is the boiler rusty simply because it wasn't painted or has it been weathered?"

Its been in the open for three years - hence the rust. We're making plans to shot blast it in the near future and then apply the paint.

Roger

It sounds like it's been weathered.
The best way to de-stress worked steel is to stick it outside for a few years and let mother nature take over.
It's seldom done now as you have a lot of money tied up in rusty lumps but you end up with terrific steel.

I'm sure I've heard a story about how BMW's race teams used to do this with engine blocks.

[williredale]

Excellent stuff. I've just watched the three videos you've linked.

[Roget]

Some significant progress has been made in the last couple of weeks - firstly the refitting of the boiler after its overhaul and paint job -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YKgyPYz5XQg

Some anxious moments to see if the pegs on the foundation ring match the holes in the ashpan!

Roger

[Roget]

And then the lifting of the tender to refit its wheels. Due to a failure of the steam crane boiler, that had to be rebuilt before either the 92 Squadron boiler could be refitted or the tender lifted.

Now that the tender is back on its wheels it has been moved into a repair workshop so that the painting can be finished over the next few months.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=01QEpYBVJp4

Roger

[WinstonWolf]

Roget said:

And then the lifting of the tender to refit its wheels. Due to a failure of the steam crane boiler, that had to be rebuilt before either the 92 Squadron boiler could be refitted or the tender lifted.

Now that the tender is back on its wheels it has been moved into a repair workshop so that the painting can be finished over the next few months.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=01QEpYBVJp4

Roger

"Never put your fingers where you wouldn't put your cock."

[RoverP6B]

Rode behind 92 on her various visits to the Bluebell Railway - she always sounded 'off' in terms of valve timing and travel. Whereas all the other Spam Cans I've ridden behind give that offbeat 1-2-3 (with unequal crank spacing IIRC), 92 was more like one-whoosh-three...

[Yertis]

RoverP6B said:

Rode behind 92 on her various visits to the Bluebell Railway - she always sounded 'off' in terms of valve timing and travel. Whereas all the other Spam Cans I've ridden behind give that offbeat 1-2-3 (with unequal crank spacing IIRC), 92 was more like one-whoosh-three...

Bullieds are always disappointingly quiet aren't they.

[RoverP6B]

It's not about quiet or otherwise. It's that, whereas the other Spam Cans I've ridden behind (including 21c123 'Blackmoor Vale', with which '92 Squadron' has double-headed extensively) have sounded the same on each exhaust beat, '92' sounded a bit 'off' on the middle cylinder...

[Yertis]

I haven't studied individual locomotives that closely. It's just noticeable that when they're working hard up the gradient nearby they don't make much noise. Whereas a Black Five sounds like someone whacking a baking tray.

[hidetheelephants]

Yertis said:

I haven't studied individual locomotives that closely. It's just noticeable that when they're working hard up the gradient nearby they don't make much noise. Whereas a Black Five sounds like someone whacking a baking tray.

The noise could be affected by multiple things; valve cut-off/timing, shape/arrangement of the blast pipe and chimney and of course mechanical wear and tear. Then there's more esoteric things like is the exhaust steam striking a flat surface or a sharp edge.

[RoverP6B]

Black Fives have two whacking great cylinders and a simple single-piece blastpipe. Bulleids have three quite small cylinders and a Lemaître five-jet blastpipe...

[Roget]

I understand that the noise referred to as possibly the timing being out (Bluebell Railway) was in fact the failure of the packing of a clack valve.

[RoverP6B]

That might well explain it!

[Roget]

After many days with my trusty Purdy paintbrushes, I have just about finished the painting of 92 Squadron. Having started the tender in April 2014, and continued through most of the better-weather months since then, I started the top coats on the engine in June this year. Here's the end result - just need the signwriter to finish the lining now. Trial steaming on Monday Tuesday next week at the Nene Valley railway.



Roger

[ecsrobin]

Superb!!

[Flying Phil]

Great work - you must all be very proud.

[steve-5snwi]

given I live in Stamford I really should visit NVR more often

[Stedman]

Wow, looks bloody lovely.

[TommoAE86]

Looks amazing, fantastic work

[Roget]

Quite a day today when 92 Squadron ran under her own steam for the first time in 8 years. Following the 6 year rebuild which has seen every component stripped, painted and tested, we were very pleased to find just a few minor problems in this unofficial steam test. With a little more lining to finish and the badges and crests to be mounted, 34081 will enter service at the NVR early next year :

https://youtu.be/tmfD7NvPVFg

Roger