Work has continued on overhauling Great Western Railway 5205 Class Tank No. 5239 at the East Somerset Railway‘s Cranmore West Workshop.
Bearings, Bolts and Axleboxes
Firstly, new rocker bearings have been made due to the previous ones being unfit for use. The process starts by taking a cylindrical piece of cored bronze and cutting it in half.
Once the cuts have been machined flat they can be soldered together. After being machined as one piece, they are split apart, allowing them to be fitted to the bearing cover. In the cover, they were trial fitted on the rocker itself. The next batch of horn guide bolts has arrived at the workshop. Each bolt will be machined especially for the hole it will be used in.
The white metal has been carried on all of the axleboxes' thrust faces. These all now require machining.
Frame and Tank
The engine's frame has undergone shot blasting, with the application of primer now in an advanced stage.
Due to cracking, the left-hand side support brackets for the engine's tank have been removed.
This will require new brackets to be made in the future.
- Visit the Dartmouth Steam Railway's website
For more information
Just a shame, the person who writes these article’s doesn’t actually know what’s going on!
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