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pheaton

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  1. Collets Models of exmouth have some back in stock as well, purchased a DCC sound one yesterday from them.
  2. Was that a drop in replacment for the sugar cube @Dougjuk do you have any details?
  3. Hey All, coming back to the hobby after a period away beating the living daylights out of 26043 (see my blog) anyway....i recently purchased a SH accurascale DCC sound 37, and thought i would do a bit of research to see what is going to drop through my door.... came across this video... now not too concerned about the bogie issues....and the manufacturing issues we have all been there, forums like this are just for problems like that... :) what concerns me is the following at 21:30 he explains that accurascale are asking people to reduce the master volume....because the speakers have been wired in parallel leading to a 2ohm impedance across the loksound 5 chip....this means that you are exceeding the maximum impedance by 50% which is beyond the design spec of the loksound chip. am i right in thinking that the main speaker has to have a sugar cube in parallel for this to work? because im still concerned that whatever the volume level, the impedance load across the amplifier is still going to shorten the life of the chip severely? have any others out there altered their speaker setup?
  4. We start where we left off... Work has started to re-instate the metal strip which attaches the dome to the cab, the dome itself has been filled smoothed and flatted and given an initial coat of grey primer, the rough join will be hidden by aluminium trim....eventually. The strip now extends above the drivers windscreen. Over the past few years we have grown quite attached to rust and we were worried we were running out.....as a result we thought we would have a poke around the drivers cab-side window top to see if we could find some more and we were not disappointed! we see the corrosion has cracked the top steel right through, something is going on here and like everything we need to figure out what it is... After removal of the corner external pillar we get a better idea!!! water has been collecting in the corner and running down the inside of the pillar to the base...where things are pretty damn ugly....in fact the base is not actually attached the body lower so the entire corner was only held on by a small piece of steel at the base....this is evidence of a botched repair the water trail can be seen from the top left of the pillar to the bottom right. a patch has been welded internally to try and strengthen this.... but rather haphazardly....it would appear the windscreen and side window was an inadvertent structural item, before cutting can commence this area will need to be braced to ensure it doesn't collapse. The random screws are what hold in the conduit for the drivers heated windscreen. A closer view of the extent of the corrosion in the base A closer view of the pillar, the path of the water can be clearly seen, oddly although it doesn't look it...this pillar is painted, and the majority of the steel can be salvaged and made good again with a good clean...but the bottom 3rd will be removed.# In the last blog we mentioned we wanted to cut away part of the dome on this side to check a roof support hadn't failed, and as can be seen whilst it was still securely attached...its a less than satisfactory job! this too will need to be addressed! The bottom of the pillar has been removed and a patch welded in, unfortunately a lot of the steel at the front is quite thin so its common to blow a few holes in it during welding, even when you try to be careful, the pillar has been cleaned and reveals quite serviceable metal still and this is suitable for retention. A new section of pillar welded in and securely attached to the cabside. The missing corner from the previous blog has now been added and the pillar primed a new base for welding the upper pillar has now been added. the pillar now ready to accept its outer steel after one more coat of primer. a replacement bit of steel for the upper has been trial fitted. The dodgy repair you saw earlier has been removed and the strut directly welded to the frame, the dome awaits the missing piece to be re-attached. The replacement outer pillar has been bent and cut to shape and trial fitted, it will be riveted in place prior to welding and then the rivets removed, this is to ensure it keeps its shape and doesn't move while its being welded. The dome has been repaired and the repair we saw earlier covered up, the side steel too now awaits fitting, the holes are for plug welding to the inner frame and then it will be riveted to the dome and sealed to prevent water ingress. The side is now completely flat compared to a bulge which can be seen in earlier blogs. on the secondmans side the steel work for the dome has been prepared for the dome to be re-fitted, this starts with giving the dome something to sit on, in this case some aluminium, the dome will be glued and riveted to this with counter sunk rivets. Those rivets you see will be drilled and replaced with countersunk ones too which means they will be invisible when the locomotive is finished. The dome being trialled... the dome is now fitted and the corner added in, as can be seen its still a little rough and its thought the pillar below is too flat. The cuts are sealed with fibreglass paste which will be sanded smooth, and holes are drilled for countersunk rivets. a close up of the filling.... That's why god invented filler :) the dome awaits pushing down so it can be riveted firmly into place. Thanks for reading.
  5. Work continues above the windscreens and the scabby metal has now been cut away and the metal below cleaned up to see what can remain and what needs to be removed, right to the base of the small section of angled steel above the centre windscreen, the screen itself covered to protect it from metal fragments during the cutting. The dome is pretty beaten up from years of pigeon and bird strikes but also previous repairs, you are looking at the original surface of the dome as evidenced by the br green paint towards the centre, the textured surface is from the glass cloth scot rail applied which has now been removed, the dome will need considerable sanding and and fibreglass filler before the metal work can be tended to. The angled clean steel is part of the base of the dome steel supports which is in fair condition. the cut continues above the drivers windscreen, you can just about see the weld lines for the original (pre HGO) windscreen the two large holes are for the wiper control arms, these will be filled with fibreglass cloth and re-drilled, the drivers windscreen will be removed to inspect the condition of the seal edges, and any wasted metal replaced, as water that can get into the seal will damage the windscreen and cause delamination. On the drivers corner pillar after the paint and relatively thin layer of filler has been removed, we see as expected significant corrosion and we will need to establish the cause...if we just put fresh metal in the corrosion will re-occur, also note the bulge above the side window...this too, is abnormal and indicates issues behind the steel in this area....It would appear this is an old repair from impact damage. with that corner removed considerable corrosion is present behind it.....its more than likely this has been caused by a leak in the horn box area likely due to a poorly sealing lid and the water is finding its way down the front corners of the dome....and then running down the crash pillars previous repair attempts to the dome can be seen with the metal removed you can now also see the extent of the bulge. part of the dome will be cut away down the side to determine the condition of the roof supports which also hold 3 very heavy air tanks inside the cab, its possible that they have corroded weakened and started to sag, so if that is the case they will be jacked up and repaired. The dome requires considerable attention also. A rough paper template has been made to start cutting the new steel. No1 end second-mans door has had its hinge recess strip ( a posh name for a 6mm thick bit of steel....well it was 6mm) removed, there was considerable signs that all wasn't well in this area.....and after removing the door....(which will go back to Scotland to live on another loco) and the strip as evidenced by the paint outline....you can see considerable issues...after a good attack from the needle gun.... The corrosion goes all the way to the base... And up to the top...….this is why you make sure not only does the door fit properly.....but its also sealed....if you don't, this happens this isn't structural steel its just a skin, directly behind this is the grab handle recess, this will be replaced with 6mm plate to give the doors something to bolt into Work continues in No2 cab refit Drivers side heater conduit painted the regulation orange and the heater permanently wired up. The second-mans side is a slightly more complicated affair with the heater light switch and DSD holdover switch (allows the second-man to operate the DSD if the driver leaves his seat) The switch box hasn't been fitted, the wiring (about 7 wires in all) has been mostly threaded there are some crimps that need renewing, the heater has been wired up, the light switch box has been fitted it just needs some modification to the lower conduit to accommodate the DSD holdover switch box the white panel at the side of the desk is brand new and the wooden window surround is being renewed where required and refitted. On the drivers side the Fv4 valve has been removed to renew the crimps to the wires going to the valve (more on that later) and to put more screws in to the drivers side panel to stop it rattling, at this point the opportunity was taken to renew the O rings that seal the valve body to the base plate, the thick pipe is actually the locomotives vacuum brake pipe... This is the Fv4 valve itself (otherwise known as the train brake valve) its the largest valve in the cab of an D+M (davies and metcalfe) equipped locomotive for which 20s 25s 26s 45s and 47s were so equipped (56s have a similar valve but its looks it only shares with this valve) this, although it looks a little beaten up is a recently professionally overhauled valve. There are types of valve (non banded...yellow banded and green banded) as you can see this is a yellow banded one.....whats the difference? Non banded Overcharges and speeds up the vacuum exhauster the brake pipe when when release is selected Yellow banded speeds up the exhauster but does NOT overcharge the brake pipe when release is selected Green banded (quite rare) has no exhauster speedup facility The reason 26s have a yellow banded Fv4 is because they have a brake overcharge plunger in the form of a big brass plunger on the drivers desk. The brake overcharge facility is used when you have a long air braked formation and it ensures that the brakes at the rear are released. Overcharge does not affect vacuum operation. The two terminals are shorted when then release position is selected, and this is used to place a resistor in series with the vacuum exhauster motor field, this as a result weakens the field speeding up the motor and creating vacuum faster, which...saves your embarrassment when you have bled off too much vacuum during braking and you don't want to stop....or...it allows a quicker brake release pulling away from a station... a side affect on a non banded Fv4 is you will also overcharge the brake pipe but more on this later.... Another view of the vacuum brake pipe, this bolts to the Fv4 and is operated by that little nipple.... the Fv4 valve now installed and bolted down without the vacuum brake pipe attached, the handle is in the full service position note the notches on the ring and score mark, these give driver a tactile feel in dark conditions about the position of the handle at the right of the white handle there is a small pointed plunger which drops into these notches and allows the driver to feel where the handle is in the dark. The notches correspond to the the following... Running (basically brakes released) initial - brakes rubbing...with a little pressure used to control your speed descending an incline rather than actual braking) from here the brake is stepless to full service full service (maximum brake pressure but applied in a controlled manner) Emergency considerable force is required to put the valve into this position (you cant do it accidently) you don't get any more braking than full service you just get it a lot quicker. shutdown used to seal the vacuum pipe in order to change cabs. NO DIESEL and that includes VAC ONLY diesels (apart from the twins 10000 and 10001) has a vacuum brake...what I hear you all cry...yes you heard me...a diesel does not have a vacuum brake, the only physical influence the driver has is on the emergency portion of the vacuum brake, a conventional diesel locomotive does not have a vacuum cylinder. In simple terms The Fv4 valve simply reduces the ATP (automatic train pipe) which the locomotives air vac relay valve senses and operates a diaphragm to allow air into the vacuum brake pipe, this causes the air to be emitted to the rear of the vacuum brake cylinders on the coaches or wagons on operates them which through linkage operates the brakes on the vehicle....on the locomotive the triple valve compares the value of the vac chamber (a small tank that always has 21" of vacuum as a reference) to the value of the vacuum pipe and applies the locomotive air brakes in proportion. A locomotive with an empty chamber will not apply its locomotive brakes in proportion. This also means that the train (with a higher brake force) will do most of the braking effort...but also means that the carriages (because they are braking more and therefore the locomotive always releases its brakes first will not slam into the back of the loco allowing for smoother braking. When emergency selected the valve mechanically forces this little arm out....which operates the nipple. And here is the vacuum pipe attached with its trapdoor valve in the closed position which seals the vacuum pipe and relies on several valves on the brake frame to ensure that the vacuum pipe operation is within the correct pressures according to demand from the driver, this why the train brake is also sometimes known as the automatic brake, and its governed entirely by the automatic train pipe, which is air, and governs the operation of the train brake. here we have the brake valve in emergency the trapdoor valve has been opened by the arm actuating the little nipple on the trapdoor valve which opens it and instantly vents the vacuum pipe....which drops the vacuum to zero causing the brakes to fully apply on the train.....the locomotive compares the zero vacuum pipe to the chamber and as a result now knows to apply its locomotive brakes fully...ensuring maximum braking effort is available to the locomotive and the train. The Fv4 is probably the most complex valve on the locomotive, its extremely intolerant of wear and as result internally contains a lot of hardened corrosion resistant material, they are also one of the most expensive valves to overhaul (which has to be done by a specialist contractor) and cost close to £1k to overhaul, and that's just one of about 40 different valves on a dual braked locomotive. They also have lot of rubber seats and diaphragms which degrade over time. The operation of the brakes is tested and carefully compared to the BR specification every year, but in addition the driver has to complete and sign a brake test every time the locomotive is used, which consists of a test to ensure that the brakes react as expected before the locomotive enter service every time. finally with the drivers screen removed considerable repairs have been made to the dome ready for welding.
  6. They are indeed the same as a 33, i will measure for you this weekend
  7. Any modern diesel with conventional draw gear can pull a dual braked mk1. Of which there are quite a lot of those in preservation.
  8. Preservation has evolved from a un-regulated hobby to an increasingly regulated industry. And the key word there is evolve...most lines have still adhered to there stated objective which is normally to run trains between point a and point b with a future aspiration to get to point c. you mention relevance and i with respect i couldn't disagree more, if we turn what you said on its head....what relevance is a black 5 to a 16 year old rail enthusiast? Pacers have been preserved in large numbers due to an ease of availability...go back 5 years they were the hated element of the railway....by enthusiasts and punters alike...yet they should be preserved as much as anything, and they are just as relevant. Weve been through several evolutions of the standard BR carriage as you mentioned....yet only 1 type has survived in the number required.... you mentioned mk3s and why they wernt preserved more....its quite simple...they are not suitable for preservation in the medium term... 1,) Air Braked (no trust me you cant vac brake them) 2,) ETH 3,) Monocoque construction which means repairs are beyond the capability of most C&W departments. How many second generation diesels are preserved? 2nd generation rolling stock does not fair well with the preservation usage.... if we pick on the mk3 and you could argue its very relevant to the Mk2 CDEF and some extents the Mk2 A and B you come across a number of issues that preclude there use in preservation. 1,) Air Braked...which rules out 90% of steam locos... 2,) ETH....passenger comfort is high on the list of railways....and a mk3 with no opening windows is like a sauna in the summer and like a fridge in winter without ETH....that means you restricting your mk3s to 37/4s (but you can only have 3 at the most possibly 4 and if you have a buffet in the rake...forget it!) ETH 47s 50s 45/1s and 31s..(31s are on a downward spiral to extinction) there are comparatively few ETH locos in pres...i have left out 33s because the ETH on a 33 is only 750v compared to 800v on a mk3. Mk3s and Mk2s are also a sealed carriage....they have no ventilation, they rely on the fact that they are constantly in use....leave a mk3 over the winter and in the spring you will find its harbouring all sorts of fungal life in the soft furnishings and the air conditioning system. Hence why most carriage sidings kept them on a shore ETH supply....and why 47701 found a second life as a carriage heater at doncaster works... 3,) Construction, mk2s and mk3s are monocoque, which gives them a massive strength advantage over a mk1....the down side is....if you allow it to get too rotten they are very very difficult to repair, and require specialist welders, and specialist kit to carry out those repairs. Thats before we look at the ETH electronics...Motor alternator sets, roller bearings, disc brakes...power internal doors..and your posh air suspension on the mk3...suddenly we are beyond the skills of dave the panel beater who fixes mk1s in his spare time...and roger the carpenter.... suddenly....the practicalities of a mk1 look very very attractive...and the basic engineering on the running gear can be refreshed and repaired a lot easier. and its the same with diesels, class 56s onwards do not like sitting for long periods of time out of use, the electrical control cards degrade....and they are very difficult and expensive to repair... Preservation will continually evolve...the people who collected steam engine numbers are dwindling....along the personal association to steam powered transport, and it will survive for as long as they can attract enthusiasts to it....but as you point out...the next generation of enthusiasts will feel more affinity to 66s and 67s and 59s....how long they will be able to keep them in traffic for due to the evolution of engineering in them is difficult to say.... 58s and 56s...the ship has already sailed on those...if you preserve one now you will find it difficult to obtain enough spares to keep them viable in the long term.... classic locos share a number of common parts so the spares pool is still quite large....or...groups are trying engineer modern equivalent parts into them... and this is partly because BR insisted on standardisation for cost and simplicity....thats long gone with the modern types...and even the 2nd generation types...where they all had there own individual parts pools. you try swapping the modules between a 58 and 56 and you will quickly run into trouble...
  9. i dont think enthusiasts are being priced out...its not like railways raise the prices just because they think that the 2+2 market can afford more because the opposite is true.. @Phil Parker hits the nail on the head (albeit in a more diplomatic way then i would) about the enthusiast market, and i raised that very point about certain corners of the enthusiast circles on the WNXX forum. The majority of hard core enthusiasts (not all) but the majority simply want to spend as little as possible for maximum product....but i will say possibly controversially...this does seem to be more prevalent in the classic diesel bashing circles.... @rodent279it depends how you define a preserved railway, the days of the traditional preserved railway are not numbered....they are long gone...You could argure that every railway is a "traditional preserved railway" if you define it to the meaning of preserved... What do i think you mean?...lets take two opposites... 1, ) Bluebell railway....and in mainstream days were anti diesel....but it dawned on them that its simply not viable to fire up a steam locomotive for a pway train...or to shunt...so diesels had to start creeping in...then you have to ask..is it viable keeping a steam locomotive in light steam just in case its needed...in the early days when money wasnt too much of an issue it was....those days are long gone.... 2,) GWR .....well that line shut in 1976 so by rights...there shouldn't be a steam locomotive in sight.....but without them...the railway wouldnt survive..its a fact...that steam locomotives bring in the vast majority of income on a preserved line. All preserved lines are essentially a what if scenario on someones model railway... the days of a traditional preserved line ended when they evolved into a business and they realised that they couldn't survive on enthusiast income alone.... the transition to a business is inevitable to any preserved line that wants to expand or run passenger trains in a large capacity, since the ORR started taking firm interest in preserved railway operations...the fact is nowadays to survive reliably you need to employ professionals in certain areas...and thats when you become a defacto business.. i cant think of any railways that are now run by a bunch of middle aged blokes with a load of spare time on there hands...
  10. Many railways will have a charitable arm, but they shouldnt be controlling because it can have detrimental effects on the flexibility of operations.... Depending on how they were setup a lot of railways have a 2 headed structure, one being a trust (but again not really having control over day to day operation) the other being a PLC or LTD company....however the trust will have an all assets debenture over the PLC, and what that means is...should the PLC or LTD company go insolvent then the trust is a preferred creditor, which protects the assets from liquidation (assuming the debt isn't to HMRC). However it all depends on how the line was setup originally, and if this was done with leveraged funds then its not possible to go down that route until those debts are repaid....which is very difficult to do on a heritage line. Members wishes...this is where it get contentious....a member is not necessarily a shareholder, and therefore has no official voting rights....again it all depends on how the constitution works....the problem with members voting..is that 9 times out of 10 they vote with there heart and not their head....and preservation as well all know can get very very militant! i would say most railways are guilty of heart over head decisions i can think of a number of these at the GWSR, but you only learn from your mistakes....and i can see over the last few years the railway has had to make a number of cut backs to stay within their means.... As a loco owners rep i as the cmdg chairman am simply a tenant of the line, we are not permanent and like everything we just need to be prepared to move with the times... On the railways front they need to be able to do that with the minimum of delay and seeking the approval of membership will make that very difficult.
  11. I can certainly measure the screen for you, but just to confirm (because class 26s had two types of screen) is it the post 1975 screen you want or the as built screen? because they will be radically different.
  12. We use an oil based non setting mastic the non setting is key as it means that as things expand and contract it will still seal, being oil based it repels water as well.
  13. We, start where finished last.... The top second-mans side window has now been fabricated and welded into place as well as the internal steelwork in this area, the cabling has also been encased in copex to protect it, these are the cables for the second mans switch panel and the brake indicator panel. More steel has been removed further up due to distortion that was being hidden by filler. Also as can be seen a steel plate has been welded on the second mans side. Another view of the steel plate welded to the secondmans side. The dome portion that was removed has been fully repaired and strengthened as well as the corner splayed outwards, although it will be some time before its re-fitted, it has been filled and flatted and finished in blue undercoat. Back inside the cab the secondmans desk is in an extremely poor state and will be removed as its beyond salvaging, you can see that the entire front of the desk has lost almost an inch of metal from corrosion, likely caused by leaking windscreen seal. the holes are for the wiper control and windscreen washer button, the second mans panel has long been removed for repainting and repairs. The pipe unions on the left supply the horns from the secondmans desk. A new desk has been fabricated from fresh steel and this will be fitted in due course. Back to the front the buffer beam has been rubbed down and given a coat of primer and the first bit of new steel is attached, at this point tack welded. going back to the side of the loco the second-mans panel has been primed and new steel welded in place for the lower portion of the second-mans window, the secondmans door awaits removal for attention to the frame, as this was a poorly fitting door the water ingress and corrosion is substantial in this area, around the door pillars, this will need to be corrected before the new doors are fitted. to keep welds to a minimum and try to avoid distortion of the metal the next sheet was ordered specifically to size and is seen here in the process of being fitted and awaiting welding. the sheet is now welded into position and welded also to the new internal braces. The original panel has had the tail light removed and awaits the circular recess to be cut out, as this would be very complicated to reproduce correctly, one it has been cut off it will go for shotblasting and be welded in to the sheet we have just attached above, in the marked area. Once removed this steel like all the steel cut from 043 will go for recycling. The final sections of steel are welded into place now virtually completing the lower front of the locomotive, attention (after the corners are welded will turn to above the drivers side panel which has suffered quite severely with rust jacking, this will be cut to the line with the 22 on the underlying issues with water ingress resolved and replaced with fresh steel. The drivers windscreen will then be removed in order to resolve the issues alone the bottom of the seal. A view of the completed front from the other side. the second-mans side corner is now welded in place And finally the whole area is given a coat of primer, steam loco 3850 (sporting its freshly overhauled and recently delivered boiler can be seen in the background) At this point we ran out of welding wire so that has curtailed welding until after Christmas. elsewhere work continues in No2 cab refitting the panels and painting the pipe and refitting in this case the heaters, along with brand new conduit as most of the original conduit was life expired and new conduit has to be made here we have a simple piece waiting to be sprayed in the correct orange. Thats it for this side of christmas, work will carry on, on the 27th. Merry christmas all.
  14. This has actually been tested already more recently in the preservation world....with none other than 45015 languishing (still) at the battlefield railway. In the early days of preservation...newly established railways were fairly liberal with allowing people to bring various vehicles of sometimes dubious quality, and in some cases questionable use because they needed items of rolling stock to attract people through the door and put themselves on a map....and back then things were fair lax...a bit like the health and safety at the time 😀. Now for wagons that generally wasn't too much of an issue the problems came later when...space started to be at a premium...and for more useful vehicles (mark 1s) to come in....something had to give... or the wagons generally end up forgotten somewhere (just look at cheltenham racecourse south hunting butts) on google earth ;) Coaches however...were a bit more hazardous anyone preserving a mk1 sleeper and indeed quite a lot of mk1s and some DMUs...were in for a nasty shock if they proceeded to pull panels off! and its at this point some railways were starting to pay more attention to what was on there site... Whats this got to do with 45015...well it had the dubious honour of being the last 45 out of toton....it had been tipped over more times than pint in your local pub, and it had been pretty robbed of every single useable part....but someone decided to preserve it anyway...as with everything sometimes...plans overtook ambition...and it was left....and left and left... now normally a railway will draw up a restoration agreement....this effectivly bounds the owner to agree to work on the asset (in this case 015) and have it either presentable or useful within a defined timescale....(generally time isnt enforced as long as the railway see's progress)...part of the agreement is...when all else fails....you have to pay rent....(sometimes by the metre) for some reason ( dont know the ins and outs) the railway took action for money due...it went to court, the court found in the railway favour, and after various toos and throws....015 was taken in lieu of payement.
  15. So normally you would rely on the window frame for the exact shape, but 26s dont have the frame anymore, so it would be a case of knowingly building an opening that is too small for the window and then using the glass as a template...but allowing for the panel gap (the gap taken up by the glass and the seal). The problem here comes though in that you cant do this until you know what size you are using, which means you need to adjust the opening for the window to suit, and this because certain sizes are now special order, which mean you need to buy 30m of window seal when you only need 2 or 3m and this has a much inflated cost. The actual positioning we would use No2 as a guide or look at another loco as in our case we have had to cut away the whole section. i knew from my early days of working on 45149 (i only took over 26043 after it blew two traction motors after 10 years ago) that 043 had its dome swapped from a class 33, but i assumed it was the whole dome not just the secondmans side. The reason for this is at some point an impact had seriously damaged the roof dome and it had been patched up, and it was seen as a better prospect to replace the damaged portion, however its a difficult thing to measure accurately even in the best of conditions and as im sure you know life at toddington was extremely basic in the early days.
  16. Nostalgia alert, as with all these blogs things are fairly depressing.... The glory days.....pre covid...pre inflation...pre quite a lot really... Last week..... fireman Sam has been busy with his white paint brush and now all of the air pipework is picked out in white, the conduit (which was just floating has been removed and the wiring now enclosed in modern copex, temporarily draped downwards away from welding operations.... As we saw in the previous blog, significant corrosion was found above the corner of the second-mans pillar, and there had to be a reason for this, digging about removing filler starts to show the extent of this, which indicates something is clearly very amiss in this area, eagle eyed readers will notice the crudely drawn on arrows....more on this later... we also see two exposed holes, but no indication of rust streaks on the yellow paint, indeed there isn't actually any rust on the outside of the uncovered metal....which indicates water is getting in from the other side! Cutting away the outer layers of steel shows the face of the corrosion, between the inner panels and the outer steel, but the cause is quite evident in this picture...... More evidence of something not quite right....can you see it? if you look down the side of the dome....you see our paint (blue...ish) and the br paint beneath it....SO you might say....whats the issue??? https://www.flickr.com/photos/67444577@N02/6566097877 Take a look at that photograph, 26043 was one of the few 26s painted civil engineers livery and as a result had a dark grey roof.....where is the grey paint on that photo above? the answer.....this is not 043s original roof dome....at some point its been changed.... Going back to this photo here...we see the roof dome...is actually about 1/4" too far back...and doesn't fit flush with the external steel work as can be seen at the top copious amounts of filler have been employed to hide this heinous crime.. The problem is...the roof is fibreglass which can flex....filler cannot...and if the filler cracks it can leak...or let water in...or air....which in turn causes condensation to form....its condensation that has caused this corrosion. you can see the yellow outer skin has gone which just leaves the inner framework present where the corrosion is... Before cutting and just after removal of the secondmans windscreen wiper...we see some precision drilling by scotrail...to install the wiper....well to atleast have a go...must have been a friday afternoon job!!! two views of the section of steel thats been removed you can see the blue and yellow of the window frame, but also the extent of the corrosion on the inside plus the unique wiper plate... In order to asess the dome problem properly we need to remove the guttter which is riveted to roof dome, this has now been removed and is awaiting the gasket to be cleaned off.... the problem is in the very corner of the dome and will be difficult to fix, but we need to see if there are problems further along the front and to do this we need to remove the fiberglass strip across the top. the fibreglass comes off fairly easily exposing the join between the dome and and steelwork for the cab front, the dome drops down below it and as we can see there's no water ingress.....the circular corrosion you see is cause by bi-metallic corrosion between the aluminium rivets and the steelwork, the rivets have long turned to dust, but the good news is everything seems to be in order. But it can also be seen something very odd on the far left... Zooming in.....we see a join......so only the left portion of the roof dome has been changed also note how the holes are at different heights....So....what do we do.... thats what you do....just cut the problem out, and have a think...because.....you cant increase the size of the corner.....you cant position the part further forward...you cant position it further left. its likely a number of cuts are going to need to be made to reposition the corner outwards without causing too much distortion...Moral of the story....class 33 domes don't quite fit class 26s!!! with the dome removed you can see the supporting framework for the upper dome, and then the inner dome underneath, the framework was not held in place as the welds had rotted, but the framework itself is in good overall condition, this will all be cleaned and painted. The inner framework which we saw earlier badly corroded has been replaced by a new piece of metal work The holes in the pilar now welded up... and now a brand new top left corner has been fabricated but awaits fitting the corners for the glass roughly cut and these will be sorted when the time comes to fit the windscreen, for which we are a long way off...this is actually quite a complex fabrication as modellers will know its these curves that define the shape of the locomotive. As its winter exposed metal has to be protected so a coat of green etch primer is applied to the exposed surfaces...
  17. First a bit of nostalgia :) 26043 2 weeks off the production line from BCRW and at the time was on commissioning trials, as 26043 is a series 1 class 26 it never had cab droplights fitted, we see the tablet catcher recess, and its front connecting doors, we also see that like all 26s its boiler fitted. Note it does not yet have the opening window instead it has a boiler filler hatch. 26/1s incorporated a number of weight saving measures, such as the cantrail grills being made out of aluminium instead of steel, a thinner gauge bodyside skin, and the internal radiator ducting being made from fibreglass instead of aluminium, OLEO Buffers and all coil spring suspension. By this time is was already decided that the class 26s were destined for a life in Scotland, so in order to appease the Scottish civil engineer, they needed to shed a few pounds to bring the axle weight down. Note this is probably the only time 26043 has carried the correct pattern series 1 bogies, these have the correct series 1 footsteps fitted and also are missing the link arms required to lift the bogies attached to the locomotive as the series 1 underframe was missing the bracketry required for this. Another fact is the drivers side windows are not the same as what is fitted now, they are mounted on the inside whereas at the last HGR they were changed to an outside mounted frame to try and reduce water ingress into the cab. The location of the photo is unknown its thought to be somewhere up north but not scotland. The cab as built. a lot of people when they look in a class 26 cab see exposed pipework, and think there are panels missing......as you can see...there never was any panelling the cabs were very spartan, and all that protects you from the Scottish wilderness and freezing temperatures is 3mm of steel......not known for its insulating properties! This photo shows a 26/0 as built its vacuum only and has a drop light next to the drivers seat, identifying this as a 26/0. You can clearly see the bellows for the connecting corridor. In a previous blog we saw the drivers side cut away awaiting new steel framework, this has now been applied with a coat of protective primer the lower portion of the grab handle recess has been found to be badly twisted which will affect the fitting of the new doors...this has been cur away to be replaced by a brand new fabricated section. The secondmans windscreen has now been removed to assess the extant of the corrosion above the cab windscreens. We already knew this was a problem area having exposed it a few years ago but ran out of time to be able to affect a repair before the locomotive was due back in service. A good indication of what you can hide with filler.....once again note the complete absence of any paint on the steel work. Looking towards the drivers side the filler has been chipped away to expose the base of the roof dome. The cause of the corrosion is quite simple at some point Scotrail completely fiberglassed over the join between the cab steel and the roof dome (assuming to stave off water ingress). This works as long as the fibreglass stays attached but as the body flexes....it pulls away, this means water can leak from the base of the gutter behind the fibreglass and sit there....which causes the corrosion. Moving down the right hand side of the windscreen towards the connecting doors we see significant corrosion, and also wastage around the extremities of the screen, refurbished class 26s used a clayton-rite windscreen seal, which meant the internal window frame could be removed, a clayton right seal is commonly found on classic cars and is recognised by the filler strip in the centre of the seal to clamp it to the window glass and the frame work, however...its not unusual for water to penetrate and site in the channels and rot the supporting steel ( as a lot of classic car owners will know) the reason for the change is unknown.. but its assumed it was connected with the switching of class 27 type windscreens around the time 26s had a HGR. which would have required the changing of the internal frame, so the cheap option was to the do away with it in its entirety, which left only the steel to support the window which required a different type of seal. the reason for the change of windscreens was an attempt to cut costs by standardising parts accross the fleet. The chipping of the filler and its thickness indicates "further bodgery" is present! this was found to be a 2 inch overlap with the steel above. As a result we decided to cut the entire panel off!!! You can clearly see where the water tended to sit (at the bottom right hand side of the screen). Here we see the front with the panel removed the corrosion around the centre doors extends to the shelf in the cab, it can also be seen that the supporting framework is also missing for the front panel! At the rear of the removed panel we see...what survives of the framework! You can also see that while this is a BR panel its not the original.... And you can see the original light has been gas axed from the original front and welded to the new panel! you can also see the red-oxide primer likely applied during preservation...which means the lower portion of the frame has been absent for a very long time! Work starting to re-instate the frame work first a piece of horizontal steel is inserted and welded below the shelf to the correct front profile. Then a front pieced welded on to strengthen the framework and give a surface to weld new panels to at the top. The curve is quite complex and the next stage is to fabricate the sill, there is no room for error here if the sill is slightly misshapen then windscreen will not fit! You can see the internal window shelf, this is quite badly corroded and will be removed. if we look again at the rear of the removed panel you can see the complex curve at the top and its sill which can be made out (just) by the shadow! The replacement repair panel being "fettled" before being welded in. The panel being fitted! Also being repaired if that unsightly corrosion at the side of the connecting corridor, the welds will be cleaned up shortly. At this stage the curves for the windscreens can be fitted, as can be seen here... And finally the welds cleaned up! A lot more steel will have to be removed to get the correct hole for the screen.
  18. A bit of a change, i wanted to make sure that people were not getting tired by me just showing photos of metal being bashed, those blogs will continue as there seems to be a lot of interest in it. However in the last blog i invited some questions that people might have had about how things work in a Diesel Electric locomotive like the class 26, however all of the first generation diesel electrics work on pretty much the same principles so its very relevant across the fleet. @37114 asked about electrical machine maintenance and field diversion and in this blog we will talk field diversion, how it works and what it does. There will be a bit of theory first, and then some pretty pictures. There has been a lot of talk about field diversion in the sound forums, mainly surrounding 37s as its very very pronounced. but all first generation diesel electric locomotives have field diversion of some sort. What is field diversion, field diversion is the act of (as the name suggests) diverting the field of a motor (in our case the traction motors through a different set of resistances. It is also known as field weakening, and this is because you weaken the field of the motor. The aim of field diversion in simple terms....is to make your motor spin faster based on its current load. If we take the model in a OO gauge model, its a fixed field motor (permanent magnets) if you give it 12 volts it will spin at a set speed and draw a set amount of current. And for a model thats fine, we dont pull much weight with it and we rarely make it climb steep gradients. If you were to put so much weight behind the locomotive in the form of rolling stock to the point it actually stalls the motor, you will find if you push it to a certain speed it will be able to take the weight of that train on its own, but it wont be able to start it, and this is a very very crude way of explaining how field diversion helps with a locomotive starting a train. When a train starts you want (in your best jeremy clarkson voice) MAXIMUM POWER, in that you want grunt, torque, tractive effort, what you dont want is speed, all you will do is simply spin your wheels. GRUNT is Current Speed is Voltage We want to trade current for voltage, by weakening the field of the motor we make it a lower strength in terms of torque, but that means we are less affected by BACK-EMF which is what puts a motor into magnetic saturation, which means the motor can spin faster before the back-emf cancels out the incoming voltage provided by the main generator. In an all parallel configuration traction motors have 4 connections (compared to your 2 connections on the motor of your model train) and this is because the fields (magnets) are actually coils or better yet electro magnets and if you alter the voltage being supplied to them you can change there strength.....hence field weakening/diversion. as we said before you want all of the capabilities of your motors at starting, so as a result all motors and generators start out at full field, (full strength) the motors need full strength to have the grunt to move off, the generator needs full strength to supply those amps! Lets look at the first part of this process. the process start with the drivers power handle in the cab, you are looking inside the pedestal with the power handle above, the shrouds have been removed there are two elements in the centre you can see a group of switch contacts which are operated by cam on the left, the job of these is to make sure that various interlocks are in place (like the power control relay) which then allows the reverser to be operated (the locomotive only changes direction when power is applied NOT when the master handle is moved) the switch gear has no role in speeding up the engine or the electrical output of the main generator. On the middle right we can see an air valve (very similar in construction to the drivers straight air brake valve) as the power handle is rotated and more throttle is demanded this is air valve is pushed further and further inwards, which emits air from locomotives control air reservoir into whats called the regulating air circuit. If you ever go into the engine-room of a working sulzer you will often see a panel like that (accept 26s as it was removed for cost saving) i re-instated that from a donor class 33. Anyway....on the bottom left is the regulating air gauge, as the driver moves the power handle at either end, that will increase/decrease as the driver moves the power handle back and forth. That air then runs down a pipe down the side of the engine..... from there it goes to the front of the engine governor, and provided all is well (all of your interlocks are in place) that magnet valve is energised when the power handle is moved to "ON" and the air is allowed to enter the fuel rack piston in the governor. ERGO the engine is speed is increased by air being sent from the drivers power handle to the governor (0-53ish PSI) the more air the more the piston moves which in turn moves the rack linkage and opens the fuel pumps further and puts more fuel into the engine and speeds the engine up.... A lot of people think the only relationship of the engine to the electrical side is that it spins the generator....but what would happen if we had no control over the output of the generator. Basically on starting the train the generator would stall the engine.....and this is where something called the load regulator comes into play. in the picture above we see an arm coming out of the governor in the background. Theres another view this arm is connected to an oil driven servo motor inside the governor. this arm then goes into this little box of tricks which is the back of the load regulator the front of the load regulator, with a scale to indicate its current position (more on this later) The load regulator is an extremely important device, its job is to ensure that the generator cannot overwhelm the engine, and its principles of operation are extremely simple. As the driver opens the power handle the engine rotates faster, as the engine rotates faster the oil pump (inside the engine) rotates faster, this means that the oil pressure increases. Its important to note that the servo motor is not pressure specific it simply reacts to an increase or decrease in pressure, this then rotates an arm in the load regulator. By using this method, the generator cannot be allowed to increase its field without a corresponding increase in engine speed...and as a result torque... A view of the load regulator with the cover removed, the arm is rotated by the action of the servo motor on the governor. another view of the arm, you can see the carbon brush which completes the circuit... the load regulator is connected via a very big wiring loom to a bank of resistors... The wiring loom from the load regulator to the resistor bank in the locomotive roof. So as the engine speeds up the load regulator rotates and weakens the field in the main generator, which means it generates less amps, but more volts....and the reverse happens as the engine decreases in speed back to idle. THIS IS NOT FIELD DIVERSION we are simply using a potentiometer to change the field of the generator automatically inline with engine speed. Once the load regulator rotates fully (which is quite quickly) the generator is at maximum output, and we cant supply any more volts to our motors and make the train go faster (no good) its here the field diversion process starts, when its rotated a cam operates the switch gear above, these are called (on a 26) pilot motor advance and pilot motor retard. That switch gear operates the power to this motor in the main electrical cubicle...making it advance or retard, this then as you can see operates a cam...which in turn rotates a cam on a group of switch gear. This then (via the switch gear supplies power to the magnet valves, which emit air to a piston, which brings in the contactors for the diver circuits, you can see here there are 3 diverts on the 26 with one contactor for each motor (so 3 groups of 4) (the number of diverts varies between locomotives high speed passenger locomotives tend to have more, class 45s have 6 diverts. This in turn brings in different power resistors into the field circuit in order to weaken the fields of the traction motors, which then allows them to spin faster. The resistors are in banks behind the cantrail grills of the locomotive for air cooling as they get rather warm. When power is shut off, the engine slows down and the oil pressure drops, the load regulator runs back which in turn brings in the switch for pilot motor retard, this then removes the diverts from the circuit, until power is required, if the speed has not dropped significantly the locomotive knows to bring in the required diverts. Although the mechanics vary all of the first generation diesels follow these principles, 56,58s 37/4s and 37/7 and 37/9s have solid state electronic load regulators rather than mechanical ones, but the field diversion process is the same... HSTs are the odd ball....and have NO DIVERTS this is why they have such a low tractive effort. Hope that answers your question @37114 Happy to take any more questions other people have.
  19. Field Diverts it is then 37114 keep an eye out for the next blog
  20. all of you seem to be regular readers :) im keen to not rabbit on about bodywork as it gets a bit repetitive for the readers, so I'm more than up to writing blogs about any particular aspect of 26s....anywhere on the loco just put a request or question in. mechanical or electrical questions which are 99% applicable to every other loco. @bcnPete @Halvarras @26power @figworthy @Rich Papper @young37215@Gordon A @chris p bacon@Robert Shrives @JDW@50A55B@stewartingram@41516@Western Star @Mikkel @Tim C@Northroader@37114@Michael Hodgson @figworthy
  21. When you do the amount of bodywork we are doing, you almost go back through a locomotives history, like rings on a tree....and its interesting when the casual observer thinks something is a lot better than it really is. 043 on the turntable at minehead, everything you have seen....looks alright doesn't it...doesn't seem to show anything untoward with the bodywork.....everything you have seen....is there....everything your about to see.....is there....waiting to be discovered... We saw in the last blog the crash pillar removed, it was badly corroded and the crib plates were missing, when you take apart a loco in this manner you can easily get an idea of its history, and the reason for the corrosion is actually quite simple....at some point the loco has suffered sideswipe damage on this side, and this is evidenced by the patches on the grill uprights for the radiators and the cut in the handrail recess, the problem then becomes when these repairs are sub standard, because the depot needs to get the loco out as soon as possible....and if it was a "hush hush" job hide the locomotive from the sight of management! Particularly when the accident was due to someone being "under the influence". The new crib-plate and side plate have been fitted and welded. Here we see the original pillar (can just make out the lamp bracket at the front) we see at the base a old repair going up we see a large chunk removed by gas axe and again several attempts to fix the grab handle we also see plug welds (which are not original) indicating a replacement to the side skin at some point. The front steel has Anti asbestos paint on it indicating this was original steel, the paint was applied to seal residual asbestos fibres when the locomotive was stripped of asbestos during one of its works visits. After the second-mans side is complete the centre has now been cleaned and fully welded to the correct profile of the front, in the previous blog you saw heavy corrosion as a result of fibreglass matting which has a remarkable water retention capability, coupled with the fresh brand of paint that BR used...the rot present was inevitable. The air pipes to and from the drivers brake valve have been cleaned and undercoated and trial fitted to make sure we don't weld up something we shouldn't. Moving to the drivers side we see the removal of the crib plate and the extensive corrosion to the cable ducting this will all need to be tidied up and new conduit installed before the locomotive re-enters traffic, you can clearly see the 1/2" rivets that hold the crib plates waiting to be hammered out the underframe so new bolts can hold the new plates firmly in place. Also evident is significant crash damage, like no1 end this corner of the buffer beam has at some point been cut off and rewelded into place (likely after the chassis has been jacked up to straighten it, note the wooden spacer behind the buffer being "unique" to suit the dent behind it...this is 3/4" steel plate, a significant impact would be required to deform it in this manner! the secondmans desk had to be removed as it was found the brake pedestal in the centre of the picture was only held in by the pipes, the sideswipe collision had ripped it from its mountings these are being straightened and firmly attached to the floorplate. Drivers side crib now welded in place and a repair section made to the drivers side crash pillar. Final side plate removed and surface prep underway for the final plate at the floor level. The final plate in the process of being welded and secured in place. Unfortunately BR spend years customising the loco to fit its rather bodged metal work, and now we are fixing that...things start to well, not fit....as a result the lower section of front skin now protrudes over an inch further forward than the lower framework......you can see further up a depression where the metal work goes in and then out again... to correct this cuts have been made which allow us to reshape the front, this will allow us to have completely level plate work when the new steel is welded to the front. Further cuts to the side indicate that the framework will need to be complete renewed all the steel inwards of the crash pillar will be cut away and replaced with new angle iron, significant. issues are present in the upright pillar corner. nasty.....again note the complete lack of paint! fully refurbished secondmans desk fitted to No2 end
  22. @KLee55 Here’s the list and also add 45123 to it Right the following defintely had full Toton repaints around 1980 - 1981 after Toton E exams and had the Toton dark grey roofs 45101 45105 45106 45124 45128 45134 45138 45141 45143 45144 & 45146. 45143 & 45144 lost their dark grey roofs at their last overhaul (45143 in 1981 at Derby & 45144 in 1984 at Crewe) However both 45143 & 45144 re-gained their toton dark grey roofs in 1985, 45143 when it was painted for its Waterloo - Exeter job & 45144 when it worked the royal train in May 1985 All the 1980-1981 E exam repaints with dark grey roofs lost their grey roofs at theit next works overhaul.
  23. Not for much longer you havent they are being phased out and returned to the leasing companies
  24. Neither :) they are a wooden door with a fibreglass skin so a dark cream. But if they were in civil quite often the original yellow and blue would show through.
  25. And it's had a governor overhaul and still going strong...bar a few transition rubber leaks...
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