Leaderboard

After having constructed a range of models that were intended to replicate the two trains involved in the accident at Bullo Pill, in 1868, I have been casting around for ideas for new subjects. The trouble with a 3D printer is that it opens up so many possibilities that it is hard to decide what to tackle next. It would be easy for me to continue modelling various carriages, wagons, and locomotives but I have been looking for something that’s a bit ‘different’. One of the reasons that Brunel gave for advocating the adoption of the Broad Gauge, was that it would allow large wheels to be placed outside the bodies of the carriages. He considered that this would provide better running at the high speeds he envisaged for his new railway. In fact, only one type of carriage was actually built on this principle, as it soon proved impracticable for carriages with several compartments, because the wheels would block access through the doors! The exception was the so-called ‘Posting Carriage’, which was intended as a luxury carriage for a small party of 1st-class travellers. The name was apparently derived from the French term: ‘post-chaise’. Whishaw described this carriage in his book ‘The Railways of Great Britain and Ireland’, published in 1842, and he also provided a drawing: Wishaw wrote: “The posting-carriage, which is calculated to hold eighteen persons, is fitted up in a style of elegance not met with in any other railway-conveyance in the kingdom (save only the royal railway-carriage) : it is furnished with cushioned seats all round except at the doorways, and a table extending down the middle, so that for a family party or party of friends it is a most excellent contrivance. The whole length of the body is 18 feet 6 inches, and on a level with the seats 18 feet; the width of body is 7 feet 6 inches, and below the same level it is diminished in a recurving line to 6 feet at bottom, the height of body being 6 feet 8 inches. In the middle of each side there is a glass: door 2 feet 4 inches wide and 6 feet high, the glass-square being 19 inches high and 21 inches wide ; affixed to the sole of the carriage, and furnished with two steps, is an iron-tree, the bottom of which is 14 inches above the rails. On each side of the door there are two lights ranging in height with that of the door, and above these are three smaller lights, which fill up the whole of the top spaces between the door and the ends of the body.” There is another illustration of one of these carriages, included in a lithograph of Bath Station by J.C. Bourne, published in 1846. Extract from lithograph by J.C. Bourne Bourne’s illustration differs from the Wishaw drawing in several respects but it does serve to show the exaggerated curvature of the sides and the entrance door placed between the wheels. This vehicle piqued my interest and presented some interesting challenges in designing a 3D-printed model. First steps towards a model Because of the curved nature of the sides, I decided not to use my favoured method of printing the sides separately and then assembling the model from a ‘kit of parts’. Instead, I started by drawing the end profile and then extruding this, using ‘Fusion 360’, to produce a solid body, the length of the model carriage. Profiled Body of Posting Carriage That was an easy first step. Next, I shall hollow out the interior and add the detailing on the sides and ends. I expect this to involve many more procedures than a simple extrusion but it feels good to have a new project under way … more to follow. Mike

In the latter half of the 1840s, William Bridges Adams began to dabble in locomotive design with the help of several key figures, particularly the resident engineer of the Eastern Counties Railway, James Samuel. He had established a works at Fair Field, Bow in 1843 for the purposes of expanding his business building carriages and wagons for both rail and road and locomotive construction was a natural progression. Together they developed the principle of the light locomotive which was proffered as an alternative to the ever increasing weight and power of railway locomotives in general, particularly with the gauge wars and stiff competition between the mighty broad gauge with it's powerful Gooch designed passenger engines and the ultimate symbol of power and speed on Stephenson's gauge, Thomas Russell Crampton's mighty 'Liverpool'. Adams argued that the wear and tear on the permanent way was unacceptable, it being barely able to keep pace with locomotive and rolling stock development. The huge volume of dead weight hauled around by large engines meant that much of the time, particularly on branch lines, the arrangement was highly uneconomical. Adams offered an alternative in his lightweight locomotive and carriage, either as a fixed vehicle with engine and carriage on one frame like 'Fair Field' for the broad gauge and 'Enfield' for the Eastern Counties, or a paired light engine and tender carriage. His vision and that of James Samuel was for frequent light 'shuttle' services and it could be said that considering the make-up of todays trains on lesser lines, he was way ahead of his time. This locomotive and its tender/carriage was first illustrated in Adams' 1850 publication 'Road Progress' as a fold out plate. Essentially the same design appeared in one of his many (32) patents, No.13653 of 1851 and the culmination of this design was Ariel's Girdle displayed at the Great Exhibition in the same year, although this was made by Kitson, Thompson & Hewitson of Leeds since Adams was bankrupt by the summer of 1850 and the Fair Field Works sold off. The design concept was sufficiently noteworthy for Zerah Colburn to illustrate it in his 'Locomotive Engineering and the Mechanism of Railways' in 1871, although the tender carriage in Colburn's drawing is considerably shorter than the original and looks decidedly odd. Stephenson's continued this basic design and one of their versions was illustrated by Daniel Kinnear Clarke in his book 'Railway Machinery'. It is more sophisticated machine and makes for an interesting comparison. This drawing is reproduced courtesy of the National Archives. My fascination for the life and work of William Bridges Adams is well established and aside from writing his biography (an ongoing long term project requiring an immense amount of research not helped by Coronavirus lockdown restrictions), I have an ambition to model at least a good representative selection of his various creations. The 4mm scale model described here is the first of my efforts towards modelling his locomotives. During 2020, the Bodmer single occasionally drove me mad so I felt it was important to have a side project to restore the equilibrium, a sort of yin and yang approach. I would not normally have two loco projects on the go simultaneously in the fear than neither of them would get finished however, in this case it proved a blessing. The following photographs show its current state with much still to do including the tender/carriage. I have to say I find it one of the most attractive (dare I say sexy?!) little engines I have ever seen. Further pictures will be posted with some constructional details in due course. The wheels are only just on (I don't like to force them home until I'm ready to fit them for the final time) and the splashers balanced in place. The footplate side sheets are made but not yet fitted. Cylinders and motion remain to be finished and may well be fitted after painting. They are very delicate and if I gum them up with paint (schoolboy error) I will not forgive myself! There is a little more plumbing to be done such as the steam pipes from the dome and the injectors but it is almost there. The drop in the buffer beam allowed the smokebox door room to open since the boiler was fairly low slung. Adams was a great believer in keeping the centre of gravity as low as possible, a popular theory of the time. The idea was that it made for steadier and safer running but this was not quite the case. The footplate was no wider than the outside edge of the splashers and therefore quite narrow. Later versions including those made by Stephenson who continued the design were wider. The coupling to the tender/carriage can be seen and th two brass pipes are the feed from the water tank, a long wide shallow container which sat under the tender/carriage. Apparently water from the well tank under the boiler was circulated back through this tank to keep the passengers warm in cold weather. Clever!

Hopefully the photos below will depict my progress over the last few days Last few sections being glued in place on the second board after checking on the turntable for position, height and alignment View from the front with the last fascia being fixed in place It all looks OK, ready for the different sections for the baseboard tops to be cut and glued in place. Checking all the cut-outs for the inspection pits, also the position of the boards that will support the mainline and head-shunt to the coal stack sidings All baseboard tops fixed in place with two coats of primer/undercoat. The piece resting on top will be the continuation of the gradient up to the coaling stage. Next task is to lay the cork underlay then, to gently break myself back into building track, I might start laying the sleepers and rail for the three sidings at the front.

Inspired by @Ray Von 's musings and the contributions re his blog - Third Rail N Gauge Shelf Terminus - while waiting for the weekend, my thoughts turned to Atherington's location, industries, and train services. While not a simple re-naming of a real town, being an 'ex-Central Division child' I wanted somewhere on the Sussex Weald, inland to model imagined fish and milk trains, all in a 'declining 1970's aesthetic' with both electric and diesel services. Inspired by memories of the East Grinstead and Seaford branches, I then 'stretched reality' to a more optimistic 'history', where freight could be struggling on still with a more supportive economy and government. My solution was thus: Atherington’s 'successful' west station is on an electrified main line direct to the Sussex coast, with another branch South-westerly like the Three Bridges - Horsham - Littlehampton line. Atherington Victoria station, 30 miles and 41 mins. from London Bridge, was opened later by a rival company, celebrating Her Majesty the late Queen of course. Its line South-east is to a mythical industrial port, the 'poorer cousin' to the 'Brighton Line'-ish route of its neighbouring station. This 'cousin' was electrified southwards just before W.W. II., but the northwards scheme cancelled. With this in mind, it would appear to suit the sites of Ashurst or Eridge, but with the Hastings main line going there, not to Royal Tunbridge Wells, which remained only on a 'loop' from Eridge to Tonbridge. I wished a link with the latter as an excuse for a second freight service. Despite the slower service on its less direct route to London, commuter traffic from Atherington Victoria remains buoyant, fares being cheaper than its whizzy electric rival and with a wealthy First class passenger-population living in the villages on the Weald, and using also the stations northwards. Similarly, commuters, school-children, and sixth-formers travel to Atherington for work and teaching from the north, east, and south-east. Consequently, there are two '33'-hauled peak-time trains to London Bridge morning and evening to supplement a basic hourly service by DEMU, that joins and divides further up the line serving another branch. This is a blatant attempt at catharsis, my being born too late to have been 'something in the City' and commute daily behind a '33' in Mk. I compartments, a standard of comfort now vanished from to-day's trains, and not appreciated by me until seeing their replacements. Both Atherington and the port's manufacturing economy is stable, if not growing significantly, with the 'legacy industries', agriculture, and reliable coal merchant excuse to run an 'optimistic' 1970's vacuum-braked (and predominantly drab bauxite) wagon-load goods service. A morning train from Norwood Jn to the port and back stops both north- and south-bound to exchange wagons. Lacey's Aggregates receives a cut of wagons of various minerals from a larger train from Acton to other terminals, and also contributes local chalk, sand, and gravel. This service might have a wagon or two added direct from the Western Region for speed and convenience. Additionally, there is a daily after-noon service from/to Tonbridge Yard, that can also include a wagon or two to/from the port. Depending on traffic, there is a TThO Norwood Jn/port goods train to 'mop up' any excess wagons, running 'Q' as required. With the introduction of the SLK 'Speedlink' air-braked service and recession of the early 1980's, goods trains are reduced to a twice-daily stop on a service from/to Willesden Yard to the port. The aggregate train from Acton is now a 'COY' company block-train, but booming in the era of expanding road building... I have yet to satisfy myself as to the delivery of coal in hoppers, not wanting to dig holes in baseboards to model a huge Concentration Yard. Apart from the coal merchant, I considered an extra private delivery for a coal-fired greenhouse plant nursery, but wonder if this would thrive on the chilly slopes of the Weald, even if heated. There is probably a good reason why the fruit and vegetable growers are along the Brighton-Portsmouth line on the warm coast. I hope to build some sort of cheap 'under hopper over rail' elevator to use the HKVs, HBAs, and HEAs. Loco-hauled and Non-Passenger services are run with similar 'modellers' licence', if based upon examples from an early 1980's Working Time Table: an early morning Parcels service from/to Bricklayers Arms, the Newspapers from London Bridge arriving at 04.27, fish dropped off in a 'Parcels' train from the port, and a milk train to take some of the Weald's dairy production to London for bottling. There is a short van train late morning to convey the greenhouses' produce to Bricklayers Arms for market, and the portion of an inter-regional service to Newcastle via Kensington Olympia once a day, with more lovely Mk. I. coaches. Sketching all these on a draft, clock-face time table, it had never occurred to me how complicated platform dwell-times, running-round, etc., could be. With their charming, arcane, artisan compositing I like so much, I should mock up a W.T.T. in 'Word', but lack the creative flair to compose three-dozen fictional names for the lines' subsequent stations. No doubt there are many errors as to the suppositions above, if only owing to the physical geography of which I know little. However, I hope this is of interest, and any ideas for improvements will be received gratefully.

I finished a model cab office yester-day to use for my aggregate merchant. It has not endeared me to white-metal kits - the brick-work is decidedly 'un-matching' and I glued one side out of true - but I am ridiculously pleased at how the colours have turned out. The mortar was painted in acrylic first, all over, and then a sponge dipped in brick-coloured brown no more than caressed over the walls, so as not to paint over the mortar. This needed to be done a few times, to get a darker and darker shade. Then one starts the never-ending cycle of painting doors, windows, and sills, re-painting walls that have been dabbed with fittings paint, then re-painting the fittings, then touching up the walls again, until one goes quite doolally and has had enough! The interior needs to be done, and eventually, I fool myself, I will be able to scratch-build my own from brick-sheet and with a chimney for a coal fire, but overall I am content. Owing to the lack of a local aggregate merchant's name to steal in the 1972 'Brighton Area' telephone directory, I used the one of a much-loved toy-shop from my childhood instead. I thought it sounded right, and must decorate the tipper when I find the lettering. That vehicle's livery is chosen quite at random, of course...

Waiting for pay-day and a trip to B. & Q. for more Araldite for the aggregate merchant's office, I could put off the cleaning and electrical testing after ballasting and painting no longer. Two naughty points caused problems, but with much track-rubber, rag and meths, and ultimately sand-paper, their sidings functioned again. Not as bad as feared, so I thought this was a photo-opportnity for my second-hand (Douglas J. Fryer of Lewes!), Hornby breakdown-crane. We saw one of these (or so it looked to my inexpert eye) whenever going to Brighton, so the model has always had a place in my heart from childhood, even if I have no need for it now.

Spent a couple of hours playing around with my partner's camera to get a shot of a 'Handsome Hymek' on the layout, and a lovely '73'. Anything to put off cleaning and testing the track and point-work...

Over the years I’ve gathered a small collection of anecdotes and photos that document quirky situations and customs on the real-life railway. The idea is to re-enact them in model form while the glue dries on other projects. The Slipper Boy story was one attempt at this, although admittedly that one got a bit out of hand! Here’s another, simpler one. First, the props: ***** Clear as mud, I suspect! Here’s what it’s all about: Railway Magazine, January 1906: Just another incident on the everyday railway, but we can’t allow this stuff to be forgotten! Below is an attempt to re-enact it in my Farthing setting. I’ll see if it works without words: ***** That was the event as reported. But I wonder what happened afterwards? All those tasty eels, and no ice left to keep them fresh... A quick discussion among the staff, perhaps, to find a solution? 🙂 ***** PS: I couldn’t find a period description of exactly how live eel were transported in Edwardian days, so the container seen here is loosely based on a 1970 FAO publication which documents a method that does not seem out of place in earlier days: "Live eels can be transported in small quantities in tray-boxes […]. A typical wooden tray-box contains four lift-out trays about 50mm deep, each designed to hold about 10kg of eels graded according to size. The top tray is usually filled with crushed ice so that cold melt water trickles down through the eels during the journey to keep them cool and lively. […] Each tray has drain holes and is divided across the middle to make a total of eight compartments holding about 5kg each, that is about 40kg for the whole box. The lid of the box is nailed on, and the whole is steel-banded both to prevent pilferage and to prevent the eels escaping through the joints. Boxes of this type are used successfully for live transport not only within the UK but also for 24-hour journeys from the Continent with little or no loss." Source: http://www.fao.org/3/x5915e/x5915e01.htm#Live storage and transport

A Dapol Class 73 Diesel-electric arrived bright and early this morning - my first step towards populating the layout with more "prototypical" loco's. (Still don't want to get rid of my Class 20 though...)

So it doesn't look like much does it? : Ta-da! : I needed to add some finishing touches - the closed position was a little loose, so I secreted a thin magnet and a washer to act as a securing catch: Of course, I only use the beer for illustrative purposes.... Cheers!

Being inspired by what id seen at Warley.. I set to work building my first layout (Tunnel Lane ) using tips from all the mags ,Facebook groups etc.. The goal was to get it in a mag and do a few exhibitions.. So 4 months in to the build to be appoarched by Model Rail for a feature I was totally blown away, Then with Tunnel lane finished, I really wanted to build another but this time and due to lack of space I wanted to build a micro layout. Armed with a Scale Model scenery baseboard Little Quarry was born ,and the start of Tunnel Lane Model Railways . I was also approached by Railway Modeller for a feature with Little Quarry which got me my first commission, Oldbury (as featured in the current BRM magazine)! I've also built 3 dioramas Portmadog, Barton Road and Barmouth for Alan at Modelu , I've built numerous layouts and commissions which In due course will gracing the pages of BRM. I do have a very active Facebook page which you are all very much welcome to come and take a look at https://www.facebook.com/groups/tunnellanemodelrailways/ YouTube channel https://youtube.com/channel/UCjf0qzVOWI1FsI3ouS7eaEA I also have an Instagram page of the same name to This is Little Burford my first dabble at 0 gauge.. Thanks for taking a look Regards Dan

Baseboard construction was put on hold this week due to the creation of a credible Signal Box Diagram. While I’d been waiting for the glue to dry on each section I’d put some thought into the signal diagram and how engine movements would be controlled. Even though I’ve read a few books on the subject I eventually realised that I needed some guidance and posted a request on the Scalefour Society’s Forum for advice. The information I received was superb and highlighted a number of issues with my original track plan and future thoughts. If you have a few moments to spare, as it does run to 45 posts, the forum thread can be found here. In a nut shell, the main issue I had with the plan was the control of movements across the crossover that allowed exit/entry to the Engine Shed. The general consensus was that railway companies tended to build track layouts that were cost effective for the location, (in both track and signalling). It was thought that my crossover design added a level of complexity that the GWR would not have built. So I set out to draw a simplified track plan which, like the GWR, will save me money in track and signalling components along with time in construction Luckily I’ve been able to draw the new track plan to, as near as dammit, fit the profile boards that I’d previously cut. The outcome has created a more prototypical plan and looks better for it. With the original track plan, if all my thoughts had come to fruition, I was looking at around 30 levers in the signal box. The new track will only require 20. The number sequence above is not set in stone because the creation of a locking table and dog chart might highlight levers that could be moved to simplify the interlocking. At this moment I’m not sure if I’ll build the locking frame as a mechanical or electrical frame, one thing for sure is it will be a project in its own right. Baseboard construction has restarted so my next post should show them built, painted and ready for track construction to begin.

The clamps I’d ordered to help with construction of the baseboards arrived yesterday, which enabled me to start constructing the framework for the first board. In an attempt to keep these large baseboards as light as possible I’m only gluing the components together, no screws or pins. On my previous layout (Tredethy Wharf) I’d glued and screwed the boards together so this is new territory for me. On these boards with the amount of joints and the supposed strength of wood glue (around 3000ppsi) I’m hoping it will be strong enough without the additional weight of the screws. The only addition I might make is adding a right angle brace of some sort in each corner of the board for added rigidity. So I’m taking it steady, clamping and gluing each section in place, checking levels and leaving to dry before moving on to the next section. The instructions claim the glue is dry within 30 minutes but the joints are fully cured in 18 to 24 hours. I’m leaving each section for about 6 to 8 hours before moving onto the next. At this pace this framework should be finished tomorrow, when I’ll start on the next board. I’ll be cutting the tops when the frames for all three boards are built.

Slow progress on the construction of the first baseboard. Hopefully the pictures will help to explain my thoughts on how I’m building the boards. At the moment nothing is fixed in place the books are helping to keep everything in place. All profiles have been cut to reflect the different ground levels, with additional sections cut out for the turntable and inspection pits. The baseboard top is at the bottom with the track plan on so I can position the infill sections to miss any possible conflicts with turnout wiring and TOUs. Fingers crossed I’ll get them all positioned correctly. There are just the last three sections to cut and position this will be done when all others are fixed in place this is in case I have miscalculated some dimensions. Looking from turntable end Middle baseboard joint Think it all might work out OK A good start the shed area being flat Mainline gradient (1:103)+ Hoping to get started on fixing it all together tomorrow.

I made a tentative start on building the baseboards yesterday. My first task was to mark the different track levels on each cross piece. All changes of track levels do seem subtle at this stage. I’m hoping that subtle changes should help to project a believable scene. At the above stage I realised that the very end cross piece (furthest away in the above photo) was going under the turntable. How did I miss that on my plan? I’ve been lucky enough to acquire a GWR turntable from Alan Smith after he’d decided to dismantle and break up his Little Stoke layout. I carefully brought all pieces out of storage and couldn’t resist installing the turntable deck to check it over. I’m looking forward to seeing this in operation. Little Stoke’s baseboard is 9mm and the turntable is mounted on a 15mm thick ply underneath to allow for the turntable pit. It’s a solid piece of modelling and therefore a little on the heavy side. Unfortunately, after mulling the options over, I think modifying it would destroy what is a good working turntable. With that in mind I decided to accept its solid construction and move on to how I’m going to install it into the baseboard. I was not surprised that the former track positions on the turntable board don’t match my plan; it would have been a slim chance if it had. That will be one modification that I’ll be able to match without causing any irreparable damage. So by ignoring the current approach tracks on the turntable board means I can align the turntable base square to my baseboard. In doing so means it would also miss the proposed inspection pit on the right (marked by the ply strip). My intention is to use 6mm plywood for the baseboard top with 3mm cork underlay which should match the 9mm of Little Stoke’s baseboard. All seems good at this point…

Ever wondered how easy keeping a model running to the real thing? Some of you may remember the appeal i launched in the preserved forum on rmweb where i neededto raise funds to keep 26043 running in 2017, that appeal was very successful but it never stops on one thing. This blog isnt an appeal its just an insight into the life of a preserved locomotive. 26043 has had a very successful year its visited no less than 5 preserved railways and taken part in 7 diesel galas as well as a driver experience course and scheduled running at its home railway. This year 26043 visited in order.... Swanage Railway West Somerset Railway Ecclesborne Railway Great Central Railway Epping to Ongar Railway Covering over 2,500miles trouble free.....well not totally trouble free a pipe did fracture at ecclesborne The end of the running season is now here and being non antifreezed locomotive 26043 enters hibernation at the end of the season where as some locomotives run throughout the winter. But more on this later. 26043 was built in 1959 and entered service that year, being a series 2 class 26 it went straight to scotland where it would spend the rest of its mainline working life, this makes 26043 58 years old, older than some steam locomotives and being withdrawn in 1993 has a working life of 34 years something only a few class 47s and other class 26s have surpassed. The class 26s like most type 2s were designed with a maximum service life of 25 years, which means that in 1984 26043 should have been withdrawn as life expired. However a massive investment program by scotrail which included an overhaul with a rewire saw a life extension of the class with the final examples being withdrawn not long after 26043 was withdrawn in 1993. By this time the class 26 were the only 6 cylinder sulzers running on british rail, the 24s and 25s and 27s all being withdrawn before the final demise of the class. So to give you a bit of an idea about how a preserved loco is financed here is a bit about the running contract 26043 runs under. on a preserved railway you have a running agreement with your host railway, this is a legally binding contract on what your obligations are as a locomotive owning group and what the railways obligations are to you, but the basics of the agreement as as follows... you the owning group will provide a maintained and operational locomotive which has passed the required fit to run exams and is deemed fit to haul passenger trains. In recompense in the case of 26043 the host railway provides the following.... £3.02 per mile ran in service Fuel Oil Anti Freeze (if applicable) Brake Blocks Filters (fuel and air) so basically if 26043 doesent run it doesent get paid.... now when you get a preserved locomotive running it doesent end there it requires constant maintenance, the complexity and frequency of this maintenance depends on the work its had to return it to service on your preserved railway..... 26043 has not been restored.....its been beaten back into life. As 26043 had major investment in the twilight of its life the restoration to service was a much simpler task than required by some locomotives which have simply been driven into the ground, 26043 on the other hand had comparitively low engine hours and as mentioned before benefited from a complete rewire. However we need to touch on the fact that 26s like most type 2s had a 25 year design life, BR had to invest significantly to exceed that by 8 years, its now 2017 and we have exceeded that design life by 32 years. And this manifests itself in a number of ways. You will see at the start of the blog i mentioned a very successful year with a number of visits after we purchased a fresh set of batters (the result of our appeal) at a cost of £4,800 i as secretary of the CMDG and co-ordinator of 26043 started signing contracts to bring in much needed extra revenue with other railways. my last conversation before the first drama of the new season was with the Engineering manager of the swanage railway "i dont want to sign the contract for the gala just yet if much rather make sure it behaves itself after its winter break". As i have touched on in my threads in preservation 1 thing locomotives really really dont like is sitting there doing nothing, and every winter each preserved loco does just that, early february arrived and the day my phone call with the engineering manager of swanage i proceeded to fill 26043 with coolant prior to waking it up for the 1st time of the season. I connected the hose and walked off to make a tea.....when i walked into the engine room to check the gauges of the two settling tanks to check the progress of the filling, i could hear a whoosing sound.....when i looked down at the base of one the two settlement tanks i could see a large hole with water seeping out of it....the settling tank had failed...... that was repaired and as we already know the locomotive completed a very successful season.....but i will outline what goes on with such a repair as now at the tail end of the season we are now repairing the second settling tank.....and just to be annoying the locomotive on its last day threw a curve ball...which is the title picture of this blog.... What is a settling tank? the settling tanks sit below the radiators, and there function is 2 fold. 1,) to allow the water to drain from the radiators after the water pump has stopped (which protects them from frost damage, and has the advanatage allowing you to change the radiator elements without draining the locomotive of coolant) 2,) to provide a large head of water for the triple pump to prevent cavitation because the water doesent drain quickly enough through the radiators to keep up with the flow provided by the pump, cavities can cause the crane seal on the triple pump to fail which means locomotive downtime and is a particularly expensive (for a seal) to replace. the settling tanks would have been replaced (or inspected and repaired) at 26043s last overhaul in the mid 80s meaning when the 1st tank failed at the start of the year they would have been 35 years old they are of simple galvanised steel construction, seam welded and have a steel thickness (when new) of about 3mm. The cause of the failure was simply corrosion, and its the removal of the tank and whats involved i will outline in this blog post. The first tank was removed found to be generally ok despite severe pitting on the base of the tank and around the leak site, so this was welded after the tank was shot blast, the pits refilled with chemical metal and the tank given 3 coats of phengaurd which is an anti corrosion paint normally used in ships ballast tanks. As the tanks were in sound condition apart from small areas of the base, the descision was made to repair rather than replace. So fast forward to last weekend the second tank which despite not leaking isnt likely to last much longer without treatment as they are both the same age. The locomotive has two tanks as there are two banks of radiators.... So whats involved.....first of all the radiator frame has to be removed after you have removed the cowling surrounding it internally and all of the radiator elements themselves. you see here the frame being hoisted out of the locomotive, the base of the frame is about halfway up the picture wth the authors foot in the background on the ladder, you can also get an indication of the actual radiator elements themselves which are bolted to the studs either side of the holes, at the bottom of the picture is the top of the settling tank itself. The two fluted pipes at the bottom of the frame is what drains the water from the radiators into the tank during operation and after the pump has stopped. Here you see the frame in all its glory, its just been extracted via the shoulder of the locomotive the frame itself is a 4 man lift and is roughly 6 feet tall by about 4 feet wide. The frame will be shotblasted and repainted before re-installation. And here is the tank itself that as been removed via the engine room door and then via the cab door at the side of this picture, as its too big to come out of the same hole the frame came out of earlier, this is a 3 man lift. And here we have several views of the interior of the tank iself, you see the baffles and the drain pipe and also the corse strainer which stop large particles enter the pipe which then runs to the triple pump, large particles could foul the impeller of the tripple pump damaging it. You can see despite being drained of coolant that about an inch or so of water remains, also note the brown coating on everything.....this is essentially the engine block which is being desolved by the water and deposited throughout the cooling system, its this sludge which builds up and causes the corrosion to speed up dramatically while the locomotive is drained, despite being galvanised the presence of this sludge causes bimetallic corrosion eventually this eats its way through the tank and a hole appears. The "hammer" looking object is actually a float for the water gauge which indicates how much water is in that tank. we havent yet got a hole so we are cleaning the tank and then treating it so a hole wont appear for atleast 10 years....that means 26043 earns money and this pays the bills because fixing things on full size locomotives costs a lot of money. I mentioned earlier the locomotive threw a curve ball, the above was planned maintenance well on its last day of service 26043 threw us a curveball. you see above a nice jet of water coming out of the heat exchanger of the engine, the heat exchanger is a vital part of the locomotive and it ensures that the oil temperature is kept at a safe level, this is because of two reasons. 1,) The hotter the oil gets the thinner the oil gets and the thinner the oil the lower the oil pressure, low oil pressure means accelerated wear of vital engine components 2,) the oil is used to cool the pistons, if the pistons are allowed the get too hot the chances of catastrophic engine failure are increased exponentially. the big blue pipe is the water inlet of the heat exchanger, this has just come from the radiators via the triple pump and its the lowest temperature before it makes its way to the water jacket and also the turbo charger, so the the water flows in to cool the oil the part you can see leaking is the end cap of the heat exchanger. We see here the heat exchanger in its entire form,the two salmon pink pipes are the oil feed and outlet at the far end the oil feed comes directly from the sump and the oil outlet returns the cooled oil to the sump, the object connecting the pipes together is a pressure limiting valve which ensures the oil pressure never exceeds 65psi, the reason for this is to make sure that the crankshaft oil seals are not damaged which would cause excess oil to leak from the engine. you see here the heat exchanger with the cap removed, note the same brown sludge as the settling tanks, however the core of the heat exchanger is copper and brass so is not affected by corrosion. The heat exchanger works in the opposite to a steam locomotive boiler....which is the easiest way to describe it, water flows through the tubes which the oil surrounds and as a result the oil gives up its heat to the water which is then returned to the radiators, which then cool the water and the cycle repeats. Note 4 of the the tubes have been blanked off, this is where water has frozen in the tubes and ruptured them causing water to leak into the oil and vice versa these then need to be capped off with bolts to seal them and take them out of service, you are as a rule of thumb allowed to "blank off" 10% of the tubes without compromising the coolant needs of the oil, more than 10% risks premature damage to the engine and would require a very very expensive repair or replacement of the heat exchanger. a close up of the otherside of the leaking end cap you can clearly see a number of pits including a "shiny one" (the big round one on the right isnt a pit its a drain plug) the shiny one is the hole, the mild steel (about 15mm thick) has corroded away to reveal the galvanised outer coating (about 1/3 of a mm thick) which has leaked because its unable to withstand the pressure of the water behind it, you can also see several other "pits" which is how this hole started, the pits are a result of the same bimetallic corrosion that attacks the settling tanks. so you can see one aspect of keeping a locomotive running.....3 weeks ago 26043 was hauling trains its now the end of the season and time to make good the wear and tear of the years running, a bit like our models but on a much grander scale, please ask any questions and let me know your views and that will decide if i continue these blogs which i will if there is sufficient interest and the MODs dont mind. Finally The hole left behind while the radiators are out of the locomotive you can see the fan in the roof and the opposite bank of radiators with there fibreglass cowling (all removed last year for treatment of the tank below that one)