We’ve missed a few weeks with the regular reports, so here is a quick round up of happenings over the last few days in the T&I team.  Newcastle 114 also arrived back from Crich after its visit there (see earlier posts) and will be reassembled and recommissioned next week.

Below: A curator’s eye view!  There is something at the other end of the tele-handler’s boom…

Below: The remains of a lead mine tub emerge into the daylight!  This waggon, which has the remains of its chassis and body (but little else!) will be restored/rebuilt to form a tender for Samson, enabling a reserve of water and coal plus fire irons etc. to be kept in a handy location and enable the range or duration off-shed for the engine to be extended.  It will also be the first waggon in a lead mine train, so should look the part behind Samson.  Matt, our RHEC apprentice is carrying out the restoration work as part of his ‘passing out’ as a fully fledged heritage tradesman and the work will shortly occupy the space to date occupied by Samson, whose boiler and frames will be accumulating some mileage around the UK as they are prepared for final assembly.

Below: Not a very promising pile of bits, loaded and ready for removal to the workshop.  Included is a later chassis, with early bits, which will be placed in the Colliery shortly.

Below: Perhaps a little more promising?!  The various components in the workshop ready for stripping and replication/restoration.

Below: A working drawing (prepared from a published outline and a survey of an extant vehicle in our stores) which Matt will use for the reconstruction.  I tried the water tank in two places, and prefer the top right detail, to allow for filling with coal and access to tools etc.

Below: The castings for Samson’s backhead/firehole door have been received, with the cast door and main surround being shown here.  Dave will add the latch, door baffle and sundry other bits and pieces to this as well as prepare it for mounting on the boiler backhead.

Below: The steam fountain for Samson, which supplies steam from the boiler to the injector, whistle and pressure gauge.  The blower is fed from the cylinder block and a second water feed is mechanically driven via the pump rod from the crankshaft.  Also shown are two discs for the clack valves (non-return valves which allow water into the boiler but, in theory, not out!).  We have the whistle and its valves in stock, the injector valve will be a standard valve with new handwheel and the pressure gauge has gone away for overhaul and a new, more appropriate, face.

Below: Terry Pinnegar has repainted 16’s truck frame, applying the final coat of gloss as well as attending to such things as the springs, wheels and axleboxes.  In the background Chris and team are working on teh myriad details required for R025’s restoration, with attention focussed on the magneto and its mechanical connection to the advance/retard lever which is located on the main bulkhead.