Custom-made Bolts

Report by  Dave High. Photos and all the hard work by Dave Linton

The KS4415 project is full of contrasts: after the last report of heat, team work & big hammers, now a report on one person working carefully & precisely.

Each axlebox has 4 bolts which connect the upper (keep) part of the axlebox to the springs. Of the 24 bolts, 6 were considered unfit for re-use. Dave Linton has manufactured 7 new ones: 6 for fitting, one ‘just in case’. The drawing below shows the various components. Dave had previously made the spring clamp plates.

Overview of the components

Roughing out in the lathe

A machinist's half-dozen

Some brutal attention from a hacksaw

Tickled off to fit in the milling machine

Rather sexy, if you like that kind of thing

With the Kerr Stuart drawing

This is what the finished product looks like 

The view from the top of the axlebox, with one of the old bolts for company

A Riveting Report...

News from 11th  March 2016 

Photos by Adrian Strachan, Paul Wood, Rob Bishop

Last month's brief diversion into the 21st Century and MIG welding has passed. The March working party has returned to the solid, good old-fashioned values of 1927. Away with your new-fangled welding, bring on the hot riveting!

To me, to you! ...

Job No 1 saw the replacement angle bracket fitted. The notch out in the bracket is to clear the gearbox when the frames are the right way up; they are still upside down at the moment.

 The saga of the drivers’ side rear frame repair has also reached its conclusion.

 Also at the cab end of the loco are a number of brackets supporting the step ‘pockets’ below the footplate. Several where very badly wasted and have been replaced. Matty Wolstenholme gets up close & personal with some hot stuff.

We managed to get the floor plates riveted in. The angle brackets in the photo below are original. It is strange how some of these brackets where fine and others completely corroded away. 

We even managed to fit the angle iron stiffeners to the bottom of the buffer beams. All of the heavy work on the main frames is now complete, but we still need to replace some rotten steel on the sub frames. The drawing below records progress to date. The red bits have been restored and the blue bits replaced. The pink sub frames are the next area of work, together with turning the wheels. Dave Linton is making steady progress manufacturing replacement bolts and pins and we have received quotes for some new drive chains.