Clean, build and protect!

 The parts of No 9 that are servicable have been cleaned using hot wash and grit blasting with a lot of success. The safety valves in particular have cleaned up well using glass beads which are less abrasive than steel grit. However some parts have had to be renewed, e.g. the ashpan and damper doors and a new sandbox (the original having disappeared!).

Start of new ashpan.

New ashpan being built.

New ashpan.

Ashpan fully protected with red oxide.

Damper doors - front on floor, rear on table.

Combined steam and delivery valve partially blasted with glass beads.

Front and rear safety valves cleaned - glass beads give the brass a satin look to polish.

Filter for water tank.

5mm steel sheet marked out for new RH trailing sandbox.

New RH trailing sandbox parts grit blasted & protected.

3 of the 5 steps protected with grey undercoat. These had to be needle-gunned and some straightening had to be applied.

Reverser frame

 In October 2020, with No 9 finally inside The Shed, the reverser frame and rod were dismantled for inspection and cleaning. The counterweight was secured and we tackled the work. All but 2 of the nuts and bolts needed much persuasion  releasing there grip - this engine has been looked after!

Reverser secured before removing lever and rod.

Reverser frame and lever.

Reverser rod removed - starting on the frame. This engines bolts have been fairly easy to dismantle - kept well lubricated, but not all!

Reverser rod lying on running board.

Reverser lever frame.

Pivot block lying on top of reverser rod.

Just 2 bolts to remove. These bolts were the ones that were not co-operating!

Reverser lever and frame dismantled. The cab floor and side plates had been removed in August as they were well past their sell-by date.

Boiler, firebox and smokebox.

 During late August, September and into November 2020 we got onto the inner workings of No 9. Taking advantage of Ainscough on site for other jobs, her boiler was weighed. 9.2 tons.

 

Ainscough crew checking on boiler weighing. She was 9.2 tons with tubes.

Boiler weighed in at 9.2 tons.

Brick arch half broken up.

Firebox tube plate with tubes burnt out. Still to do the smokebox end!

Nick popping up through thr chimney opening.

Top of dome removed. Regulator valve to be removed to allow access to get access to tubes. Seonagh (L) Benny (R) Allan below!

Steam pipe removed from front tube plate.

Benny cutting out the smokebox end of the tubes. We removed 32 pm.

Allan F cutting the new inner smokebox door using the plasma cutter.

Smokebox tubeplate cleaned of tubes. Benny removed ends from boiler.

Work on the bunker and footplate in August 2020

 During August the bunker was removed  for full examination and to allow the cab floor plates, which we knew were badly corroded, to be replaced. A raised platform had also to be removed to uncover the top of the RH sandbox, which had been also been removed at some point. A new sandbox will be made as the original is missing!

 RH side of footplate steps. This needed to be removed to access bolts to release steps.

RH side of footplate with cover removed. Hole for sandbox revealed.

Bunker being lifted clear of footplate.

Bunker removed. Floor in footplate will need replacing.

 LH floor panel removed. Allan French caught on camera!

RH side of footplate with bunker stored on RH of gate. Sand box hole behind reverser.

Makers plates from the bunker heated and shotblasted. Robert Stephenson & Hawthorns Ltd, Newcastle & Darlington 1943.