Separation can be painful - not in No 9's case!

Separation looks painful but in No 9's case she will feel the benefit in the long run. After a huge amount of work by Benny and Adam the smokebox, boiler barrel and firebox have been prized apart using the plasma cutter and other devices (i.e. wedges and hammer!)  to lay bare damage to at least two of these parts. In particular the throat plate has many weakness's around some stays and this will be replaced. This may have been caused by expansion and contraction when it was briefly in steam prior to being mothballed. The copper firebox will need attention to the top as the dip is now clearly seen. The barrel is in good condition and seems to need no serious work.

Now a three piece - firebox, barrel & smokebox!

Smokebox minus door. This is ready to be hung when the time comes.

Front tube plate now fully accessible with smokebox removed.

Support for the barrel now it has been separated fron the firebox.

Barrel with throat plate. Throat plate,
which has been NDT'd, is to be replaced.

Inside of barrel with steam dome opening.

Throat plate damage with metal failure around stays.

Close-up of damage on throat plate.

Firebox tube plate. Side wrapper sheets will be replace.

Firebox with stays that connected the backhead still in place.

Top of copper firebox damage. This will be replaced from a line just below the shackle.Visible dip along length.

Some extra photos taken on Thursday 6th Oct with more work in progress.

Front tube plate removed and turned. 

Will be cleaned to see for damage.

Front tube plate damage. Cleaning will identify more. Top row, 2nd from right shows damage already.

 

Benny burning out stays with plasma cutter on outer wrapper to remove it.

Wrapper with some stays burnt out.