Of fuel in engines

24th February 2019

It was just the faithful two of us - the two Petes - on Monday. Sounds like an 80s comedy duo, like Ronnies or Pete and Dud (and I'm not saying which of us is a dud).

Pete C got on with finishing the split pins in the crossbeam collars, added 25 litres of oil into the gearbox and then found a slight hydraulic oil leak where I'd blocked a hole in the res tank for the converter with a nut and bolt. (The res tank was for a while the fuel header tank on 14 901). We drained the res down, added a Dowty seal and refilled it. Of course, my most important task was to find out why the wiring wasn't performing. First thought was to set up the clutch limit switch. You must not start the engine with the clutch engaged, so the limit switch needs to detect that the clutch lever is in the 'out' position. Setting up, therefore, became a simple matter of having the limit switch detect 'on' with the arm in mid-air (it's default position), but pulled over to 'off' when the arm is pushed back by the cylinder.

That cleared the way to sort the electrics unaided, and when taking the cover off the relay box it was apparent that the timer was powered up but when I operated the keyswitch, nothing happened. One possible answer was that the keyswitch itself wasn't making, so I unplugged it, checked the pins hadn't been displaced, and then checked it through electrically. Nothing wrong there so I returned to the timer relay, after doing some other checks to ensure that feeds from the engine were where they ought to be. Now, this is a multi-function timer that I hadn't used before, so I had pored over the tech sheets and wired it up in accordance with the manufacturers' instructions - or so I thought - but just in case I'd brought up a copy of the leaflet that had come with it. First discovery, the timer was in the wrong mode, but that made no difference. There were 3 terminals on the relay which the manufacturers' technical literature showed ganged together, so that's how I'd wired them. However, two of the three were lettered R and P and while I am scratching my head I find this leaflet explains that these are Pause and Reset functions. I switched from scratching head to smacking head, took out the two superfluous links, and the timer then performs and the Run and Start relays respond exactly as they should. There's still no fuse in the Start relay circuit, and anyway no fuel in the engine, so it's just a matter of it now being ready to go.

Pete C joined me in the cab, he cleaned out the cam boss that drives the driver's brake valve, while I adjusted the assembly and fitted the throttle control arm on to the throttle cross shaft.

While we are waiting for the fuel bowser, we put the fan guard on the fan cowl and a few other tidy up jobs. At about half two the fuel bowser arrived, towed by an all-terrain tractor.

The operator, John, is soon to be Pete C's son-in-law, so Pete gave him a tour of the loco before filling it. To refresh you, a year or so ago we cut sections out of the fuel tank in order to extract all the dirt and ballast that had been put down them and whilst they had been professionally welded back up, I always had a nagging doubt that when the time came there would turn out to be a pinhole somewhere in many inches of weld. The fuel isolating taps were off, both the engine feed and the cross-connection, and we kept an anxious eye on the tanks as John filled them, but no damp patches appeared. And other than some tidying up jobs, adding spiral wrap around wires where they emerged from conduit, securing a flex conduit that was loose against the converter with a 'p' clip, etc., there was little else to do before going for the full startup, and to have done so with just the two of us would have resulted in a mutiny when Andy H returned, plus we really could do with extra eyes for leaks etc.

On Tuesday, Pete C oversaw the arrival of the glazing contractor. When we had been arranging the sponsorship, I had asked tactfully if we could try and get white filler strip in the window rubbers because it looks so much better than black. It is rather like lining out a panel, the three parallel lines (black-white-black) appeal to the eye more than a thick black surround. It had added to the final price (I assume that the contractor had to buy some in specially) but I'd got my way. Pete C understood why I'd pushed for it. In the end the glazing man put 11 of the 14 windows in but the rear window, being over the walkway guard, he had to put in with the filler strip on the inside because he couldn't work on the sloping guard. If we can organise a work trestle when he returns, he's offered to reverse it. I haven't seen the finished result myself yet, but Pete C sent me some photos, and here's one as a taster.

Finally, late in the week, the throttle cable arrived. A quick dimensional check shows it should just work out right at the cab end between the bulkhead fitting on the cable to the throttle lever in mid position, but just in case there's a joggled bracket available to reposition it.

On Saturday Andrew started by manufacturing a new 'special tool' to continue with extracting the clutch assembly from Ashdown, but then seemed to disappear - it took me a while to realise he was hiding within the generator bay on 1382 with only a mag drill and a 2 inch rotabroach for company, drilling out the floor skins to bring the vac pipe up from the train pipe underneath. After some bits and bobs I moved over to the Hatz power unit, having connected everything up I brought the battery back into its housing and connected it into place. When Andrew came out to stretch his legs, I summoned him over in case of needing emergency assistance and with a ceremonial countdown turned the key. First time, nothing happened, but actually, I'd only turned the key the first stage. I tried again and this time fell into the cranking position and the engine cranked briefly. With a bit more confidence I tried again and although it didn't run, (there was no fuel connection) it coughed, spluttered and smoked from fuel still within, so we plugged the fuel feed in and almost immediately on cranking again it fired and ran. We didn't keep this up as it quite quickly started pushing fuel back up the spill return line which was going to make a mess, but clearly once boxed back up and an oil change it should be good to go. Now the pressure is on to buy a suitable winch, pump and control valves, and get it all mounted on the trailer.

Today Andrew was taking grandson back to his mother's in Norfolk, and after some other work was out the way I wandered down with the intention of putting a couple of batteries on charge ready to back us up with RS8 tomorrow, and box up the 'new Hatz' using the (better condition) casing parts from the 'old Hatz'. I had swopped over the plate that carries the electrical connections (the new one is corroded right thru') and was trying to mate up the outside pressed piece with all its noise-deadening matting incorporated when I came to a subtle conclusion. These two Hatz's are actually not the same. Similar, but the old Hatz is a couple of inches squatter than the new. They're both single pots, with the same fixing sizes and clearly from the same stable, but maybe our new Hatz is actually a longer stroke, with more power. Either way, all the corroded body parts which I would have liked to discard will have to be patched up and re-used, although maybe I can make some new out of 2mm plate where they are not too complicated or require tooling to form. Meantime the question arises whether to a make semi-permanent connection arrangement between Hatz and control box, with some means of keeping the weather off.

Peak Rail has taken up much of my time this week, as we near the first anniversary of the newsletter which Peak Rail saw fit to issue under Peter Waterman's signature. Although I have generally refrained from commenting on it on this blog, most of one page of a four-page document was aimed fairly and squarely at me, making various allegations. A 10-page letter of rebuttal went to Waterman barely 48 hours after the letter arrived on shareholders and members' doormats, yet Mr Waterman did not reply. I had no option but to take it up with lawyers - the newsletter had asserted that I had done things that were not true and accused me of things that impugned my integrity. My father was a senior civil servant, my sister went quite high in the legal profession: I may be the black sheep of the family by going into commerce rather than public service, but it doesn't make my moral standards any less ingrained. We have fought this battle throughout last year, but have stayed silent long enough. On Friday I released a statement, approved by my solicitors. Edited 26-6-2024 (link to PRAG failing because site has been closed down). 

Enough of all that. The van's loaded, Jagger's arrived and Andy H is back from Snowdonia, so let's see what happens with RS8 tomorrow. I'll be back next week, see you then?