Of leaks and tweeks

30th August 2020

It has been a fairly hectic week here at the Briddon Country Pile. Back on Monday I was rushing about the countryside, firstly north to Sheffield, then south, zig-zagging across the green and pleasant land getting to various places, such as the depot where my low loader is presently standing, a site where I had to deliver a loco to later in the week and finally at a contractor where the wheelset for the Baguley Brewery was ready for collection. Now normally this is not the sort of thing I would take in the van, but we had estimated that it could only be around half a ton, and short enough to fit in the back. Indeed, the highly sophisticated fork lift used to load had built-in weighing equipment and confirmed that it was only 510kgs, which even allowing for tools and other bits already on board, was comfortably within the van's rating.

The wheelset was duly lifted out at Darley Dale our forklift's 2m forks proving invaluable yet again

I was doing a loco move on Wednesday and while out, got a call from the manufacturers of Ashdown's compressor to the effect that they'd tested it and it was working perfectly, and would I like to come and see? I agreed to schedule it for Friday morning. Meanwhile on Thursday after another trip to suppliers in Sheffield, the gardening contractors came in to inspect the results of their weedkilling and add a fresh dose to anywhere they'd missed. So on Friday I was on the road early, heading across to an unimposing industrial unit stacked with compressors, motors, air tanks, etc., etc. There was Ashdown's compressor, connected to an air tank and with a motor driving it with a small pulley to achieve the 600rpm we had been running it at and able to demonstrate it charging this 200 litre tank to 100 and then 140 psi. We spent some time discussing what might have happened that we were getting such poorer results but I came away with the compressor in the back and much more confident.

On Saturday Andrew was assisting me with a commercial job, but we didn't get down until just after lunch to find Alistair L and his son had been there for the previous two hours progressing the paintwork on Charlie, which is looking all the better for it. Today I got down ahead of Andrew to progress a few tasks before he arrived and we turned our attention to Ashdown. The compressor had been refitted, and after the usual oil and coolant checks the loco was started up and made pressure better than before. Setting the governor valve proved a trifle problematic though, when it transpired that the safety valve was blowing off below that at which the governor was supposed to cut out! Meanwhile the vacuum was struggling at about 16 or 17 inches, which proved to be leaks at the vac hose connections. Andrew changed a clamp at one end and the seals at the dummies at both ends, finding in the process that they had been nipped up tight instead of being able to pivot, and in the case of the rear that the tab sticking out from the buffer beam had a square end so that the dummy couldn't pivot anyway. I set up the 110 and he trimmed it down so that the dummy could move.

Air pressure being raised, Andrew adjusted the supply regulator that feeds the two train brake control valves, and the vac system could be controlled satisfactorily, though without a train attached it could be a little skittish, but as Andrew observed, no worse than the old dmu valve it replaced.

With my having gone around topping up the axlebox lubricator pots again, Ludwig Mond was fired up to clear the track ahead and we took Ashdown for a spin, but the throttle control valve on the gearbox gave trouble, sticking open and when it does so, it pulls the engine revs down and we had to limp back to the shed. With the air drained down Andrew pulled the valve apart- the reset spring is a fine brass one with not a great deal of force to it so we added a shim to increase its pressure, and while the 110 was still set up drilled and mounted a regulator to the inside of the casing. Up front the safety valve came apart easier than unscrewing from its fitting - Andrew reassembled it and set it to open at about 115psi using shop air before it was refitted.

With the safety staying quiet and the throttle control valve working as required, the subsequent tests went well, just leaving us a few minor jobs to complete before the loco leaves this week for Shillingstone.

And on other railways, we hear that at Elsecar the Trust has handed the lease back to Barnsley council, who have upped security to protect the remaining assetts. It appears that the Trust has got itself into a mess with the private company engaged to work with them, who sold Mardy Monster (the Peckett 0-6-0ST once owned by Harry Stenton) which the Trust regarded as not theirs to dispose of. How much of all this is due to the pandemic is unclear, but for now the railway is well and truly closed and not even volunteers are allowed on site. Andrew and I spent many hours at Elsecar - 14901 was got running there after all - and we did much to sort out their Hunslet and Yorkshire 0-6-0DHs. It'll be a shame if the entire project now folds, but I suspect it may not be the last. And with that, I'll wish you all a happy Bank Holiday, stay safe and I'll be back next week. See ya then.