After many months at Rothley we have returned “home” to Quorn but before we get into the weekend some news from the week.
First B855667 left Rothley Thursday to join the tank wagon train as a barrier at the photochater organisers request. It will then join the van train taking it to our operational target of 17 vehicles but there are more to come, with remedial action required on a few especially those we did more than 4 years ago now.
The big news however is the arrival of 3711, rail vehicle number 99 for the fleet. This is a Hurst Nelson built 22T Class B Esso tank, similar to our Chas Roberts tank numbered 3436. It arrives to us from Meldon Quary. Once complete this will increase the Tanker train to a possible maximum of 9, this of course includes the tar tank on the Mountsorrel. This vehicle was subject to a number of posts on social media a few months ago and we were linked to them, to be honest when those posts were being forwarded to us, we had already sealed the deal and organised its arrival.
On to Saturday, the priority being getting the new arrival fit to move. First task freeing off all the brake rigging. Either by heat, brute force or disassembley.
Essentially with the brakes off the wheels then that is job done. But why do tomorrow what we can do today. so the next task the bearings. The west side was missing the bearing covers and we have seen images of the vehicle in 2006 in the same state.
We removed covers from one of our spare wheel sets. Nick cleaned the open bearings
Followed by purging and then filling all 4 axles with grease . This is the first cycle and after a shunt move in the week we shall look at the bearings again.
One thing that will need looking at in the near future is the vacuum system. Below is the top of one of the cylinders, it gets worse the lower down you go.
With Saturday a success in getting the vehicle movable Sunday was spent attempting to stop it.
Focus was on the North end axle. I looked at freeing off the brake shoes and replacing the cracked ones on the bow girders
Ross looked at freeing off the swing links supporting the bow girder fulcrums. Whist Nick and Richard cleaned the removed components
Nick and Richard also looked at freeing off the west side brake leaver. A slight twist causing it to wedge in the rack required some heat to straighten. With Ross reassembling the north end brake rigging
With the rigging around the north end axle freed we moved down to the cross shaft input this being another pair of swing links supporting a fulcrum for the north and south axles.
This was fully stripped including the thermally removed bolts that support the top of the assembly.
Nick then refitted the northend brake blocks
With just enough time to reassemble, this gives us 2/3 of brake rigging free and working. Although as this does not complete the system the south axle will require the same attention.
That completes this update, and as always join us next week as we continue with the brakes and hopefully 4 new items of interest.
Quorn Wagon & Wagon 