45163 Restoration Group

 

Archived news from 2008

 

Our new rear left cylinder cover machined up at Williton on the West Somerset Railway, is shown
on the right. This is to replace one that was cracked and scrapped by the previous owner. The one
on the left of the photo is our original right rear cylinder cover sent to the machine shop to copy for
the machining information.

 

Both of our front cylinder covers were missing, having been removed at Barry, so whilst having
the new rear cover cast we had two new front covers cast as well and these were also machined
at Williton for us. the picture above shows a front cylinder cover borrowed from 45293 as a pattern
for machining and the two underneath are the new ones for 45163.

 

On the inside of the frames, just behind the firebox, there are two brackets that provide support
to the cab floor. These were cast brackets and the two on 45163 had suffered over the years from
both corrosion and mechanical damage so they needed to be replaced. The easiest option
seemed to be to fabricate new brackets rather than make castings. Above can be seen the
originals at the back and the two new fabricated ones are in the foreground.

 

The Black Five drawbars were fitted with Spencer Moulton drawbar pads. Two were fitted to the front
locomotive drawbar and two to the rear tender drawbar. These are an assembly of steel plates and
moulded rubber. We did not have a complete set and on the one we had the rubber had perished and
needed renewing. In order to get the new ones made we had to supply the replacement steel plates.
The picture above shows the various stages of manufacture. At the rear left of the picture is an original
plate after the rubber had been removed. At the rear right is a blank for one of the new plates after the
holes had been drilled. The one at the front right has been flanged over a former and the one on the
front left has had the flange machined down to size.

 

Above is one of the new plates now finished with the centre hole for the drawbar bored out.

 

The finished drawbar pad after the plates have been hot dip galvanised and the rubber moulded.

 

Machining the white metal surfaces for the reverser nut.

 

The newly refurbished reverser now assembled with the new screw and nut. All the bronze bushes
on the reverser stand had already been replaced with new ones.