INTRODUCTION

First up -its not really called Harry. As yet it doesn’t have a name. Its not even a new project as I started it 45 years ago when I still lived at my parents and had a workshop in their garage. It all came to a halt when I moved to a job at the Festiniog Railway and has been maturing since.

I’ve always wanted to finish it but I either didn’t have a workshop or was busy with other stuff. The original design, by Milner Engineering, was reckoned to be buildable  using a Myford ML7 lathe. I can only reckon that it was pushing the limits on that lathe (which is what I had at the time).

Fast forward to now I have a lathe much larger than the Myford and I have just acquired a larger milling machine (getting that installed is a project in itself) so now my workshop is, or will be, suitably equipped.

Sort of prompted by my 65th Birthday I’ve just done a finish it or flog it review, I have most of the main frame platework, a full set of castings and  set of partly machined cylinders so it really came down to the boiler. First decisions were easy: –

• It’ll be a professionally built boiler as I don’t have the facilities to make one.
• A copper boiler is in the £10K zone, so that’s out.
• A steel boiler is more like £4K so that’s a possibility.

So, the decision is – FINISH IT

MOTIVATIONS

Number 1:

I am a member of York & District Model Engineers and we do public running at our club track in Dringhouses alongside the East Coast Main Line.

When we do public passenger running it is mostly done with battery electric models of standard gauge diesels. There are several Class 66’s.  There doesn’t seem to be a lot of steam but when there is its very popular. I’d like my engine to earn its keep on these days.

Number 2

When I lived in Derby I was a member of the Derby Society of Model and Experimental Engineers. I didn’t have a loco of my own but I drove the 5″ gauge Mountaineer in this picture many miles at the home club and on awaydays to other clubs.

The loco owner was, shall we say, of senior years and once steamed up he’d do a few laps and then retire to the platform bench with a mug of tea and his pipe whilst a few of the younger members drove his loco.

What we probably didn’t appreciate at the time was that what was actually happening was supervised training.

I aspire to be the man on the bench with a mug of tea watching my engine earn its keep and give experience. (not taking up the pipe though!

PROGRESS

Well, first thing is don’t hold your breath waiting for the next instalment. Progress will be slow. First thing I have been doing is converting the paper drawings to a 3D model in SolidWorks. This is not strictly necessary but its proving to be a good exercise in reading and understanding the paper drawings. It also goes some way to prove that you can right any old tosh on a paper drawing that then doesn’t add up in a 3D model which checks distances etc. This is it so far: –

The frames have been leaning up against the shed outside for the last umpteen years so the first job has been to clean the rust off.

This was done with an angle grinder loaded with an abrasive flap wheel outside on the drive whilst listening to the cricket. They were then given a wipe down with a degreaser.

They’ve now been painted with proper new train green paint.

When I was first building this I was working at BREL Litchurch Lane Works building new trains and all the new carriage bodyshells were painted with this green primer. Its T&R Williamsons Spec 81 Anti Corrosive Green Primer. It worked a treat then so I decided to use the same now.

The bit I forgot from back then was that they used to thin the first coat 50% so it brushed on easily filling all nooks and crannies’ before adding a second coat. Full strength as a first coat was a bit treacley!

When all said and done it there to protect it whilst I build it. It’ll get a full paint job when finished.

The other project has been cleaning and de-rusting the partly machined cylinders.

These would have tested the Myford lathe so I was fortunate to get these machined at Boston Lodge by the late Keith Riddel as a demo job at one of the gala open days.

They’ve been bored, one end faced and the back machined flat. There is more to do but my new (to me) mill will do that.

WOW

Last night I took one of the frames and one of the cylinders to York City & District Society of Model Engineers “bits and pieces” night. We have these night monthly to fill in between the main talks and its a bunch of us getting together and doing a “show and tell” on something we’re working on, have found or want to know more about.

I took my stuff along as  change from the usual EDM Models fare I have been showing them as a sort of declaration of intent. I just go going telling my tale when a voice chimed up, “I’ve got one of those, want to borrow it”. My immediate response was “yes, lets talk later.”

I am told this is a picture of it back in the 80’s when it was newly built.

Its out of boiler ticket, not from failing, just from not renewing it and the offer is I can have it to use if I get its boiler ticket sorted. Its run at the club and its last boiler certificate was issued by our club. There was a lot of enthusiasm at the club to see it sorted and running again so I won’t be short of help.  It’ll probably cost me a the price of getting a towbar fitted as it travels in a trailer.  Next thing is to go and see it.