Engineering notes

By Tony Massau

Much trial assembly and hole drilling continues on the firebox plates with some subsequent temporary dismantling for other bits to be attended to.

Further lubrication pipe runs have been completed for the pony trucks from oil pots on the frame at the front of the loco and at the rear. This work would be difficult with the pony trucks in place. The appropriate oil pots are being machined at present. Some work has been done on the steam supply pipe to the steam brake cylinder.

Some work has been done on the piston heads and also on machining the atomisers.

82XXX in BR Days

By Chris Proudfoot

As always, sharp-eyed friends notice things that I haven't logged, and Owen Evans has alerted me to a possible rarity in June's photograph of 82020/1 at Willesden in 1965. He reckons that the diesel locomotive partly visible to the left of 82021's bunker is LMS/English Electric 10001. Its twin, 10000, had been scrapped two years before. If anyone can confirm its identity, please let us know. We aren't particularly diesel-oriented, but these two were of great significance in the history of modern traction and were the predecessors of the Class 40's. I remember being very excited at the sight of D215 on the 'Royal Scot' at Winsford in 1959: it made a change from all those boring Duchesses and Princess Royals. Yes, I know...

This month we again feature, courtesy of my friend Neil Evans, nos 82020 and 82021.

82020 is pictured at Porthmadog in the company of BR Class 4 4-6-0 75002. The shot is undated, but would probably have been taken round about 1964 - we know that 82020 left North Wales for London the following May - when BR Standards were in charge of a brief interregnum between the demise of the old GWR types and the arrival of the inevitable diesels on the Cambrian.

Tony adds:

75002 was in green livery whereas 75004 was, if memory serves me correctly, in black. The DMUs had taken over the all stations local services on the Cambria coast by 1965, hence the demise of the class 3 tanks, leaving only The Cambrian "Snail" and the pick up freights steam hauled. The Pwllheli portion of The "Snail" ended at the end of the summer timetable in 1965 or '66 (I can't remember which) leaving just the pick up freights steam hauled until around March '67, I suspect when Shrewsbury shed closed.

The photo clearly shows part of the Porthmadog goods yard still very much alive. It is ironic that in an era when environmentalists are pushing a green campaign there is a very well known supermarket right next door to the site of the goods yard and all their stock arrives by diesel powered juggernaut lorry instead of by rail when their stock could be moved the few yards from goods yard to store by electric fork lift truck. It is easier for the green campaign to go for soft targets like diesel cars and smoke from coal. Here endeth todays political rant!

82021 is pictured here, Neil reckons, at Oswestry MPD. The engine behind it appears, from the steam pipes, to be a GWR 'Castle', and I'm wondering if this class worked to Oswestry. Again, I'd be glad if someone could enlighten me.

Thanks to Neil for both pics. If anyone knows who took them, please let me know.

August update

Our regular update will clash with holidays next month so the August update will be a week or so late. Normal transmission will be resumed!