Smokebox, running plate, & tender
January started busily. Dicky has been measuring the smokebox saddle/door/ring (the last two are the same as the Castle's). From these, Dicky has produced drawings for the smokebox and saddle/door unit.
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26/01/2018 - Dougie armed with feeler gauges under the running board checking clearances.
Dougie has been checking the wheel-frame clearances and those between wheels and motion bracket.Chris and Ian started shaping the first of the forward running boards using a slitting disk. During the next session a cutting jig will be made so that during the next workday a circle and an ellipse was cut-out using a plasma cutter. Work is now progressing on this task, as shown.
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13/01/2018 - Ian shaping the first forward running board using a slitting disc.
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26/01/2018 - Ian using the plasma torch cutting holes in the forward running plate.
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24/02/2018 Chris Cox cutting the front running plate.
Tender Progress:
Preparations are being made to finish riveting the tender frames to the drag and buffer beams. To that end the majority of the 74 bolts holding the tank bottom plate onto the frames have been removed. Then, the plate will be raised and revolved to clear the four corners where the rivets are needed.
The order for the rear most tender brake links was placed with Fabtech of Stockbridge in January and was ready for and collected in late February.
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22/02/2018 - brake links as collected.
Website:Following the webmaster's appeal, two offers to takeover the running of the site have been received. Both are under consideration and both seem to fit the bill. Efforts will be made to complete the transfer of the website before the Hosting Service ends in November. But there will be a website, although there is still a need for more news and images.📷And finally. An image sent by a well-wisher showing one of 1014's original nameplates in the Doncaster School collection - it was displayed in the County nameplate event at Didcot in 2013.