Keep calm and fire up the fowler!

.... Just some thing that a friend sent me the other day that made me smile (it didn't have anything to do with steam engines apparently, it was football related?!?!?) either way ... A good motto!  

The fowler is sat in its place in the kitchen and has been for a a while now, full of anti freeze to clean/ de-scale and protect the boiler over winter, so hopefully next. Year when she pokes her head out again she should be clean and free of muck, dirt, scale, rust and all those bad things. The Foden will get the same treatment as soon as I've stopped playing with it, testing and all that!

So work continues (unfortunately!) .... Monday and Tuesday I was on a corse so I didn't get chance to do much, but I did end up with a free weekend working on engines so things have moved on, 

The Burrell is getting a lot of attention and now some paint! First thing to get the treatment is the cylinder block, it's 99% complete so I decided to cover it up so it don't rust or end up looking shabby, I also painted and riveted on the makers place and I have to say.... I'm realy pleased with how it turned out!

It's moments like this that remind me why I do this, that happy moment where you look at something you have achieved and think, "yea I like that, that's just how I wanted it" . The rest of the Burrell is still at home waiting for finishing / painting so more will follow shortly,

Other things I have got on with is a small piece of plate-work.

( I hate plate work! Out of all the jobs it's the worst, my cutting/shapeing skills are limited. So give me something to machine fine, ill get it done, give me sheet metal to make guards and it comes out a little meat fisted!) 

So "not the prettiest thing I made yesterday" 

But it works, all I need is a handle/lock and I have a gear guard inspection hatch, one more thing off the to-do list!

As I mentioned the weekend was free to work on the beasts so we got down to business....

Out came the angle grinder and the welder to make a effort on the trailer for the foden.... The damn thing keeps getting bigger!!! The trailer from swan neck to wheel set is 7foot long! First thing was to get the wheel set system sorted, old low-loaders would stop, jack the trailer up, remove the wheels and install a ramp And things would come off the back, so we had to make some fittings to remove and attach the wheels. Mostly box section that slides inside the other to attach them and give the rear set some stability, 

Once we clamped it up, and got it all square the electric glue gun came out and stuck it all together! Also we had to cut off the spring mounts and re-weld them on square to the trailer as they were all over the place! 

So before long the trailer was one solid piece ( it won't be for long , it's gunna get cut in half to make it easier to transport!) so Ovcorse it was time to get the engine out and take some pictures.... I mean..... Test fit the trailer to make sure it was in the right place! 

That should give you some idea of just how big it's got! It's enormous! ( just enough room to get a 2" fowler on the back!!! ) 

So now it's in one piece, the trailer was stripped and painting started! 

Now just need to deck it out and make the seat arrangement! 

So that's a lot of work done over the weekend, and this is Probily getting boring so ill let you all get back to your lives! 

Wheel of morality, turn turn turn, tell us the lesson that we must learn,.......

"If you have nothin nice to say.. Say it through the form of interpretive dance!"

......... Good night everybody!

And the madness continues!

Well..... You wouldn't want it any other way! 

So another week has rolled on.  And to be fair I'm having issues trying to organise my mind this week, so apologies if this comes out a little.... All over the place! Having a gig Thursday things have been a little practice orientated!

So... What's been going on? ... Well... 

Friday saw a bit of steam testing. 5 odd miles on the road and the new pump is a definable improvement! Also the new gauge glass protector works! No broken glasses!  Bonus!

So yea, apart from that as I mentioned before.... The Burrell has returned! I've been pushing on with it all, working through the back log of kits. So because I haven't really planned this out i think the best thing is a picture montage!!!! (enter the rocky theme ..... Or at least a less copy-right'd thing)

Here go's from when I left off!

So tender is coming along! I need too get it all sealed up, and now it's temporarily bolted onto the horn plates, I can test all the bolt holes, I got a whole load of other bits to play with, firebox door. Ash pan. Cladding. And some other random bits! All I need now is a boiler to start getting it all put together! 

Well That's enough for now!

Ill try and keep more tabs on what I'm doing and try and get all this in some form of order for the next one. At the moment I feel like I'm just ramming pictures up for the sake of it which ain't cool!

Anyways, keep rocking!

Taste the Wednesday!

Not literally! ....well if you insist! 

It's been an odd week! Well kinda, you know how it goes! First off I haven't got lazy!

Things are still being done, but there is loads happening, first off the Fodens pump is done, I finally got the chance to jump on the lathe and make a new packing gland, so that's sorted and bolted together, and the gauge glass protector is done :D 

All glassed up and is now looking pretty in place protecting yet another gauge glass!

Other things that has been going on is dads been working in the new rear mud gaurds and all that kinda fun stuff whilst I turn my attentions to something different for a short while....

Enter the Burrell again! Yes my friend has pretty much thrown in the towel with it. So I have picked up the mantle and the first job was the bunker. So I picked up the slightly rusty half built tank and started slogging on.

2 days and this is the slightly pleasuring result 

Start day 1

 

End day 1

Day 2

And the end of day 2

So after shot blasting and cleaning I've put a coat of primer on it to keep the steel clean. Still a load more work to be done but it's a rather nice start! So look out for more of this. To come!

Well it's now almost 1am so I should really sleep now! Time to sleep!

Laters

I can see clearly now.....

I have windows! .... Bet ya. Didn't see that coming huh?! Things are moving on. And works being done!

I think I shifted this cold/ chest infection rubbish in under a week! So feeling full of the joys of life and all that, the Fodens getting some much needed love this week, fist up as I've said ... I have windows. The old mans been putting in work!! And the outcome is satisfying! He's been on a bender to get these windows done and I've just finished the additions to jack the cab up and inch so it's now the right height ! 

 

The difference it's made is massive, it looks so much better that little bit higher, so now the cabs coming together nicely and it looks proper, it's starting to feel less open plan and more like the dark closed in environment I got used to with the full size sentinel timber tractor I used to play with,

My efforts have turned toward the mechanicals again, fist up was a bit of plate work

The start of the gear guards and chain covers which is a pleasuring sight! (No more skinned knuckles trying to change gear on the run!!!!) 

Today's project is the pump, the little thing barely keeps the water level constant on the run, so first plan is to up the bore, if that ain't enough, up the stroke as well! So I took the pump off and took it to work 

I've gone form a 9.5 mm Dia ram to a 12mm ram ( the biggest thing I can get in there without risking Breaking through the walls of the pump,)

According to the maths, with a 10 mm stroke. ( as a good approximation of what I'm getting) the old ram was taking a volume of 708mm3, the 12mm dia gives 1130m3 which means I'm getting 59% increase in water space in the pump system, so that's a damn good start!!! I'm aiming for the pump being man enough to go from an empty glass Tina full glass in around. 2 mins on a moderate crank speed, that way it shouldn't cool the boiler water to quick but defiantly make keeping up with the boilers usage on a run adequately, I may even look into a feed water Pre heater. If I could think of somewhere to take the pump pipe to Pre heat it!! Suggestions maybe?... Anyone?? Hello ??? .... Ok Maybe I'll think about that one! Anyway, back to the grind I go whilst planning the new pump gland and the work on the ram to fix it to the eccentric rod,

Happy Monday!!!!