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Web Changes

This is where we'll announce the most recent additions to our web site. If you've visited us before and want to know what's changed, take a look here first.  On this page, new text is in red. 

We now have a news archive, detailing briefly work done on a monthly basis.

Look at the Early Days section, for film and photos of 40118 at the end of its BR days!

Download your very own 40118 screen saver - two versions available

40118 screen saver with sound (2.02mb) or  40118 screen saver without sound (0.97mb)

2011 - the story so far

It’s been a while since we last updated our website. We apologize to all our regular readers and supporters, but please rest assured that we have continued working on the loco and ploughed our efforts into the engineering rather than the website. We have tried to compile a brief resume of the work that has been undertaken in the last twelve months which is detailed below.

November 2010

All the main gen brush boxes  have been repaired and returned from Dowding and Mills, Birmingham. The components look fantastic, and the quality of the work looks top notch as usual.

All the porcelain insulators have been replaced with PTFE. Whilst the brush boxes have been away the Main generator has been further stripped with the two internal bus bar rings removed along with all the associated connections to the external connection boxes. Once the last major components have been removed, internal cleaning of the Main Generator can commence.

Whilst the brush boxes have been away at Dowding and Mils, the oportunity has been taken to have new bus bar risers made.

Cleaning and overhaul of power unit parts has continued and two more cylinder heads are nearing completion

December 2010

A4 and B4 pistons have had their top grooves machined to plus 40thou over size, due to severe wear. The wear is so severe that the standard size grooves, have worn past the tolerances allowable for plus 20thou oversize, so the pistons have to be machined straight up to plus 40thou oversize.  More piston rings have been purchased to fit out the two pistons. All the pistons are fitted with all new piston rings as a matter of course.

The overhauled pistons, con rods and heads have been returned to the power unit. Now that we have the first eight heads back on the power unit, we can look at the exhaust sections and air manifolds.

Cleaning of the Main generator has progressed over the weekends with specialist generator cleaning solvent and breathing apperatus,

January 2011

The cold has really arrived. The only warm places are in our worksop and in the cocoon that has been put up around the generators whilst we carry on cleaning out years of carbon residue. Encouragingly the initial readings off the main generator look reasonably good, but unfortunately the same can’t be said of the auxilliary generator. Now that the generator cleaning is complete, the drying out process must commence.

Unfortunatly, our  steam cleaner has suffered frost damage inside our workshop despite the fact that it is stored next to a heater that was left on 24/7 during the big freeze. We are now having to undertake repairs and replace parts which fortunately are readily available from local suppliers.

As is always the case, the damage to the steam cleaner turned out to be worse than first envisaged and specialist parts have had to be ordered from the original manufacture .  A5 and B6 heads, pistons, con rods  and liners have been removed from the power unit for overhaul.

Cleaning of the exhaust and air manifolds and the air manifold risers for A1-4 and B1-4 have continued and the components have been painted where required.

February 2011

We finally took delivery of our new water tank shells which have been fabricated by Morgans locally in Tyseley. The new water tanks have been checked against the original drawings. The idea of having the shells made is to ensure that the main structure is assembled square before everything else is welded onto it by our own team.

Main and auxilliary generator drying out has continued. The main generator is coming up nicely, but the auxilliary generator is proving more stubborn.

The damaged steam cleaner has prevented a start from being made on the cylinder heads, however the liners removed last month from the power unit have been needle gunner on the outside. Unfortunately the external corrosion is that severe, that both the liners have been scrapped. Two replacement liners have been dragged out of our store and cleaned and honed. The internal bores have been checked with a micrometer and the replacement liners are in good shape. We have now scrapped six out of ten liners removed so far from 40118’s power unit.

New copper joints have been made for the seals between the liners and engine crank case / engine block.

March 2011

The high winds have caused some damage to our sheds that we have. So some maintenance work has had to be undertaken on the cladding to ensure we can work in the dry when it’s raining. At the same time some repairs have been undertaken on the staging along side the loco with new anti slip boards for the shed purchased and fitted.

The inside of the engine block around A5 and B5 liners have had all the corrosion removed from the water space. The oil ways in the crank shaft have been cleaned out and the main bearing replaced between cylinders 5 and 6. The liners for A5 and B5 have been returned to the power unit.

The batteries that we have had in store are not in the best of health, as would be expected. However we have always planned on purchasing a new set for the loco once we are ready. Never the less in the mean time the set that we have are good enough for testing the machines and have been given a god kick start heavy charge which appears to have brought them round. The batteries have been installed in the loco and connected up. The batteries are being loaded and charged by our own charger / shore supply unit which we have had for some fifteen years. The unit has been in constant use as a shore supply unit supplying power for the lighting circuits, but is now also being used as a charger as well.

The parts ordered for the steam cleaner still haven’t arrived – grr!

April 2011

A5 and B5 pistons have had the top grooves machined. In line with all the other pistons removed from the power unit, the top grooves have had to be machined straight up to plus 40thou over size. This is due to the excessive wear in the grooves, wearing past the tolerances allowable for plus 20thou oversize grooves.

The transformer in the shore supply unit has been giving problems with overheating whilst charging. As it was a freebie, it’s no great supprise. As a consequence we have ordered a bespoke transformer from Birmingham Transformers to suit the space available within the charging unit and also the application.

The parts for the steam cleaner have arrived at last and the steam cleaner rebuilt, along with some maintenance work. Finally a start has been made on cleaning A4 and B4 cylinder heads.

The air manifolds and exhaust manifolds for A1-4 and B1-4 have been fitted to the power unit with all new joints. All the intermediate top covers for A1-4 and B1-4 heads have been cleaned and painted. During the cleaning process, one intermediate top cover was found to be cracked. This one has been put back into store for the time being and replaced with another. The crack will be welded up in due course, with Aluminium MIG welding, which we have the facility to do in our own workshop. The intermediate head covers have been fitted,again, all with new joints. 

May 2011

The new transformer for the charger has arrived from Birmingham Transformers. However, before we had time to fit it, the Charger suffered a catastrophic failure. This was due to the charging control suffering a massive voltage surge courtiesy of our compressors starting up. As a consequence the charger needs to be rebuilt with some modified circuitry that is less susceptible to the effects of voltage surges when the compressors kick in.  So with the aid of the proprietor of Grendon Audio Visual near Tamworth a new arrangement of charger control circuitry has been designed, and the parts ordered.

A5 and B5 Con Rods have been cleaned and checked for twist and bend, and the big end bearing housings measured with a micrometer to check for ovality and excessive wear due to fretting etc. The Con Rods are in good condition and have had new small end bearings pressed in. The big end bearings have been checked to give the correct nip and the big end bolts have been pre stretched with a stretch gauge and feeler gauges. The correct stretch and position of the nuts will be marked so that when the con rod is assembled in the engine there is no requuirement to measure the stretch on the big end bolts. It will be merely a case of lining up our datum marks. A start has been made on cleaning and overhauling the next two cylinder heads.

Generator drying has continued and the Main Generator has reached its quiescent state with rather good sample readings. So it has been a huge sigh of relief that the Main Gen is basically sound. A full set of readings will be compiled for our records  in due course. The Auxiliary Generator looks like it has also reached its quiescent state, but unfortunately is well below minimum spec on the armature. That said, the field windings are in very good condition. We are now looking at whether it is posible to remove the auxiliary generator armature without removing the whole generator.

June 2011

A5 and B5 cylinder head overhaul has continued. The huge quantity of carbon and grime build up has been removed. These two cylinder heads are not off 40118, as we have previously scrapped two and gradually shuffled cylinder heads along to fill the gaps. These two heads have not therefore previously been water pressure tested. Consequently we have had to set up a test rig to pressure test these two heads. The valve stem guides have been replaced. The valves have been lapped in and good seats / mating surfaces achieved.

One of our redundant water tanks has been carefully cut up to release all the flanges and fittings to be re-attached to the new tanks. All the parts have been carefully salvaged and are being cleaned and checked for damage, and then  stored ready for welding to the tank shells. The first items that must be welded to the shells are the stiffening top hat sections on the bottom and sides of each tank. These new top hat sections have been ordered from Accurate Sections in Brierley Hill near Dudley, for making on a “when time permits basis”.

Stripping out of the battery charger has taken place, reducing the unit to a basic shell.

Drawings have been obtained showing the construction of the auxiliary generator and studied with a view to removing the armature. Drawings have been created for an extraction tool to be manufactured.

July 2011

The new charger parts arrived from Grendon Audio Visual and a start made on modifying the carcase of the unit to include a cooling fan and an air inlet grill. Predictably this means that the switches and indication lights all have to move, and then rewiring can commence. In hind sight it would have probably have been quicker to remove the charger carcase from its mountings inside the old urinal water tank in the roof in 40118 to do the work. However, we didn’t so five Saturdays were spent in just the wrong positions rewiring our charger and shore supply unit. Not a pleasant job!

A5 and B5 cylinder head overhaul has been completed and all the components and fittings required to be attached to the heads also overhauled and fitted. The cylinder heads have been duly been painted and are ready for fitting. As usual all new joints have been fitted where applicable.

More parts off the water tanks have been cleaned down and put into store ready for refitting.

Some more work has been undertaken in number two cab with the fitting of new door locks and internal painting of the doors.

August 2011

The pistons, con rods and heads for A5 and B5 have been returned to power unit. All the big ends have been bolted up to the datum marks that we made when we overhauled the conrods, and the heads torqued down progressively to the correct settiings. Two copper rings were annealed and cleaned prior to the heads being fitted to ensure a good joint between the liners and the heads. The heads were temporarily connected to the exhaust manifolds to ensure corrct positioning before torquing down. Once tightened down, the exhaust and air manifolds have been removed from cylinder heads A5-8 and B5-8. These have been put away into store as they will not be needed for some time.

The machine shop at Tyseley Locomotive Works has made the tool to our drawings to remove the Auxiliary Generator armature. This will be trial fitted on the armature after the summer break.

September 2011

We finally got the batteries back on charge having run them pretty much flat with the lighting being on constantly without the shore supply available. There are two niggly items to tweak when time permits, but otherwsie the charger works fine.

Pistons, con rods and heads and liners from A6 and B7 have been fully disconnected and removed from the power unit. These will be the next items to overhaul.

We conducted the initial trial fit with aux gen tool but the threads in the armature are choked with years of dirt and paint. Consequently we need to modify the tool so that it cleans the thread as it is being screwed into the end of the armature.

October 2011

We attended SVR gala on the Friday and an extremely enjoyable day was spent behind 40106. The loco was impecably turned out and was a credit to all those that have clearly put a lot of effort into the recent work undertaken. It was good to meet up with people we haven’t seen in years and catch up on how things have panned out. The Saturday was spent back on 40118 with some renewed enthusiasm, which is always a good feeling.

We spent two weekends  undertaking heavy preventative maintenance on our wheelsets to repack the bearings with fresh grease and make sure that there was no build up of water in the bearings. Five axle boxes were cleaned, checked and repacked. New joints were made and fitted. The sixth will be done when our team member who hold the competence to inspect axle boxes comes back from his regular work duties, in late November.

More bits off the power unit have been cleaned, sorted and stored.

The battery charger mods have been completed and the battery charger is now fully working just so.

And the really good news is that the water tank top hats have arrived. Unfortunately due to slight distortion in the new tank shells in the plain panels, it takes two people to weld the top hat sections in to place. Last weekend, we had two people with requisit skills, one a qualified welder and the other with asbestos hands and the first of the top hat sections were welded in place. We have enough material to fit both tanks, so this will be ongoing when the two guys get together.
 

September & October 2010

Our summer has been difficult, with ill health striking people down.  However, we have been progressing many little jobs. 

Gen cleaning & drying - we continue with our work on the generators, cleaning and drying them.  Essentially we are using proprietary generator cleaning fluid which is sprayed at high pressure into the generator to clean out dirt (predominantly carbon) and, in consequence improve the performance of the generators.  The aux generator has been fully cleaned and is now being slowly dried out to remove all traces of moisture from within its internal parts.  Once it is properly dry we will be able to get an accurate measurement of the insulation 'strength' and decide what, if any, further work is required.  The main generator is also being cleaned, but in addition to this all the brush boxes have been removed and sent away for overhaul.

cylinder liners , pistons & heads - we have also continued with the power unit overhaul, replacing several new liners, but also scrapping a further pair of 'original' liners owing to corrosion and pitting on the water jacket side of the liner.  We have a full set of spare liners so the scrapping of so many original liners whilst frustrating is not to inconvenient.  In parallel with this is the overhaul of cylinder heads.  We have three fully overhauled heads waiting to be put back onto the locomotive.  Three fully overhauled pistons and con rods have been returned to the loco over the summer break.

Number 2 cab - both cab doors are now fully overhauled and painted (although only one has so far been re-fitted).  The floor in the cab is now essentially complete with new lino being put down.  It will then be covered to protect the lino.

Boiler water tanks - the overhaul of these tanks has started.  We say overhaul, but in reality we will have two new tanks fabricated up to the bear shell and then we as a society will re-fit the mounting brackets, filler points etc as well as the internal baffles.  The whole tank will be galvanized for longevity.  So far a lot of work has been undertaken on matching the tanks to the engineering drawings and confirming measurements etc.  This process has shown that both water tanks do not currently match the drawings in some minor detail (this is because each tank is supposed to be identical to each other so that a number 1 tank can replace a number 2 tank and so on.  However it is obvious that BR decided that it would be easier to make number 1 and number 2 tanks to different designs), so careful note has been made to ensure that the new tanks meet with requirements.

Battery box - we are approaching the time when we will need to install a set of batteries for the locomotive to allow us start testing the electrical equipment in situ (it all having been bench tested before installation), but also to allow us to run oil pumps etc to re-fill the engine with oil after its overhaul.  We have a set that have been in storage for many years which we hope will be good for this stage of the work, so are arranging to re-furbish and charge the batteries before re-fitting them.  We have, however, no fitted the wooden battery shelves to the battery boxes.  These hard wood shelves were made by society carpenters.

Much of this work can be seen in the latest photos section of the website.

April, May, June, July & August 2010

Welcome to this news update.  We have been quite quiet recently, simply because we were busy working on 40118 and resolving problems along the way!

We made the shock discovery of a large crack in the block adjacent to B1 cylinder (which can be seen in the latest photos section).  This only became visible when the cylinder liner was removed.  However, it was obvious that this was an old injury, and had been repaired many years ago.  It was water tight, as we had pressure tested the block some time ago.  However, the repair looked to be close to failing so the decision was made to repair the repair.  This involved stripping down the end of the block of pipe work etc and checking the block from both sides.  The inside was then welded with cast steel rods and ground back.  Finally a coating of specialized epoxy-resin was applied.  The liner has been re-fitted and that little drama is now passed.

The liner overhaul has continued, with most of the block now dealt with, with new seals being fitted to all cylinder liners removed.  Several liners have been scrapped due to corrosion on the water jacket side of the block.  We hold spares, so this has not presented too many problems.  Overhaul of the spare liners has now begun, and after they are cleaned externally, they are internally honed - essentially 'sanded down' inside to remove any wear lines and high spots.  This uses a special rotary honing tool and an air drill.  This process in action can be seen in the latest photos section.

Piston and cylinder head overhauls also continue, with four further pistons being stripped and overhauled.  This includes machining the piston ring grooves to accept new rings.  This work can be seen in the latest photos.  As part of the piston overhaul, some months ago we identified a damaged big end side rubbing plate, a small piece of phosphor bronze.  Much research was needed to understand how to replace this piece, but this necessary tools and materials have now been acquired, and the first piece of the new rubbing plate has been installed.  As can be seen in the latest photos.  Once the second piece in in place, both will be machined to a fine tolerance before re-fitting.

The windscreen washers in number 2 cab have now been completed, and tested - something that can also be seen in the latest photos.

Work on cleaning the main and aux generator has now also started - with many years build up of carbon residue being washed out by pressure washer containing a specialized generator cleaning fluid - which necessitates the use of breathing apparatus.  As part of the cleaning and overhaul, individual components are removed and checked.  On the aux generator, the main connection bus bar was removed and found to be flat to earth.  Essentially this was due to a build up of oil, carbon and grime - as well as the insulating varnish breaking down.  This has now been totally stripped and overhauled, with 4 coats of 'anti tracking' varnish applied to return the component to an 'as new' condition.  This component in 'before' and 'after' condition can be seen in the latest photos section.   The actual cleaning is well advanced, and a photo taken deep inside the aux generator can be seen in the latest photos.

The main generator will require extensive cleaning and checking, but before any substantial work takes place, some time has been spent surveying and photographing the generator - so as to have a check against the workshop overhaul manuals etc as to how each component lies within the generator.  This is something that we have done will all significant components on the engine - as an aid to overhaul.  Some of the survey photos  can be seen in the latest photos.

Part of the survey work has highlighted that the carbon brush carriers need a special spanner to un-bolt from the generator - a tool that we do not possess.  In consequence, we have now manufactured a large 'box' spanner to allow the brush carriers to be un-bolted and removed.  The first of the brush carriers have been removed, and are being assessed as to what work is need in order to return them to 'as new' condition.  It is likely that new insulation and insulators will be required (as the first ones to be removed show signs of cracking).  The first two to be removed can be seen in the latest photos.

January, February & March 2010

Welcome to the new year - a year that has started slowly (partly due to commitments outside of railways).

However, we have continued to progress the power unit overhaul, with cylinder liners being removed, checked, cleaned and replaced.  This work can be seen in the latest photos section.  This is a continuation of work started some time ago.  As each liner is removed, opportunity is taken to clean out the scale from the block water space (basically lime scale build up over many years of use).  This work can be seen in the latest photos section.  The liners are then cleaned and painted and seals are replaced.  So far two liners have been scrapped as corrosion on the outside was found to be excessive on one liner, and inside wear excessive on the other.  Fortunately, we hold a full set of spares, so this is not too great a setback.  As the year turns to March, we have been making good progress on the power unit overhaul. 

Cylinder heads are also being overhauled in parallel with the liners, and two heads are either ready for re-fitting, or undergoing final overhaul.  Three piston heads have now been prepared for machining, which will make the piston ring grooves suitable for new piston rings of a larger size - the current grooves having worn outside tolerance. We now have a further two cylinder heads overhauled and ready for re-fitting, along with an overhauled liner.  Two further liners are in the process of being cleaned of scale ready for inspection and painting.  We have 4 pistons and con-rods checked, and waiting for machining and bearing work to be undertaken.

As part of the cylinder head overhaul, every component is either replaced with new or checked.  During this process we came across an unexpected crack in bearing/wearing surface of the valve bridge piece on one head.  Fortunately this piece is removable and has been replaced from stock.  This piece can be seen in the latest photos section.   

The cab overhaul continues, with the second mans area now almost complete.  However, during checks on the secondmans seat several stress fractures have been found in the seat frame.  Interestingly, two of these cracks had been repaired by BR many years ago, so the stress fractures suggest a basic design flaw.  However, these areas will be built up with weld to repair and strengthen the seats.  An example of the stress fracture can be seen in the latest photos section.

The AVR has now been wired up, and it joins the growing list of completed electrical works.

We are also updating the locomotives air system drawings, as they do not reflect the actual air systems fitted to 40118, this has involved many hours rummaging around the locomotive checking pipe runs and redrawing the schematics.

October, November & December 2009

Work on the locomotive has continued, with many little jobs being undertaken, but nothing of spectacular importance!

We continue to overhaul cylinder heads, and have, unfortunately, had to scrap a further cylinder head after having found several cracks around the valve seats.  Fortunately we have a good supply of spare heads, so this will not cause any long term difficulty.  The locomotive now has 6 overhauled heads on the locomotive, with a three being overhauled in our workshop.  4 pistons & conrods are also undergoing overhaul, with three conrods now ready to be sent to contractors to have new small end bearings fitted.  Each conrod is subjected to several checks, including testing for twist and cracks before the bearing work is undertaken.  This work can be seen in the latest photos section.

More of the cylinder liners have been removed for checking, and also to enable the rubber seals on each liner to be replaced.  Whilst not currently leaking, it is a sensible step to renew these whilst the power unit is stripped.  This will also allow the water jacket of the power unit to have the worst of the scale buildup cleaned out.  The liner removal and scale build up can be seen in the latest photos section.

We have also continued to manufacture a turbo charger tool kit, with most of the tools now manufactured.  An couple of photos of these can be seen in the latest photos section.

The second mans seat frame has now been fitted to the number 2 cab, along with the heater frames, which are now wired.  This will allow the heaters themselves to be fitted (as they have been overhauled and are ready to fit).

The second mans windscreen washers are now in place, as can be seen in the latest photos section.

The secondmans door into number 2 cab has been removed, and had all the paint removed (as it was chipped and damaged).  Owing to the fact that it is aluminum it required priming in acid based etching primer, which was done in our own workshop.  The door has now received its first coat of rail blue.

September 2009

We have been working towards completing the engine overhaul, with a further four pistons and cylinder heads removed on 12 September.  This means that 11 of the loco's 16 cylinders are now either overhauled or in the process of being overhauled.  After removal, each cylinder head is first steam cleaned and the valve seats are replaced.  The valve stem guide tubes are also replaced with new items, and then the springs are checked.  The steam cleaning can be seen in the latest photos section.  As each piston is removed, we continue to be amazed at the state of the pistons - which are covered in all sorts of much.  An example of this can be seen in the latest photos section.

We have also now installed the loco's brand new electronic AVR, in place of the standard carbon pile AVR.  This can be seen in the latest photos section.

Work on the turbo charges continues, with the specialized tools required to undertake the work being made in our workshops.  Illustrated in the latest photos section are three of the new tools.

June, July & August 2009

Sorry for the lack of recent updates - non 40118 work activities have taken away time in recent weeks.  Also, various illnesses (including Swine Flu, a broken finger, a broken ankle and a damaged eye - all to different people and none of them linked to work on 40118!!) have kept working hours at a slightly reduced level.

However, good, if slightly slow, progress is being made on a number of important fronts.  A total of 6 pistons and cylinder heads have now been overhauled and returned to the power unit.  These have been particularly troublesome in June, with one cylinder head scrapped (because of worn Valve Stem Guide holes), and a complete set of valves scrapped owing to extreme wear.  This can be seen in the latest photos section.  In addition, one con rod needs a new side wear phosphor bronze fitting after the original was found to be missing.

The number 2 drivers cab has seen considerable progress with the windscreen washer system now almost complete, the DSD holdover button now fitted and wired (This can be seen in the latest photos section), and the cab heaters almost complete.  The Secondmans seat is nearly ready to re-fit, with the pedestal being prepared for fitting.  This can be seen in the latest photos section.  The secondmans foot warmer has now been fitted, and wired - something that required new conduit to be assembled.  This can be seen in the latest photos section.

With the load regulator complete, our attention has been turned to the set up of the electrical contact tips.  These require specific tools to enable the  contact tips to be correctly bent to shape.  As we did not possess the tools, we have had a set made from new.  This can be seen in the latest photos section.  The set up process has now been started - something that requires each contact tip to be individually worked on, and adjusted to the correct alignment.  This can be seen in the latest photos section.

With the load regulator now set up, we have started a series of dynamic tests, in which we will gradually test all of the electrical systems in the control cubicle to ensure that they operate correctly together as complete systems.  SO far we have checked the load regulator, to ensure it operates at the correct speeds, and also that it correctly operates the field divert contactors at the relevant times.  All these tests have been successfully completed, and video of the load regulator tests can be seen in the  latest photos section.

We have also started planning the work required on the turbo chargers so as to start the overhaul on these items.  We are currently assembling a tool kit, and have ordered some tools to be manufactured from the drawings.  The first turbo charger has been partially stripped to enable an initial assessment to be made.

April & May 2009

Work in April & early May has concentrated on two main areas; the power unit and the number 2 cab.

On the power unit, a further four pistons are being made ready for re-fitting to the locomotive, with the con rods being checked and sent away to have new little end bearings fitted.  These four con rods have now been returned from Liverpool with new Little End bearings fitted.  The matching cylinder heads are being checked prior to re-fitting.  On 11 April two pistons & con rods were re-fitted to the locomotive, whilst the cylinder heads are being finished at present.  New valve seats have been fitted where necessary, and all of the valves are being lapped (2 May 2009).  Unfortunately, one of our volunteers who works on the power unit has broken his leg, so work will, inevitably suffer a delay.  Best wishes to Graham, and a speedy recovery is required! 

The number 2 cab now has its lino floor fitted in the 'raised' section, and all the brass edging strip in place.  This can be seen in the latest photos section.  The washer bottles (of which there are two) have been fitted, along with the second mans foot rest.  The Secondmans heater is currently being finished and will be re-fitted over the next few weeks.  The pipework to connect the steam gauge on the second mans side of the cab has been re-fitted, with new mounting brackets.  Both pieces of work can be seen in the latest photos section. 

The load regulator and control cubicle cut-out switch have now been fully wired, and the set up of the load regulator is beginning.  The operating arm has been fitted, and the clutch mechanism is being set up.  Both of these items can be seen in the latest photos section.

January, February & March 2009

The start of January saw a major push on the power unit of 40118, with four cylinder heads and 4 pistons removed for overhaul on 10 January.  This task will provide our members with some weeks work on overhauling these items - work done in our workshop at Tyseley.  By 24 January the four pistons and two of the heads had been steam cleaned to remove years of grease, oil and general filth.  Now they have been de-greased, they can be inspected to see if there are any faults that render them scrap.  If not, the pistons will have new rings fitted ready for re-placement.   The pistons can be seen in the latest photos section.  So far, none of the pistons examined have been found to be scrap.  The cylinder heads are themselves being stripped and cleaned in readiness for new components to be fitted.  Two cylinder heads are now ready for re-fitting to the locomotive, meaning that four will have been re-fitted.  The pistons and con-rods are a couple of weeks behind the cylinder heads.  However, two completed cylinders were checked and fitted to the engine on 14 March.  One of these pistons can be seen in the latest photos section.

The turbo chargers will soon be sent away for overhaul and re-balancing.  However, in order for the contractor to prepare for this work, we have supplied them with full details of the turbo serial numbers and modifications.  This information is contained on two data panels on each turbo.  Examples of which are in the latest photos section.

The four cylinder liners freed by the removal of the pistons have been de-glazed, a process that removes any build up of carbon.  During this process we discovered that one of the liners was worn and as a result, scrap.  This has now been removed, and a spare liner fitted.  The spare came from our large spares pool - originating from 50 043 Eagle.

The piston removal allows work on the main bearings to continue.  A further two main bearings have been removed and replaced with new.  The old bearings are worn out completely, as can be seen in the latest photos section.

Once completed and returned to the engine, half of the power unit heads and pistons will have been overhauled.

Work on renewing the contact tips for the load regulator continues, with the process now complete.  The contact tips have received new stainless steel springs and the contact tips are recovered from the old contact fingers and riveted into place.  This is a fiddly process,  which can be seen in the latest photos section.  After the tips are all in place, they will need setting up to ensure correct spring tension.  We have now wired and tested the load regulator motor, which runs freely on its overhauled gearbox.  The motor, in situ, can be seen in the latest photos section.  The control cubicle cut out switch, situated next to the load regulator is now being wired up to the cubicle wiring.

The drivers seat pedestal is now in place following the lino floor being laid in that area of the cab floor.  The cab heater have been fitted to the drivers side, and wired in place.  The drivers seat base has been fitted, and the seat itself has now been refitted.  The heaters and seat assembly can be seen in the latest photos section.  All of the cab lino floor has now been cut, and the majority fitted.  Brass edging is in place throughout most of the floor, with the balance being fitted over the next few days.  The lino covered floor and brass detail can be seen in the latest photos section.

November & December 2008

28 & 30 December 2008 were the days set aside to remove the wheels on loan from Trevor Dean, and 40013 from the spare bogie owned by the society.  This is stored at the Battlefield Line.  The removal of all four wheel sets was a major task, given that all of the societies heavy lifting equipment had to be transported 35 miles from Tyseley.  However, on two bitterly cold winters days the wheels were removed (28th), and two scrap wheel sets from the number 2 bogie of 40118 were put into the bogie, before it was shunted back to its storage base at Market Bosworth.  Photos of the work can be seen in the latest photos section.

Thanks must be extended to Trevor Dean for the loan of these wheels.

Power unit work continues to take up much of our time, with cylinder head overhauls and preparation for the removal of more heads and pistons taking place.

We now have a further three sets of heads and pistons ready to remove, and a third overhauled head and piston set ready to replace in the power unit.

The locomotive load regulator, the case of which was returned to the engine in October is now fully wired, with the fixed contact tips all in place.  These contact tips are all new.  The moving contacts are being replaced - with about half currently re-fitted.  All of the moving contacts are having new springs fitted - which have been specially manufactured for the society.  This can be seen in the latest photos section.

The loco underside continues to receive attention, with another bay now cleaned, primed and painted into undercoat.  This can be seen in the latest photos section.

A final piece of work being undertaken relates to our spare class 40 bogie.  This bogie arrived into the societies ownership with the spare wheels for 40013 still in-situ.  These wheels are now being removed from the bogie and sent to join 40013 at Barrow Hill.  Some weeks work have gone into preparing the bogie for listing, scheduled for 28 December.

September & October 2008

With the Summer holidays coming to an end, work on 40118 continued.  The fitting of components to the battery box has been significantly progressed, with the air and vacuum cut out controls, load regulator and control cubicle cut out switch being re-fitted.  The conduits and cable runs are largely in place, and the cable pulled through.  Work on terminating the cables will commence shortly.  This can be seen in the latest photos section.

Work to finish the painting of the roof section above the boiler has been finished. 

The second weekend of September saw most of the society members working at the Battlefield Line gala as drivers or secondmen.

Power unit work continues, with the rebuilding of cylinder heads the societies priority.  So far two cylinder heads have been fully re-built, with all the components being removed, checked and re-assembled.  The valves have been lapped - a process that ensures that the valve seat and the valve itself are a good gas tight fit.  On the second cylinder head to be overhauled, two of the valve seats were found to have worn oval so could not be used.  They have, therefore, been removed and new valve seats fitted.  The third cylinder head being worked on needs four new valve seats (a complete set has been purchased).

During the 25th October, the first two fully overhauled pistons and cylinder heads were re-fitted to the power unit.  The pistons have been re-connected to the crank shaft, and the next pistons and cylinder heads are being made ready to removed.  The society will remove four heads and pistons as soon as a good weekends weather can be guaranteed.

The first of the overhauled cylinder heads can be seen in the latest photos section.

The first of the overhauled pistons being returned to the power unit can be seen in the latest photos section

May, June, July & August 2008

As mentioned in our April updates, the major work to be undertaken in early May (8 - 10th) was the return of the battery box to the locomotive, and the re-fitting of two roof section back on the locomotive.  All three components had been fully overhauled at ground level with the roof sections being re-skinned and the battery boxes re-shelved.  The battery box, has now been welded into position, a difficult process given the very tight space involved.  The welding process can be seen in the latest photos section.  The floor that surrounds the battery box has now been re-instated, with newly cleaned floor plates.  This can be seen in the latest photos section.  The control cubicle doors are slowly receiving their final coat of BR blue paint, which transforms the cubicle appearance.  This can be seen in the latest photos section.  In addition, the battery box, now fully welded into position, has received its final coat of undercoat.  2 coats of Rail Grey have been applied.

The society used a hired in 30 tonne road crane to undertake the complex lifting operations.  In addition to these components, the crane was used to lift the two water tanks, turn them over and move them into under cover accommodation where they will be re-built.  In effect all the internal baffles will be replaced, as well as the bottom skin of the water tank.  This work will involve two fabricators for several months.  A new 350 amp three phase welder has been obtained to assist in this process.

A set of photographs showing various stages of the lifting operation can be seen in the latest photos section.

Now that the battery box is fully painted, work has started on the re-fitting of the control cubicle cut out switch and the load regulator.  The cut out switch, as the name suggests, cuts many of the important circuits to and from the control cubicle - effectively disabling the locomotive.  The load regulator operates to control the performance of the engine and generator through a series of resistors.  Both pieces of equipment have many different wires to them - all of which have been checked (and in some cases replaced). 

In the weeks following the roof section return, the society have been bolting the roof sections back into place, to ensure that the seal are watertight.  This is a difficult task, as, inevitably, the bolt holes did not quite line up, however, tapered punches have been used to bring the holes fully into line, and the roof sections are now fully bolted into place, and the electrical connections to the roof lights etc re-connected.  This can be seen in the latest photos section.  The boiler pipework, whilst not itself overhauled, is suspended from roof brackets.  These have now been reinstated, and can be seen in the latest photos section.  The seams of the boiler roof section have been sealed and repainted to give a watertight seal and a rail grey appearance.

Following on from the roof section work the group have moved back onto power unit work.  As previously disclosed, all of the power unit bearings will need replacing - with the new bearings already purchased.  The little end bearings (which connect the piston con rods to the piston gudgeon pin need to be pressed out of the con rods.  Press tools have been made by the society and a photo showing this being tested can be seen in the latest photos section.  The actual pressing of the bearings have been sub-contracted to an outside engineering firm who have used the societies press tool in their own machinery.  So far the first four con rods have been sent to the contractors and have been returned with the new little end bearings fitted.  The con rods will be sent away in batches of four.

The first of the new main bearings have been fitted to the power unit, and the bolts correctly stretched.  Unfortunately this job will be slowed slightly by the (non railway related) broken arm of one of our mechanical volunteers.

Cylinder head overhauls are being progressed in tandem with the con rods with the aim being to have the first batch of four ready soon to be replaced at the same time as the next four con rods are removed.  The cylinder heads are being cleaned and inspected before the majority of the 'consumable' parts are replaced with new components.  One of the heads being overhauled can be seen in the latest photos section.  Unfortunately, during this work, one of the valve follower guides was found to be broken (which can be seen in the latest photos section), however, we have spares, so this will be replaced.  Unfortunately, the actual act of replacement is not a particularly simple task, as oil needs to be pressurized below the follower to push it out, which the predictable eruption of oil following it!. 

Six of the air tanks from the loco underside have been removed and are currently being cleaned prior to visual inspections being taken place.  Once visually assessed, the air tanks will be sent away for hydraulic testing and certification  The section of the loco underside from where the tanks have been removed has been cleaned and is in various stages of re-painting.

40118 is now substantially under cover which will allow the locomotive to be re-painted over the coming months.

March & April 2008

As a society we are continuing to overhauls components for the power unit, with work concentrating on the piston and con-rods.  As previously announced, the society is replacing all of the power unit bearings owing to the originals being worn beyond safe re-use. 

The piston con-rods need two new bearings - the big and little end.  All bearings are being replaced with newly purchased bearings.  The first con-rods have now been checked and are ready to be sent to contractors for the little end bearings to be re-placed (as the old bearing needs to be pressed out, and the new bearing needs to be pressed into place).  The checking process involves checking to see if the con-rods are twisted, and whether the 'big end' is worn into an oval.  So far four con-rods have passed these tests and are ready for the little end work.  This work will now be done in house, with the necessary press tools being made by society members.  The little end work will first be trialed on a scrap con-rod to ensure that all the processes are satisfactory, as the con rod needs to be heated in an oil bath to approaching 200C before the bearing can be replaced.  Whilst the con-rods are being worked on the piston heads themselves are being checked and cleaned before possible machining and/or replacement of piston rings.  All the piston rings will be replaced, the decision being which size to use (as there are different sizes depending on the life cycle of the piston). 

The underside of the locomotive has now received its second and final gloss coat (the first coat can be seen in the latest photos section).  The pipes under this part of the locomotive have now been cleaned, checked, primed and undercoated. 

The load regulator had been put to one side whilst new contact fingers were manufactured from stainless steel.  These have now been delivered, and the task of re-assembling the contactors can begin.  However, before the job can be completed we need to obtain new contact tips for some/all of the contactors.

The wiring loom for the load regulator has now been checked and several of the wires replaced with new. This can be seen in the latest photos section.

The control cubicle has now received its final coat of BR blue paint on the 'boiler' face, and had the doors replaced.  This work, whilst underway, can be seen in the latest photos section.

The lighting circuit conduit that runs behind the boiler is in the process of being replaced, work which involved the drilling out of a sheared stud behind the boiler in the most inaccessible place imaginable.  This work needs to be completed before the roof sections and battery box can be put back on the engine - work currently scheduled for early May.  New conduit has now been manufactured and fitted into place, which has, in turn allowed the fire pipe and the two inch vacuum pipe to be fitted - both of which blocked access to the broken conduit.

A great deal of time has been spent on preparing for the 9 May, the date planned for the return of the battery box and roof sections to the locomotive.  This preparation work involves the positioning of the roof sections to allow the crane to reach safely and also the preparation of the weld sites to enable the battery box to be welded back into place quickly on the day.

January & February 2008

November & December 2007

Our suppliers section has been added to - these are all suppliers who have helped the society.  If you need parts or consumables, please contact them to discuss your requirements.

A higher quality copy of the film "40118 at Vic Berry's" has now been put on Youtube.  A lower resolution copy and many other 40118 resources can be found in our Early Days section of the website.

November has started with a number of jobs being continued with.  Inside the engine room, work to clean and repaint the bodyside adjacent to the boiler has been underway, with this work finding a piece of broken lighting circuit conduit.  This will entail the removal of a section of conduit behind the boiler and replacement with new.  The new conduit has now been manufactured and is being painted prior to re-fitting.  The opportunity will the taken to re-new the 6 wires that pass through this conduit.

Work on the removal of the power unit cylinder heads and pistons continues, with one further head and two pistons removed.  The piston heads have been removed from the piston con rods and the little end bearings found to have worn to an unacceptable extend (which, given the state of the big ends was not surprising).  These will, therefore all be replaced with new items.  As all the remaining heads and pistons are removed, all will therefore receive new main, big and little end bearings.  The heads themselves are joining the 'production line' of heads being stripped and overhauled.  Photos of the cylinders and con rods can be seen in the latest photos section.  When each piston is out of the power unit, work to clean each of the oil ways is undertaken as several (if not all) are heavily contaminated and oil flow is seriously restricted.  All of the main bearing bolts need replacing, as they are nylock nuts which have a limited number of uses before replacement.  The new nuts have been manufactured to order for the society.  These will be fitted along with the new main bearings over the coming weeks.

As each cylinder head is stripped, the valves (four on each head) need re-lapping - this involves the use of abrasive paste to smooth out any undulations in both the valve and the valve stem, to ensure a gas tight fit.  In order to do this job a tool has been manufactured in our workshop which will allow the valves to be overhauled efficiently.

During inspection, one of the cylinder heads has found to have elliptical valve seats.  These would prove extremely difficult to rectify, as a result one of our spare cylinder heads will replace this now scrapped head.

The valve stem tubes on two cylinder heads have been removed for examination and were found to be worn (as expected).  In consequence 64 replacement followers have been purchased to enable the complete set to be replaced.  60 of the 64 have so far been delivered into stock.  We have manufactured a tool in our workshop to enable the safe removal of these tubes.

We have now purchased a full set of little end bearings, to replace the worn set.  These will require a tool to press out the old bearings and this is currently being manufactured in our workshop.  An example of both a worn and new bearing can be seen in the latest photos section. 

Finally work has been undertaken to establish which piston types we have, and to check our stock of piston rings.  Each piston has three different types of piston rings, each fulfilling a different function.  These are available on four different sizes to allow for piston wear.  For example, the compression rings are available in 0.187" thickness (standard size) and three 0.020" increments upwards.  So far we have confirmed that we have 0.020" & 0.040" piston ring fitted pistons.  We have a large stock of standard and 0.020" compression rings, with a smaller stock of 0.040" rings.  Depending on the exact mix found in the power unit we will replace the rings from stock, and then purchase any additional rings required.   

The main water pipe feeding cooling water to the cylinder heads is receiving some attention as it was found to form a kink in to the silicone hose elbow adjacent to the radiator room.  This problem has been traced to a mounting bracket next to A4 cylinder that is about 1/2" too long.  This has been removed and is being modified before refitting.  The pipe in question can be seen in the latest photos section.

New valve rubbers for the air/vacuum control valve have been obtained and have now been fitted to the locomotive.  This can be seen in the latest photos section.

The underside of the locomotive is still being cleaned ready for painting.  All the oil, dirt and paint has now been removed from a large section of the underside and this has been -degreased ready for painting.  The underside work continues with a large area on the 'A' side of the engine now primed, and waiting for further paint to be applied.  This can be seen in the latest photos section.

The load regulator resistor bank has now been fully wired and, the covers refitted.  The fully wired resistor frame can be seen in the latest photos section.  The section of conduit replaced in October linking the resistor frame to the load regulator connection box has now had new wires drawn through ready for termination.

All the pipe work that links the control air tanks above the boiler/cubicle area have now been cleaned, repaired and are being painted ready for re-fitting.  This will allow the control cubicle air system to be fed from the control air equipment for the first time in many years.

A considerable amount of work has been undertaken on our workshop coach, and this is illustrated in the Coach Restoration section

Media Coverage of 16 SVT Society

From time to time 40118 is the subject of magazine articles.  Below is a list of the more significant coverage, for you to look up and read!

With continuing fascination about the events, 40106 was used in the hit movie 'Buster' (Gerald Boden had 40106 fitted with wooden split boxes to make it look like 40126)

40135 was used in a later documentary depicting the same ill-fated Royal Mail Train.

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