Update:

No sooner have we put the boiler together than it comes apart again! This time it is the annual inspection which must be carried out on the boiler and air receiver. This involves removing the various mudholes and manholes plus other items so the inspector can have a thorough look at the inside of the boiler, then we have a day to get it all back together before the next steaming!

Elsewhere around the station things are slowly coming together: Harold is busy making and fitting support trestles to the incline to replace the arrangement of bricks and blocks which are holding it up at present and Bill has been working on the new gate between the railway and the rhyne to stop vehicles driving down the narrow gap between the bank and the railway.

The Lister Startomatic has been the subject of much cursing from Ian and Nick: for some time it has been reluctant to start and pick up speed and a partial stripdown revealed problems with the fuel pump and injector. These were sorted out and everything eventually bolted back together but despite the repairs it still refused to fire. Looking closer, Ian found that the timing on the fuel pump appeared to be slightly out, but no adjustment was possible as the various adjusty bits were already at their maximum. After much scratching of heads and studying of the diagrams in the manual the conclusion was reached that at sometime in the past when the engine had been put together, the cogs driving the water, oil and fuel pumps had been mis-meshed by a tooth or two thus slightly throwing out the pump timing and incidentally the valves. Nothing for it but to remove the coverplate and sort it out, which means another virtual stripdown of the engine! The saga continues.....

Earlier....

After Mendip finished their round of violence on the boiler it was time to button it up and get some water in for the hydraulic test. Over three evenings the boiler was filled to the top and the safety valves screwed down. On Saturday it was connected to the mains but refused to go any higher than 35PSI, obviously Wessex Water were suffering from low pressure that day. The hand pump was brought out and soon whipped the pressure up to 130PSI.

In the meantime, Richard from Mendip had turned up and was busy caulking the several weeping stays inside the firebox (strangely enough, none of those on the outside weeped). Once he pronounced himself satisfied it was time to get the wheels back on and get ready to move the Marshall back into place. First we had to lighten the load a bit and a couple of tons of water were dumped out of the blowdown valve. Unfortunately we couldn't find the flange connection which had been taken off to allow the ashpan to be removed so the area around the cabin had a bit of a washdown! Next was the refitting of the back wheels. These weigh about 3/4 ton each so it was a bit of a struggle for Ian and I to get them back on the stub axles and we had to revert to using a portable hoist.

When it was originally put in place the boiler had a slight lean to the right and I determined that it would be put back on the level: a couple of sheets of steel plate were found and placed under the wheels both to allow an easier run back but also to keep the boiler level. Finally, the boiler was jacked up and the supporting timbers removed.

Sunday, and another brilliant day. Ian and his lad turned up together with a large John Deere tractor which was hitched up to the yoke on the front wheels, the sheeting covering the hole in the side of the boiler cabin was removed and we were ready to move. The rest was a bit of an anticlimax: the boiler slipped back into place as easy as anything and apart from having to jack up one side to reposition the steel sheet which had moved and insert a packing piece to get the boiler level the only other business was reconnecting the feedwater and steam outlet pipework. The mains water was turned on to fill the feed tank and top up the boiler and we were almost ready to fire up.

The final stage was to get the work signed off by the boiler inspector then steam test the boiler ready for everything to kick off at Easter. The inspector turned up on Friday and after a quick look said he was happy. On the Saturday the firebars and ashpan were refitted, the fire lit and within a couple of hours we were steaming up and Nigel set the safety valves. There was a steam leak on one of the union connections on top of the boiler -soon sorted with the aid of a large pair of Stilsons- and we were now all set for the first steaming of the new season on Sunday.

Sunday was a bit of a rush, with 101 little jobs to be done. A load of tools and other stuff lying around the main hall were pushed out of the way and the floor swept, some of the engines and display notices were given a wipe over and the place generally tidied. When run, the Robey in the tin shed was knocking badly so has now been left off until the problem can be investigated, possibly when it is moved into the main hall. The Lister Startomatic is awaiting a couple of parts before it can be reassembled and the Bellis generating set has an annoying habit of trickling oil from the pressure indicator, possibly needing a seal replacing. All added to the 'to do' list. The full boiler/air receiver inspection has been set for the end of the month so having put everything back on the boiler we will need to take it off again, but at least we won't have to move it!

Andy

Previous news for 2009 is available for reading via the Archive section in the navigation bar, left.

All newspages for 2008, including December's issue, can be downloaded (zipfile)here. Note that August's news got lost!

All newspages for 2007 can be downloaded (zipfile)here

Official Location Address: Westonzoyland Pumping Station, Hoopers Lane, Westonzoyland, nr. Bridgwater, Somerset TA7 0LS (Please do NOT send letters to this address, there is no letterbox!).
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