SRPS Diesel Group - Latest News

news

Latest News	click on an image to open a gallery
June 2008 During the past few weeks progress has been made on the following projects; 37 025 - The Steam Heat Boiler has now been removed from the loco for overhaul 47 643 - Work continues on the repairs to the roof and exhaust silencer 08 443 - The cab interior metalwork has now been repainted, the overhauled Battery Isolating Switches replaced. Class 126 DMU - The second power car has had both engines re-fitted, bogie ride heights adjusted. The Diesel Group have also undertaken a wheel set swop on a MkII coach for SRPS Railtours.
May 2008 The roof repairs on 47 643 continue to make good progress, however the extent of the corrosion is greater that first expected and is therefore taking longer to erradicate. Other current projects include ongoing work on D5394, 08 443 and general fleet maintenance.
April 2008 Work continues on 47 643's roof and exhaust silencer as are body repairs to 37 175 and D5394. Interior fiiting out of the Swindon Class 126 DMU is making good progress The Blower Motor previously replaced on D8020 was found to have end float bearing problems and has been swopped for another.
2nd March 2008 47 643 was brought into the shed on Saturday for removal of the exhaust silencer which has a lot of corrosion damage to it. It was found that the roof section was also corroded badly underneath where the silnecer sits in. It was decided to remove the main roof section for repairs to be carried out exhaust undertry which is double skinned to prevent heat transfer from the silencer. Most of the inner skin is corroded away from water leaking into it from the badly holed silencer. The roof to body joint will also be cleaned up on the main roof section, the boiler room roof will also be replaced at the same time. 27001 was also in the shed for electrical repairs to enable the loco to return to service. D5394 Good progress is being made with work starting on the refitting of the cab roof and air tanks in the No 2 end. The small engine room roof scetion that has 3 air tanks that hang from it has also been refitted.
10th February 2008 08 443 - General overhaul progressing D8020 - The Traction Motor Blower unit has been replaced with an overhauled spare. The original motor wil be sent for overhaul D5394 - Work continues to rebuild the severely corroded body. Class 126 DMU Enigine No4 - The rebuild of this engine is nearing completion Railtours Coach RMB 1859 - A boigie lift was undertaken to exchange wheel sets prior to the commencement of the 2008 tour program.
13th January 2008 The general overhaul of English Electric 0-6-0 shunter 08 443 has been started with the removal of batteries, engine and generator compartment doors. The battery compartments have been cleaned and descaled with an air needle gun to remove corrosion. 27 001 is undergoing various repairs including servicing to the overload relays and a general inspection and clean-up of the traction motors. D5394 continues to make good progress with treatment and clean-up of bodyside corrosion. Work is also underway to reconstruct the seriously corroded boiler compartment roof. 37 175 is receiving ongoing repairs and a start has been made to clean and repaint the cabs
28th October 2007 The B4 bogie overhaul for SRPS Railtours is nearly complete and all that remains is to re-unite them with the coach. The Class 126 DMU received it's third engine today and work is now underway to connect the exhaust system, drive shafts and auxiliary pipe work and wiring. More progress has been made on the bodywork of D5394 and the engine room of the loco is being prepared for cleaning and painting, body side windows & grilles have been removed and a start made on coating the new meatlwork in No2 cab with primer.
21st October 2007 Work this weekend has focused on completing the B4 bogie overhauls for SRPS Railtours. D3510 and 37 175 have had anti-freeze added to their cooling systems for the winter. Elsewhere in the shed work continues on sorting and categorizing spares and improving the general working space.
14th October 2007 Following the Gala weekend, work has mainly focused on a major shed tidy prior to starting any new projects Welding work in progressing well on D5394 with the No2 cab nearly complete. A completed engine was brought from storage and preparations started to re-unite it with the Class 126 DMU. The fourth engine has been stripped down and only requires re-building. The MMPD is also home to two railtours coach bogies which are undergoing heavy overhaul.
24th Septembert 2007 55 022, 40 145, D8020, D5310 and 37 175 arrived at Bo'ness on Friday 21st ahead of next weekend's Diesel Gala. Waterman Railways class 25 will return home this week and has been moved to the head shunt for transfer to a road vehicle for the journey south. The final painting of 37 025 has now commenced in preparation of it's debut and naming ceremony at next weekend's Gala
16th Septembert 2007 37 025 nears completion prior to re-painting. The last of the lighting circuits were connected and the fire alarm system re-commisioned. On Sunday, the loco received a partial boige lift to install the last of the traction motor blower belows. During the week, D5394 has seen progress on the cab metal work at the number 2 end with all main panels now replaced. Work has also started on preparing the DMU engine mounts.
10th Septembert 2007 27 001 failed on the 16:15 train to Birkhill on Saturday 8th September and was rescued by D2767 which propelled the ensemble to Birkhill before returning to Bo'ness. Following the replacement of the MCC contactor which controls power to wire 12 (all services when the master controller is opened) early on Sunday morning, the loco has returned to traffic and received a good wash prior to hauling Sunday's 16:15 37 025 has had a partial bogie lift to enable the fitting of new traction motor blower bellows. This has allowed the steam cleaning of the underframe before painting. The lighting circuits on the loco are now almost complete with only a couple of engine room bulkhead fittings and the No1 end instrument lights to complete. Both cabs are also nearing completion leaving only the exterior painting to finish the job before service. Welding work on D5394 has been restarted and as can be seen from the gallery is making good progress. The second class 126 DMU power car has also been moved to the MMPD for work in advance of refitting the engines.
August 2007 With D8020, D5310 & 26 024 on tour, work continues on 37 025 ahead of the Autumn Gala. With the welding work on the body now almost complete, final preparations are being made prior to repainting the loco in large logo blue livery. The lighting circuits have also been energised. Following the discovery of split bellows on the exhaust manifold, the offending parts have been removed and new ones fitted. A fault has developed on the lubricating oil pump which will require attention before the loco can undertake load test runs. 27 001 has had its air receiver exam completed and whilst the reservoirs were out of the loco, the opportunity was taken to freshen up the paint work on the cab roofs. To assist SRPS railtours, the diesel group have also undertaken bogie refurbishment for one of the Mk2 coaches. This work is particularly labour intensive involving the complete stripdown of all running gear components, descaling painting, inpection of bearings and components and re-assembly.
Early June 2007 26010 has had the defective generator removed after the loco failed whilst on a test run. The separate field winding was found to be down to earth necessitating the generators removal.The generator is currently at Wyko at Polmadie under repair. The turbo has been removed and cleaned and repairs have been made to the exhaust stack and engine breather outlet which was found to be almost blocked solid with carbon. The opportunity has been taken to clean the generator area whilst it is out, painting has started in the engine compartment. A half lift was also carried out to tighten loose center casting bolts, replace some split traction motor bellows and also repair a leaking air pipe at the No1 end. It is hoped to refit the generator in time for the loco to move to Keighley for their gala. Further details and pictures can be found at http://26010.fotopic.net/c1179066.html 37025 is nearing completion with most minor jobs being finished off. A split in a pair of exhaust bellows was found and the section of exhaust has been stripped out for repairs to take place. A start has been made on rubbing down the paint and preparing it for undercoat and then final top coating. A pair of rail tour coach bogies have been stripped for overhaul. All metal frame parts were sent to be grit blasted and primed by a local company. These have since been returned and have been top coated black and are ready for assembly to start. D8020 is in the diesel shed having an exam prior to going to Keighley, 26024 will be next in for its fitness to run exam.
22nd April 2007 D5310 has been successfully started. A video clip is at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uEsIZDP0VqM. There has been a lot of progress in the cabs being repainted and refitted. All cab air receivers have now been fitted and the air system run up. Further testing of this is taking place after a repair to No 1 compressor was carried out. One drivers auto brake valve needed replaced due to sticking components within it. The number of air leaks is diminishing daily! An oil change will be carried out soon. More broken studding has been found within the electrical cubicle. This should be remedied this week. It is hoped to have it available for the diesel gala. 37 025 continues to make good progress with the new rain strips being fitted. There has been a large push of late to get the engine finished for the diesel gala at Keighley in June. The new traction motor bellows have been fitted to their mounting plates and are now ready to refit to the engine and the last of the missing parts have been sourced to finish the loco mechanically and electrically. To help keep the news pages up to date please email text and photos to news@srpsdiesel.com
1st March 2007 Good progress continues to be made with all current projects, On 37 025, all lighting circuit have now been rewired and only require connecting, sections of corroded metal around the cab steps have been replaced and a replacement set of batteries fitted. The roof section of D5394 that carries the air receivers has been descaled and painted. Bodyside windows on D5310 have now been refitted and in the exhibition building, work on the DMU interior is ongoing with interior laminate panels being fitted.
19th February 2007 On Thursday 15th, ultrasonic testing was successfully carried out on D5310, D8020 and 37 025 and the axle boxes cleaned and repacked with fresh grease. Air receivers on D5394 and D5310 were also inspected, tested and certified. A alternative set of batteries for 37 025 have been obtained, assembled and placed on charge. Also on the loco, the replacement of the internal lighting circuit wiring has been completed and now only requires to be connected to complete that section of the re-wire. The cab heaters in No1 end have also been connected which will allow the refitting of the cab to continue. Other progress includes the ongoing clean-up of brake cylinder components for D5394, completion of railtours coach wheelsets following a bearings exam, the overhaul of a fuel pump for the new diesel fuel storage tank and the laborious task of organising the technical literature library in the new shed office
14th February 2007 D5394 The brake cylinders have been stripped for an internal exam and fitting of new seals. One cylinder is excessively corroded and will require replaced. The power unit has been fitted with an overhauled set of injectors and a broken camshaft oil feed pipe replaced. Following topping up of the engine oil and battery charging, the engine was successfully started for the first time in over 2 years and ran well with no problems. The engine oil put in to flush the system out has now been drained prior to replacement with new oil. The roof section above the control cubicle has been removed for inspection of the air receivers and work has also started cleaning and painting the cantrail grilles. D5310 Since arrival, new batteries have been fitted and some testing of the electrical systems carried out. The power unit has been fitted with a new set of injectors, the tappet clearances adjusted and an internal exam of the crankcase has been carried out. The triple pump was unsiezed and several leaking tubes inside the heat exchanger have been repaired. Following this work, the oil and water systems have been pressurised and no problems have come to light. Examination of the control cubicle has highlighted a few problems which will have to be repaired before a start-up can be attempted. The majority of the work has been carried out by WRHA volunteers, more information and pictures at www.26010.fotopic.net. 37025 Progress has been made with the bodywork restoration, more filling, sanding and painting has been carried out along with removal of the damaged roof gutters for replacement and needle de scaling of the grilles. The other grilles for the nose ends have been painted ready for refitting. The wheel sets have been prepared for Ultrasonic Axle testing. Spare Class 26 Bogies These have been completely dismantled and the wheel sets prepared for a bearing exam by SKF. D2767 Following failure of the original item, a new drive coupling has been manufactured for the water pump and the loco is back in regular use. Civil Engineers One half of the shed was used by the Civil Engineers for a week to construct a new turnout for installation at Birkhill North. The Diesel Group provided assistance transporting the various components into and out of the shed. Working indoors and making use of the cranes and forklifts allowed the job to be completed in a very short space of time.
7th January 2007 The bogies removed last year from 26 024 have been brought into the shed for major overhaul. All components will be removed, cleaned and refurbished before refitting. The four traction motors will probably be sent to a specialist contractor for inspection and overhaul prior to refitting. D5310 belonging to the Waverley Line Heritage Group is also receiving attention on the pit road by WLHG members.