Monday 11 April 2016

Blue Fingers......

Progress on CR 828 at Aviemore in the last week has been mainly focused on scraping of big end bearings resulting in a set of fingers deeply ingrained with engineers blue...interspersed with some blood when the sharpness of one of the scrapers was proved. ...

Off site Harco Engineering Ltd made great progress with machining the new Hornblock casting and it is due back at Aviemore around April 11th.

Dr HJC (Campbell) Cornwell, former SRC Chairman and former Chairman of the SLPTF (owners of CR 828) and the leading authority on CR locos from the 1880s until the Grouping in 1923 kindly provided copies of the drawings for the eccentrics and straps. This will be very useful when Nathan machines the components and Alan French relines the straps with white metal.





On the table at Harco Engineering - the new LH Driving Hornblock receives the attention of the CNC milling machine

A close shave....

Beautiful finish......it will be a shame to get it dirty...!





The Neilson Reid drawing of the 812 Class Eccentrics and Straps supplied by Campbell Cornwell. The Caley built 812 - 828 themselves at St Rollox and contracted Neilson Reid to build 829 - 848 at the Hyde Park Works in Springburn. The St Rollox drawings may not have survived but fortunately those developed by Neilson Reid have...!


Back half of the LH Big End bearing....one patch was very reluctant to come into contact...and the horridly sharp triangular scraper is hoping for another chance...!

The LH Big End bearing in the "secret" 828 cupboard in Aviemore Shed

A place of greater safety....original and new safety valves stand alongside each other dreaming of high pressure steam...
The old girl in the 1990s in her light blue Caley livery. Charging out of Kinchurdy Cutting in the days of ash ballast and wooden sleepers...long since upgraded to stone ballast and concrete sleepers.

Just for fun - a rare double header on the Strathspey Railway. In September 2011we had some Friday evening fun with a special working for Members and Friends. Here we are at Croftnahaven with Outdoor Superintendent G McNair giving directions to the late (and much missed) Driver Graham Elkin on CR 828. Driver John Greig on 46512 EV Cooper Engineer waits patiently with his loco in mid gear.....the photographers take it all in...! Something we could do with repeating....??

The scene we want to see again soon.....CR 828 rolls into Boat of Garten (strangely deserted) on a June day in 2010.

















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