Peckett Progress...
Hi all. Today I was again at my standard gauge concern, the Battlefield Line Railway at Shackerstone. Now, it is a well known fact that steam locomotive overhaul's can take massive amount's of time to complete. However, the railway's 0-6-0 Peckett Saddle Tank No1859 of 1932 "Sir Gomer" is now, effectively, on her way back! The engine was removed from service in August 2008 for overhaul and by early January 2009 she was stripped back to a bare chassis. Since then, alot of work has been done to the locomotive. This has included the cab fittings, wheels, valve gear, steam chest's, lubricator's, brakes, frames and much more. The valve gear has been re-timed and the connecting rods have been stripped of their previously red paint. This has resulted in very nice looking silver rods. The job was done using paint stripper and then a mixture of oil & parrafin to create a shiney effect. Today, after "Sir Gomer" was rolled outside, much degreasing work was done, mainly focussing on the green wheels and the frames. The Crosshead's were then needle-gunned, as can be seen below:-
Surprisingly, beneath the gathered grease was a still very shiney green livery. The newly cleaned rods, barings and wheels can be seen below. The frames behind the wheels had also been cleaned with parrafin to remove further dust & grease, as had the left-hand rear sanding pipe in the bottom right of the image:-
"Sir Gomer"s 'bottom-end' work is now almost complete with only minimal "touching up" jobs left to do between the frames. Once the boiler returns from Llangollen it will be craned straight back into the frames so that the "piping up" work can begin. This will, unfortunately, "take as long as it takes" (same old story!). Once "Sir Gomer" is finished then a steam test will have to take place, to make sure that everything has been put back properly! The 77-year old lady will then have to undertake "proving runs", both 'light' & 'loaded', to run her back in after over a year out of service. If the many tests are completed sucessfully then the engine can be released back into service. With all work done, "Sir Gomer" will be back at the head of steam trains to the Battlefield, starting the new season, during Easter 2010, in style! The view below shows an unusual shot of the inside of the frames:- 
Now, for those who don't know it, here's a bit of history on the engine. No1859 (her only title when built) was built in June 1932 by Peckett & Sons of Bristol. Her class in the Peckett line was "OX1" (this is stamped on her rear bufferbeam). "Sir Gomer" spent her entire working life at Mountain Ash Colliery in Wales and was one of the last steam locomotive's operating in the area when finally retired in 1981. When retired, "Sir Gomer" was owned by the NCB who then loaned her to a preservation society, though she required restoration by then. By 1993 the group had restored the Peckett at their own expense. They later purchased the engine. Her owning society later became the Vale of Glamorgan Railway and No1859 was their first steam engine. However, due to the engine's 16"x24" cylinders she was barred from working on the railway's new extension which had restrictive clearances. This made her, unfortunately, surplus to requirements. The engine was later bought by the Battlefield Line and arrived in October 2001. For your interest I have included the 2 images below. It shows "Sir Gomer" complete, in steam and, running well(!) in June 2008, in the capable hands of Driver Jan Ford & Fireman Eddie Jones:-
After a few troubled years what with one thing & another, "Sir Gomer" was, as mentioned, taken out of service in late August last year. Power-wise, No1859 is, according to Peckett's pamplet, capable of hauling 980 tons on level ground. Due to her large cylinders and 3' 10" wheels, the engine can generate 545HP at 10mph. So, she may be small but she's by no means weak! Her "running weight" of around 43 tons is also quite substantial for her size. Finally, "Why is 'Sir Gomer' named so?"...Well, she is named after Sir James Gomer Berry who was a Director of many colleries in South Wales including, of course, Mountain Ash, "Sir Gomer"s former home. So, "Sir Gomer" should be back in use by Easter 2010 at the latest so why not come and ride behind her at the Battlefield Line Railway, Shackerstone, Leicestershire. Thanks for reading! More posts coming relatively soon. Good Evening.
Hi all. Today I was again at my standard gauge concern, the Battlefield Line Railway at Shackerstone. Now, it is a well known fact that steam locomotive overhaul's can take massive amount's of time to complete. However, the railway's 0-6-0 Peckett Saddle Tank No1859 of 1932 "Sir Gomer" is now, effectively, on her way back! The engine was removed from service in August 2008 for overhaul and by early January 2009 she was stripped back to a bare chassis. Since then, alot of work has been done to the locomotive. This has included the cab fittings, wheels, valve gear, steam chest's, lubricator's, brakes, frames and much more. The valve gear has been re-timed and the connecting rods have been stripped of their previously red paint. This has resulted in very nice looking silver rods. The job was done using paint stripper and then a mixture of oil & parrafin to create a shiney effect. Today, after "Sir Gomer" was rolled outside, much degreasing work was done, mainly focussing on the green wheels and the frames. The Crosshead's were then needle-gunned, as can be seen below:-
Surprisingly, beneath the gathered grease was a still very shiney green livery. The newly cleaned rods, barings and wheels can be seen below. The frames behind the wheels had also been cleaned with parrafin to remove further dust & grease, as had the left-hand rear sanding pipe in the bottom right of the image:-
"Sir Gomer"s 'bottom-end' work is now almost complete with only minimal "touching up" jobs left to do between the frames. Once the boiler returns from Llangollen it will be craned straight back into the frames so that the "piping up" work can begin. This will, unfortunately, "take as long as it takes" (same old story!). Once "Sir Gomer" is finished then a steam test will have to take place, to make sure that everything has been put back properly! The 77-year old lady will then have to undertake "proving runs", both 'light' & 'loaded', to run her back in after over a year out of service. If the many tests are completed sucessfully then the engine can be released back into service. With all work done, "Sir Gomer" will be back at the head of steam trains to the Battlefield, starting the new season, during Easter 2010, in style! The view below shows an unusual shot of the inside of the frames:- 
Now, for those who don't know it, here's a bit of history on the engine. No1859 (her only title when built) was built in June 1932 by Peckett & Sons of Bristol. Her class in the Peckett line was "OX1" (this is stamped on her rear bufferbeam). "Sir Gomer" spent her entire working life at Mountain Ash Colliery in Wales and was one of the last steam locomotive's operating in the area when finally retired in 1981. When retired, "Sir Gomer" was owned by the NCB who then loaned her to a preservation society, though she required restoration by then. By 1993 the group had restored the Peckett at their own expense. They later purchased the engine. Her owning society later became the Vale of Glamorgan Railway and No1859 was their first steam engine. However, due to the engine's 16"x24" cylinders she was barred from working on the railway's new extension which had restrictive clearances. This made her, unfortunately, surplus to requirements. The engine was later bought by the Battlefield Line and arrived in October 2001. For your interest I have included the 2 images below. It shows "Sir Gomer" complete, in steam and, running well(!) in June 2008, in the capable hands of Driver Jan Ford & Fireman Eddie Jones:-
After a few troubled years what with one thing & another, "Sir Gomer" was, as mentioned, taken out of service in late August last year. Power-wise, No1859 is, according to Peckett's pamplet, capable of hauling 980 tons on level ground. Due to her large cylinders and 3' 10" wheels, the engine can generate 545HP at 10mph. So, she may be small but she's by no means weak! Her "running weight" of around 43 tons is also quite substantial for her size. Finally, "Why is 'Sir Gomer' named so?"...Well, she is named after Sir James Gomer Berry who was a Director of many colleries in South Wales including, of course, Mountain Ash, "Sir Gomer"s former home. So, "Sir Gomer" should be back in use by Easter 2010 at the latest so why not come and ride behind her at the Battlefield Line Railway, Shackerstone, Leicestershire. Thanks for reading! More posts coming relatively soon. Good Evening.
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