Cross-Headed...

Hi everyone. A short post from today. I spent all day at Shackerstone, at work with the lads in the steam loco shed. One of todays tasks was to check the condition of the brass inside "Sir Gomer"s RHS crosshead, which takes the power from the crosshead to the connecting rod and, finally, the wheels. The gudgeon pin sits inside the crosshead, and goes through a brass deep inside. The brass is held into the connecting rod little end by means of a shimmed, steel block with a threaded bolt straight through it to hold it in place. Removal of the brass requires the gudgeon pin nut to be removed, before the pin is hammered back through the crosshead and brass. With the pin out, you can gently bar the crosshead up along the slidebars (piston stroke permitting) and remove the little end from it. The brass was found to be worn but, with some extra shim, it would not be as free as it was previously once refitted. Other little jobs on "Sir Gomer" have included moving the worksplates to their original position, cleaning out the regulator housing and of course resetting the slide valves inside the steam chests. Thanks guys. Sam.