News, 30 March 2022
News, 30 March 2022
The no. 2 enf nose-end doors, fitted for some time in bare metal, have now been primed and undercoated. The front of the loco still looks odd because the buffer shrouds aren't fitted yet and neither are the cab windows. Also, the buffers are 22" diameter and they should be 20", we've got the right ones but they're not yet fitted. Ultimately the nose-end doors and the nose front will need to be cosmetically altered to accommodate the marker & tail lights - there were six lights in total at each end.
More progress on the fuel tank painting. It's had the lower radii sections welded on and now is indistinguishable in appearance from the OE specification.
The dummy CWA tank (see previous updates for explanations), is being built now. The photo below is the outer (no. 1 end) of the tank. It incorporates a return to accommodate the bogie brake slack adjusters which protrude some way from the back of the bogie. Laser cut from 3mm S275JR mild steel with an angle steel frame of 50 x 50 x 5 and 60 x 60 x 8 it doesn't do a lot in this form. It's only real job is to look like the end of the tank - more will become clear as the build progresses. It takes longer to cut out all the angles, including the 'let-ins' for the mating pieces, than it takes to draw the tank end and send the instructions to the laser cutters.
The other end of the CWA tank - no return on this one as it's parallel to the fuel tank and has no need to keep out of the way of anything. This is the outer side, the photo above being of the other end inner side. This outer side has the mounting bracket welded onto it - it is only tacked here to avoid any unpleasant 'but it fits on the drawing' conversations with the designer. Once temporarily mounted and set on the loco it will be removed again and seamed up, NDT inspected and reassembled to the complete tank.
