Wednesday 7 May 2008

More about 'Lion'

A great deal has been written about the history of the locomotive 'Lion' over the years, much of it by the 'Old Locomotive Committee' ('OLCO'), the locomotive's very own supporters club.

In 1930, the November 14 edition of 'The Engineer' had an interesting article (starting on page 535) which was the subject of an earlier post.

Also in 1930, page 684 of 'Meccano Magazine' had a single-page article on 'Lion' which is reproduced below - click on the article to enlarge it.

The pictures in the article show the actual form of the firebox, which I'd describe as "raised round-top". The wonderful brass cover which is now such a characteristic feature of 'Lion' was actually a bit of artistic license by Crewe during the rebuilding prior to the 1930 celebrations.

Tuesday 6 May 2008

Zen and the Art of Platform Numbering

When I was rather younger, I was very impressed to discover that Grand Central Terminal, New York had a Track 117 (I never fathomed why we number the platform alongside the track whilst the Americans number the track itself. I suspect it's because we British know how to build a proper, high-level platform to allow passengers to step conveniently from platform to train. In contrast, our American cousins content themselves with an apology of a platform, only raised a few inches above rail level, necessitating steps inside each car up to floor level and, additionally at some locations, the use of a footstool to assist in boarding and alighting).

Knowing the American delight in superlatives, I fondly imagined that there was a track for each integer from 1 to 117. I later discovered that this is not the case. Grand Central is a double-deck station, because of the site limitations. When they had finished numbering the tracks on one level consecutively, they started numbering the second level at track 100, leaving plenty of spare numbers for possible future expansion which did not occur.

When I finally visited the station, I forgave the builders the slight deceit in track numbering because of the grandeur of the 'Belles Artes' architecture. Following the recent refurbishment, the station ranks amongst the most impressive I have seen. The picture below shows the decorated marble portico to tracks 116-117, together with the destination indicator for track 116. Is this not a fitting invitation to travel by train? It has to be admitted that, having passed through the archway, one is led via a ramp onto an undistinguished and narrow platform where the predominent motif is reinforced concrete but I suppose one cannot have everything.

In Britain, we've only managed to get our platform numbers into the low twenties. I think Clapham Junction held the record but the present state of this station is too depressing to dwell upon. Integers did not prove adequate at all sites and letter suffixes were sometimes used. Historically, upper case 'A', 'B', 'C' and so on were used. However, modernisation of our railways has now been achieved by stripping away these old-fashioned designations and replacing them with lower case 'a', 'b', 'c' and so on. Where this technique appears insufficiently drastic for a 21st century railway, at some locations the sequence has been reversed so that, for instance, platforms 1 to 12 are now plattforms 12 to 1. Brave New World!

In response to an initiative by the popular children's author J.K. Rowling, an experimental fractional platform number (9-3/4) has been introduced at Kings Cross. Our photograph below suggests that this interesting experiment is not without teething problems - the distressed passenger (sorry - we must now call him 'customer' for reasons which are not completely clear to me but I believe are related to the removal of any expectation of travel from place to place and the substitution of various over-priced 'retail opportunities') appears to have his luggage trolley stuck in the entrance to the platform.

A brave attempt by Britain, which has been described as "magical" but I confess that we have been trounced by the orientals from Japan. The rebuilt Kyoto station has been widely hailed as a masterpiece of modern design. The soaring atrium is certainly impressive but, alas, not to my rather old-fashioned taste. However, in the matter of platform numbering they have transcended the use of big numbers in America and fractional numbers in Britain. As shown in the picture below, the modern shuttle trains to the new airport now leave from 'Platform 0'. The practice of Zen has allowed the designers to effortlessly summon up the mysteries of the infinite with a simple yet breathtaking numbering plan. And the trains run on time!

More on Platform 0.

The Old Locomotive Committee

'Lion' enjoys the sun during the 'Riot of Steam' in 2005.

What is the Old Locomotive Committee? In explanation, I can do no better than quote the brief history of the LION locomotive published by the present Old Locomotive Committee:-

"In January 1923 an interesting 'Old Locomotive' was noticed still doing duty as a pumping engine at the Graving Dock, Princes Dock on the River Mersey. This locomotive was subsequently identified as LION, built in Leeds in 1838 by Messrs Todd, Kitson and Laird for the Liverpool & Manchester Railway and sold 'Out of Service' to the Mersey Docks & Harbour Board in 1859. She had been used as a pumping engine since 1871.

Late in 1927, a number of members of the (now defunct) Liverpool Engineering Society, conscious of the recent Centenary of the Stockton & Darlington Railway and anxious that the Centenary of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway should reflect the greater importance of the latter enterprise, began to look towards seeking LION's restoration and with this objective in view, formed themselves into an Old Locomotive Committee.

LION was restored to working order and provided with a tender and a train of six period carriages by mid-1930, in time for the Liverpool & Manchester Centernary celebrations at Wavertree Park, Liverpool, where she played a prominent part, giving a faultless performance. In 1938 she was used by the London Midland & Scottish Railway, both in steam and as a static exhibit, for the London & Birmingham Centenary Celebrations. In 1980 she was again restored to working order in time to lead the cavalcade on the first day of the 'Rocket 150' celebrations at Rainhill. She was a major point of interest for the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh when she was in steam, supported by OLCO members in costume, for the Crewe celebrations of 1987. HRH the Prince of Wales rode on her footplate in the course of the Royal visit to Tyseley which took place during the last period LION was steamed in 1988 - her 150th birthday year.

LION is probably best known for her starring role in the film 'The Titfield Thunderbolt' but she was also used for the films 'Victoria the Great' of 1937 and 'The Lady with the Lamp' in 1951. Before the last war she was kept on a plinth at Lime Street Station, Liverpool but latterly, having been passed to National Museums and Galleries on Merseyside, following the demise of the Liverpool Engineering Society, she has been displayed in the Transport Gallery of Liverpool Museum. Following that museum's successful lottery bid, however, she has been on display at the Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester since mid-June 1999, returning to Liverpool in 2007. She is not in steamable condition, but details of what would be needed to restore her to working order have been established. Compared with some other sucessful restorations, they are not extensive.

Following LION being put back into working order in 1980, interest in the locomotive revived dramatically so that when moves to institute a society connected with the locomotive were made in 1984, the fledgling organisation adopted the name 'Old Locomotive Committee' as a tribute to the stalwarts of the former Liverpool Engineering Society who had rescued the locomotive originally. This full name has conveniently been contracted to 'OLCO', with a logo based on the letterhead of the successor company - Kitson & Co - of the partnership which originally built LION. OLCO members have been instrumental in helping to run the locomotive when in steam, researching her history, providing a focus for modellers with drawings (measured from LION herself), other information and annual steaming meets at various venues."

As stated above, the last steaming of LION was at Birmingham Railway Museum, Tyseley in 1988. She was stored there for some time before moving to Dinting for a while in anticipation of bringing her back to steam. Unfortunately, Liverpool Museums decided that LION will not steam again and LION was moved to Dorothea Restorations at Whaley Bridge for cosmetic restoration.

Since there was no suitable space to display LION in Liverpool, the locomotive then spent some years on display in the Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester. During this time, OLCO member John Hawley refined his series of drawings of LION which form the definitive record of the current condition of the locomotive. A fairly detailed photographic record was also made. Click for photographs.

The Liverpool & Manchester Railway opened on 15th September 1830. 175 years later, in 2005, the Museum of Science & Industry in Manchester hosted a 4-day celebration which they called 'Riot of Steam', featuring replicas of the contenders at the earlier Rainhill Trials. Liverpool Museum allowed LION to appear at these celebrations, giving rise to some interesting photo-opportunities. 'Riot of Steam' pictures.

In March 2007, LION finally left Manchester and was returned to store in Liverpool, although OLCO members still have limited 'visiting rights'. To see David Boydell's pictures of LION leaving Manchester, Click here.

It is intended that LION will be displayed in the new (and architecturally rather contentious) museum being constructed at Liverpool.

Members of OLCO receive a newsletter and, for the benefit of modellers, there is an annual competition of live steam models called 'Lionsmeet'.

As time permits, I'll post more information and more of my photographs of LION. To display all posts with the label 'OLCO' Click here.

Driving Turn at Peak Rail - Part One: Preparation

Visitors to preserved railways are often interested in what's involved in becoming a working volunteer, so here's a description of a recent turn.

As a driver, I normally 'book on' rather later than the fireman but, on this occasion, the fireman and I travelled to Peak Rail together, so that meant I left earlier than normal and arrived just after 5 a.m. when it was still dark. There's a Mess Hut where volunteers 'Sign on' on arrival and, having changed into overalls and safety boots, we made our way to the locomotive, an 0-6-0T 'Austerity', standing in the open, over an inspection pit. There are a couple of electric lights near the stabling point which help a lot, but a good torch is still a necessity. We were lucky that the morning was reasonably mild - it can be a bit miserable when it's cold and positively unpleasant when it rains.

The engine had been used the day before so, despite standing in the open overnight, the boiler was still fairly warm. This considerably reduces the time necessary to raise steam. From cold, you need to allow around 4 hours for this size locomotive, eight hours or more for bigger engines. There are all sorts of techniques for speeding steam raising, but they are generally frowned upon as they can adversely affect maintenance costs. Sometimes, engines are kept 'in steam' overnight but, apart from the cost of fuel, this normally requires staff to be on hand through the night so it's not too common.

Before a new fire can be lit, a series of checks are necessary to ensure the safety of the boiler. Two gauge glasses allow the level of water in the boiler to be deemed sufficient and the boiler is examined outside and inside both the firebox and smokebox to check for leaks. The integrity of the fusible plug in the roof of the inner firebox is also checked. This device melts and discharges steam into the firebox in the event of the boiler water level falling dangerously. 'Dropping the plug' is one of the worst sins a fireman can commit.

The firebox still had the ashy remains of the previous day's fire, so some time was spent removing this, using various shovels and implements manipulated through the firehole door from the cab A bad sign was that some of these remains had fused onto the cast iron firebars, requiring the upper half of the operator's body to be inserted through the firehole in order to wield various implements to dislodge the sheets of fused slag from the firebars so that it could then be shovelled out. The fireman and I shared this task, taking turns. The boiler was hot enough that after about a minute it was necessary to have a breather. You can imagine that you ingest a fair bit of dust and ash in the process, even if you decide to look for a facemask first. In the meantime, the inside of the smokebox could be examined and, where necessary, the 'char' removed.

On completion of these unpleasant and dirty tasks, a new fire could be set. Various techniques can be used. On this occasion, wood was placed on a thin layer of coal then more wood was ignited from rags soaked in used oil carefully added on top. Having established a decent wood fire, further coal was added until a raging fire resulted. It's essential to have a big enough fire to produce enough heat. An engine like the 'Austerity' will have around half a ton of water in the boiler - that's quite a big kettle to bring to the boil, even if the water is warm to start with!

Having helped the fireman get the fire started, I was able to carry out the tasks of examining the mechanics of the engine and 'oiling round'. The 'exam' is carried out at least daily and oiling daily or more frequently, depending upon the duty. Although the 'Austerity' has some grease points provided with nipples, the majority of lubrication on a steam locomotive uses mineral oil in a 'total loss' system - there's no collection, filtration and re-use. Most of the oiling is done with a fairly 'thin' oil with a viscosity of around SAE220. This is often called 'motion' oil or 'bearing' oil, but other names are in use. I find the term 'lubricating' oil, which some people use, particularly confusing, so I avoid that.

To make sure everywhere gets dealt with, it's desirable to be methodical, so I usually start with the six crankpins (remove screw cap, top up oil, replace cap, also adding a little oil to the oil holes on the gradient pins. Then, mounted on the foot-framing near the smokebox is an oil box either side to feed the piston glands and valve spindle glands. Lying on the foot framing, you can reach between the frames to get at four oil pots with hinged lids on each set of slidebars, then remove screw caps, oil and replace caps on two little ends (where each connecting rod is articulated to its crosshead) and two valve rods. From this position, I normally also deal with the four oil holes at the top of the lifting links and the two holes of the weighshaft trunnions.

I find the best way to get at the inside motion on this class is to lower yourself between the frames from the footframing on the left side of the engine (access on the right side is prevented by the reach rod), standing on the brake rigging or whatever foothold you can find to avoid dropping down into the pit below. How difficult this process is partly depends how the engine was left by yesterday's driver. If the right-hand crankpins have been left at 'seven o'clock' (for this class of locomotive), the job is rather easier. There's not usually steam to move at this stage so, if the engine is on a 'bad angle', you normally oil as much as you can and remember to come back later once you have steam to reposition the locomotive. It is possible to move the engine manually using a pinch bar but there's not usually much enthusiasm for this - it's easier to grumble about yesterday's crew.

Before you enter the motion, it's vital that you ensure that the engine is secured by following the mantra "Reverser in mid-gear, drain cocks open, regulator properly shut, handbrake hard on". Once you're in the motion, it's not easy to get out, so it's important that the fireman knows your whereabouts and that you both keep a good lookout for any other movements - many men have been killed or badly mauled when a locomotive being prepared in this way has been accidently struck by another engine. Setting a 'NOT TO BE MOVED' board (as shown in the photograph at the top) is a good precaution, but it doesn't actually prevent an accident.

Climbing into the motion so as to face towards the rear of the engine, it should be possible to remove the screw caps, top-up with oil and replace the caps on the left big end and the two eccentrics for the left cylinder, as shown in the picture. Reaching across, you have to do the same for the right big end and the two eccentrics for the right cylinder. If the weather is cold, it's all too easy to drop one of the screw caps, slowing down the process whilst the missing cap is located, cleaned (anything you drop gets covered in ash from the pit) and screwed back in.

If the big ends and eccentrics are worn, your oil feeder is sure to need replenishing at some stage, so it's a good idea to remember to put the oil 'bottle' (shown above - it's actually made of tinplate) within reach on the framing. Otherwise you have to try to attract the attention of your fireman or, failing that, extricate yourself from the motion, get some more oil and insert yourself back into the motion. Once the big ends and eccentrics are done, it's necessary to turn round to face the front of the engine - easier said than done in the restricted space between the frames.

From this new position, the various oil holes on both expansion links and both dieblocks can be dealt with. Once this is done, you can haul yourself up onto the footframing and climb down to ground level. I normally do my 'exam' underneath the locomotive next. Again, it's important that the fireman knows your location. There are some oiling points on the handbrake screw, steam brake piston and brake rigging I look to and sometimes I add a little oil to the damper linkage and the linkage to the cylinder drain cocks (usually referred to as 'taps').

Most important is to study everything you pass, looking for anything unexpected - something becoming detached, unusual wear, missing split pins or nuts, anything broken, loose or showing signs of cracking (particularly on the springing), anything out of alignment. Careful examination during preparation greatly reduces the chances of suffering a failure 'on the road'. Since, by this time, the engine is warming up, this process is usually accompanied by being engulfed in drifting steam and having hot water dripped down your neck.

Back at ground level, the six axleboxes have to be attended to. On an 'Austerity' the top of each axlebox is formed into an oil reservoir covered by a sheet metal plate. From each reservoir, three tail trimmings deliver oil to the crown of the axlebox and the two hornguides which allow the axlebox to move up and down under the control of the spring. There's not much space to reach through the spokes of each wheel and prise-up the metal cover plate so as to attend to the reservoir and it's necessary to remove any water which has collected in the reservoir with a syphon before 'topping up'. If the locomotive is on a 'bad angle', either the crankpin or balance weight will stop the job being done until you've 'set' the engine in a better position.

Returning to the footplate, there are a couple more oil pots with hinged lids and I usually apply a little oil to the reverser and its rack, the lower slides of the firedoors and the various moving parts of the arrangement of levers which opens the firedoors.

A much thicker oil is used for parts in contact with steam requiring lubrication - usually the two cylinders, the two valve chests and the steam brake cylinder. A compound oil with a viscosity of SAE 600 or above is used. This oil retains adequate lubrication qualities at the high temperatures expected where there's steam. Again, there are various names for this oil - 'thick' oil, 'cylinder' oil, 'steam' oil, 'black' oil and, because this oil is often dispensed by a lubricator, 'lubricating' oil (now you see why I don't call 'thin' oil 'lubricating' oil).

There's a small, brass globe oiler near the boiler backhead, positioned in the steam line to the steam brake cylinder. A little 'thick' oil will help to avoid the embarrassment of the brake piston siezing in the brake cylinder the first time you try to stop (I often tell people "Always brake as if you expect the brakes not to work, 'cos one day, you'll be right!"). However, caution must be used in filling this oiler. If the steam brake application valve is 'passing' at all (often the case), rather than the oil flowing obediently into the oiler, hot water and oil may spray out all over you.

Cynics may think that this is why the job of filling the globe oiler on the steam brake line is often given to the fireman, but the explanation is probably more prosaic. I mentioned that 'steam' oil is often dispensed by a lubricator. Where fitted, this is usually mounted on the fireman's side so that makes it more logical for the fireman to look after the 'steam' oil. The Great Western (of course) were the exception to this convention. Lubrication was (quite correctly) regarded as so vital to the running of the engine that the lubricator was always fitted in front of the driver and was the drivers responsibility.

So, why the need for a lubricator? The problem is to provide a supply of oil from a suitable reservoir to cylinders and steam chests pressurised at boiler pressure. Without digressing too far, two simple types are the Displacement Lubricator, where steam condenses to hot water in the oil reservoir and thereby displaces oil into the steam/oil line, and the Sight Feed Lubricator, as fitted on today's engine. The Sight Feed Lubricator is a more sophisticated form of the Displacement Lubricator offering better control of the oil supply. The condensing steam supply is independently controlled, the oil supply can be shut off when the locomotive is stationary and a needle valve in each outgoing oil line allows the feed rate to be accurately set by observing the formation and breakaway of oil globules through a glass window. Excellent when working, but they can be temperamental.

I should mention in passing that modern locomotives tend to use mechanical lubricators where a series of small pumps, one per oil line, are driven from some oscillating part of the motion. This type of lubricator can be used to dispense both motion oil and steam oil. We'll leave the question of 'atomising', to try to obtain a more regular oil film on the parts to be protected, for another time.

The locomotive should be about ready for traffic by now. The fireman should certainly check that both injectors are capable of delivering water to the boiler. This can be done by deliberately raising the boiler pressure until the safety valve 'lifts' and ensuring that this occurs within a few 'pounds per square inch' of the registered pressure. Putting on an injector will then 'cool' the boiler, lowering the pressure and allowing the safety valve to close.

The driver should also check that the vacuum ejector for the train brakes is capable of creating the correct partial vacuum (21 inches of mercury for this locomotive) and that there are no blockages in the brake pipes to the flexible hoses on the front and rear bufferbeams. If time is short, this last test is sometimes deferred until the locomotive is actually in traffic but this is not to be recommended.

Oh, and if you're very lucky, there may even be time for a "brew" before movements commence!

Click to see Part 2.