Smokebox door – nearing completion.

Greetings to all our followers and supporters for 2014. We hope that you all had a restful and joyous festive season.

The trust has signed off on the next phase of work on the smokebox door. This phase is the most expensive and extensive so far and it moves the door on a long way from just being a pretty face to an important component of a working locomotive.

The work will include the fabrication and assembly of key components of the door including the central hinge, hinge plate, hinge tube and stop. The fabrication schedule also includes the inner door profile and inner ring, handle and baffle stand-off.

At the completion of this work, the door will undergo non-destructive testing to satisfy and comply with National Rail standards. This testing is critical for certification for mainline running and will be undertaking throughout the fabrication process.

We will of course provide photos as the work progresses.

LMS Drawings showing LMS period modifications and original LNWR features.