14A, The Guinea Pig
When 14A came into the workshops for its last exam late in 2015, it was noted that one of the lens rings joining the main steam pipe from the header…
Read MoreFox Bogie Progress
There’s been some good progress since this project was first introduced. All the laser cut plates have now been welded together, the progress of which can be seen in the…
Read MoreNG/G16 Into 2016
It might look to the untrained eye as if work on the Garratt had pretty much come to a halt once the boiler was in place. As with…
Read MoreWhite Metal Or White Nylon
If there are any recurring themes running through this Blog, one of the foremost will most certainly be the number of repetitive, labour intensive tasks required to keep our century…
Read MoreWhistle Stop Wales
With “coincidentally” overlapping trips to the UK planned for June 2015, myself and David Clowes, Puffing Billy’s Maintenance Engineer, decided to make the most of the opportunity and planned a…
Read MoreNorm’s Engine
The workshops at Puffing Billy have carried out all kinds of jobs over the years, on a variety of scales, but ‘Tywyn’ probably rates as one of the smallest locomotives.…
Read MoreGarratt 129 Progress
All the suspension components are now complete, and most have now been trial assembled on the engine units (above and below). This has been a useful exercise to prove everything…
Read MoreTrial Fitting A Garratt Boiler
Another milestone for the restoration of Puffing Billy’s NG/G16 Garratt was reached early in November when the new boiler was lowered into the boiler cradle for the first time. Following…
Read MoreThe Fox Bogie Revisited
First patented by Englishman Samson Fox in 1893, the Fox style bogie carried virtually all the rolling stock on the Victorian Railways 4 narrow gauge lines from construction to demolition.…
Read MoreA New Smokebox Door Seal For 6A
One of the many constant challenges for the workshop staff at Belgrave is being able to create and maintain an air tight seal around the smokebox door. A poor…
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