The LMS-Patriot Project

The South Devon Railway has been awarded the contract to assemble the driving wheelsets for 'The Unknown Warrior'. With the last of the six driving wheels being cast in January, and machining now under way at the Boro Foundry, plans have now been drawn up with the South Devon Railway to assemble the complete wheelsets. The aim is to have a rolling chassis during 2012, and the completing the wheelsets will be a major step towards completing this.

Rob Le Chevalier, SDR Workshop Manager visited the Boro Foundry to meet the Patriot engineering team and to advise on the final machining of the six newly cast driving wheels before they are taken to the SDR where assembly will commence. Rob Le Chevalier's team at the SDR will fit two plain axles, a crank axle will be manufactured and fitted to the leading wheelset - this is driven from the inside middle cylinder. The tyres will then be fitted using the Gibson ring method, followed by the crank pins. The SDR has extensive facilities at their Buckfastleigh workshops to enable complete wheelsets to be assembled.

The LMS-Patriot Project still needs to raise £40K to enable the wheelsets to be completed and is looking for sponsorship of various components to help reach the rolling chassis stage:

- A crank axle can be sponsored for £10,000
- Six tyres can be sponsored for £3500 each
- Two plain axles can be sponsored for £2000 each
- A driving wheel axle box pattern can be sponsored for £1250
- Six crank pins can be sponsored for £750 each
- Six Loco axle box castings can be sponsored for £625 each
- Four horn guide patterns can be sponsored for £300 each
- Twelve horn guide castings can be sponsored for £250 each
- A spring hanger pattern can be sponsored for £200
- 12 Spring hanger castings can be sponsored for £200 each

Meanwhile, patterns for frame stretchers and a driving wheel axlebox pattern have been ordered from Master Pattern Maker, Eddie Mocroft, at the Boro Foundry. Kevin West, draughtsman for the LMS-Patriot Project has created new drawings for the stretchers and the these will be used to create the new patterns. Eddie Mocroft has already made the pattern for 'The Unknown Warrior's' bogie centre pin casting which was cast last year.

The axle boxes from 8F, 48518, were found to be unsuitable and the 'Royal Scot' axle box pattern that was obtained from Wroughton needed too many modifications to make it suitable for use with 'The Unknown Warrior', so the decision was made to make a new axle box pattern. This will cost around £1250.

Photos by LMS-Patriot Project.