Engineering

An independent competent review has supported our decision to replace the driving wheels rather than attempting repair.

Our driving wheels are now at Boro Foundry for examination: we and the Foundry are cooperating on the provision of information about the engineering history of the wheels to establsih the cause of the defects.

The PRCLT chassis assessment was reviewed in August.  Issues were agreed with the preparation of frame surfaces for the attachment of components and the fixings used. There is more on this in The Warrior: we are finalising the detail of the remedial work with PRCLT and have started work on the forward programme implications.

Engineering 

A full report on the driving wheels defects reported last month was submitted to our quarterly Trustee Board meeting on 31^st July (our first face-to-face board meeting since January 2020).  The Board accepted the evidence which showed that the wheels will have to be replaced, and gave guidance on the way forward for the project.  

Engineering 

The major news this month concerns our driving wheels. We reported last month that they had to be tested after defects had been found in one wheel. The shot-blasting required for testing purposes was completed around the end of May, and the inspection itself was completed on June 14^th.

The inspection was carried out by British Engineering Services (BES), using magnetic particle testing (MPI). Three members of our team attended at Riley and Son to witness the testing, joined by a senior representative from Boro Foundry who cast the wheels in 2010/11.   

We have just received the formal BES report, which confirms that all the five wheels tested have widespread serious cracking. 

Engineering

Work at West Shed continues to be limited by PRCLT’s need to allocate resources to 6233’s overhaul. However the left hand side expansion link has been successfully fitted and the inside expansion link has been removed for assessment.

There is no progress yet on the testing of the driving wheels reported in last month’s bulletin. The wheels have to be shot-blasted before the testing can be carried out and we are liaising actively with Riley and Son to get this done.

We do however have some better news: we have found an alternative supplier for the new axle material we need this year - the prospect of an 18-month wait has receded.

ENGINEERING 

April has been a difficult month. In the course of the original weld repairs work at Riley and Son (Bury), a significant crack was detected in one of the trailing wheel pans.  Repairs were started at the end of March, but the cracking was found to be more serious and extensive than anticipated.  After on-site inspection and discussion this month, it is our conclusion that the wheel concerned will have to be scrapped. In the circumstances, the project has also decided that, as a precaution, we need to test the other driving wheels for similar cracking. Preparatory work for this testing has started.