markkirk85
Rudolph at Nene Valley Railway
www.nvr.org.uk/history/5485.php
The Loco
This engine is a beast. If it were a lorry it would be an earth mover, built for shifting massive loads over short distances, with big cylinders and very small wheels. It is rated at 800h.p., a tractive effort of 28,000lb, a weight of 66tons and wheels of only 3' 6" diameter. This compares with the STD class 5 at 26,120 lbs tractive effort, and a weight of 76 tons.
Polish engineering is not known for it's high quality, and the engine is no exception. For example, the cylinder bore on engines should line up with the axle centre - not here, the cylinder centreline is clearly inches above the axle centreline. General construction is simple, for example the smoke box door is made from flat plate welded together, where most engines have a rounded door made from pressings / castings. Many of the steam valves are made from steel / iron, which can corrode, where other loco's would use brass or bronze which doesn't corrode. Oddly, for a simple machine, it has the complexity of superheaters; more superheaters than an LMS Jubilee. On a machine that is for shunting and not designed for speed this is unusual, as superheaters are thought to be effective only when an engine is working for long periods and has time to warm through.
It has been said that we are asking too much of this engine, with its small wheels at 25MPH. An A4 Pacific has 6'8" wheels, and at 75MPH (Network Rail's max speed limit for steam) this equates to 315RPM. 5485, with 3' 6" wheels, at 25MPH is only running at 200 RPM. Indeed, the engine's stated maximum speed is 40km/h, and it has proven itself capable of easily keeping to time.
For the crew it is an easy engine to fire, with a large boiler that has plenty of steam generating capacity, and a medium size firebox where the first time fireman won't have trouble getting coal to the far end of the fire. There is also a drop grate in the firebox and a hopper ashpan, making the disposal of fire and ash simpler. The injectors have been proven to be reliable, after fettling work. For the driver, the controls are well placed and all reachable from the cab window. However, the regulator is difficult, steam can be admitted on a little or lots basis, there's not much in between. If you see the engine starting a train and it slips frequently, you know the driver is battling with the regulator. The engine has the luxury of very bright electric lights, in the cab and above the wheels as well as front and back. Some crew like working in the dark with this loco as you have the rare luxury of being able to see where you are going. Due to the long wheel base, two of the axles have a large amount of side-play. This lets the engine go around curves, but it means that there is a lot of side - side waddle, especially on straight track, and there is a lot of that at Nene Valley!
History
This engine is fairly modern as steam engines go, being built by Fablok of Chrzanow, Poland in 1959, as one of a large class of 406 loco's, built from 1950 - 1963. 90 of the class were exported to China. Visit hobby.ien.com.pl/kolej/Freight Tank Locomotives/TKp.htm for further info. It worked for 36 years in the Coalfields in Bytom, southern Poland and was withdrawn in 1995, when the mine closed.
The engine was bought by it's current owner in 1996, in working order with a current boiler ticket. It came complete with it's entire service history, all in Polish, from when it was built, on the 14th of Maja 1959! Many of these documents still have their wax seal from the works. The documents show that the engine had a heavy overhaul in 1990, with a new firebox, a new front tubeplate and new portions of the boiler barrel fitted at Olesnica, Poland. The resulting good condition of the boiler is why it was preserved.
The loco was moved to Belgium by rail through Holland and Germany, in a convoy of loco's devoid of their rods, at a cost of £2,500 for each loco; 900 miles at 25mph. One of the loco owners videoed the convoy and saw sparks from the axlebox of loco. A hurried conversation with the driver (in German) followed! The damaged loco went on to be preserved in Northampton.
5485 Came to England in 1997 and was stripped and overhauled at Llangollen. All the steel pipework was replaced with copper, the smokebox was replaced and a new cab and cladding, was fitted. The boiler is now in very good condition; when in steam it is as dry as a bone. Whilst at Nene Valley, the loco has spent much time out of traffic for repairs to badly worn bearings and bushes on the coupling rods and connecting rods, and a failed main steam pipe. The loco is now back in traffic, but further repairs may soon be required. The valves and pistons have always been blowing-by; the leakage of steam can be heard as a whoosh from the chimney when starting away. On occasion, the blow-by is so bad that the loco will move backwards when starting off in forward gear!
(Incidentally, put 'Slask' into your spell checker and it will suggest 'slack' - Bill Gates is well informed!)
Recent Mechanical Group Reports
Recent reports by the Mechanical Group on 5485 can be found by clicking here
Rudolph at Nene Valley Railway
www.nvr.org.uk/history/5485.php
The Loco
This engine is a beast. If it were a lorry it would be an earth mover, built for shifting massive loads over short distances, with big cylinders and very small wheels. It is rated at 800h.p., a tractive effort of 28,000lb, a weight of 66tons and wheels of only 3' 6" diameter. This compares with the STD class 5 at 26,120 lbs tractive effort, and a weight of 76 tons.
Polish engineering is not known for it's high quality, and the engine is no exception. For example, the cylinder bore on engines should line up with the axle centre - not here, the cylinder centreline is clearly inches above the axle centreline. General construction is simple, for example the smoke box door is made from flat plate welded together, where most engines have a rounded door made from pressings / castings. Many of the steam valves are made from steel / iron, which can corrode, where other loco's would use brass or bronze which doesn't corrode. Oddly, for a simple machine, it has the complexity of superheaters; more superheaters than an LMS Jubilee. On a machine that is for shunting and not designed for speed this is unusual, as superheaters are thought to be effective only when an engine is working for long periods and has time to warm through.
It has been said that we are asking too much of this engine, with its small wheels at 25MPH. An A4 Pacific has 6'8" wheels, and at 75MPH (Network Rail's max speed limit for steam) this equates to 315RPM. 5485, with 3' 6" wheels, at 25MPH is only running at 200 RPM. Indeed, the engine's stated maximum speed is 40km/h, and it has proven itself capable of easily keeping to time.
For the crew it is an easy engine to fire, with a large boiler that has plenty of steam generating capacity, and a medium size firebox where the first time fireman won't have trouble getting coal to the far end of the fire. There is also a drop grate in the firebox and a hopper ashpan, making the disposal of fire and ash simpler. The injectors have been proven to be reliable, after fettling work. For the driver, the controls are well placed and all reachable from the cab window. However, the regulator is difficult, steam can be admitted on a little or lots basis, there's not much in between. If you see the engine starting a train and it slips frequently, you know the driver is battling with the regulator. The engine has the luxury of very bright electric lights, in the cab and above the wheels as well as front and back. Some crew like working in the dark with this loco as you have the rare luxury of being able to see where you are going. Due to the long wheel base, two of the axles have a large amount of side-play. This lets the engine go around curves, but it means that there is a lot of side - side waddle, especially on straight track, and there is a lot of that at Nene Valley!
History
This engine is fairly modern as steam engines go, being built by Fablok of Chrzanow, Poland in 1959, as one of a large class of 406 loco's, built from 1950 - 1963. 90 of the class were exported to China. Visit hobby.ien.com.pl/kolej/Freight Tank Locomotives/TKp.htm for further info. It worked for 36 years in the Coalfields in Bytom, southern Poland and was withdrawn in 1995, when the mine closed.
The engine was bought by it's current owner in 1996, in working order with a current boiler ticket. It came complete with it's entire service history, all in Polish, from when it was built, on the 14th of Maja 1959! Many of these documents still have their wax seal from the works. The documents show that the engine had a heavy overhaul in 1990, with a new firebox, a new front tubeplate and new portions of the boiler barrel fitted at Olesnica, Poland. The resulting good condition of the boiler is why it was preserved.
The loco was moved to Belgium by rail through Holland and Germany, in a convoy of loco's devoid of their rods, at a cost of £2,500 for each loco; 900 miles at 25mph. One of the loco owners videoed the convoy and saw sparks from the axlebox of loco. A hurried conversation with the driver (in German) followed! The damaged loco went on to be preserved in Northampton.
5485 Came to England in 1997 and was stripped and overhauled at Llangollen. All the steel pipework was replaced with copper, the smokebox was replaced and a new cab and cladding, was fitted. The boiler is now in very good condition; when in steam it is as dry as a bone. Whilst at Nene Valley, the loco has spent much time out of traffic for repairs to badly worn bearings and bushes on the coupling rods and connecting rods, and a failed main steam pipe. The loco is now back in traffic, but further repairs may soon be required. The valves and pistons have always been blowing-by; the leakage of steam can be heard as a whoosh from the chimney when starting away. On occasion, the blow-by is so bad that the loco will move backwards when starting off in forward gear!
(Incidentally, put 'Slask' into your spell checker and it will suggest 'slack' - Bill Gates is well informed!)
Recent Mechanical Group Reports
Recent reports by the Mechanical Group on 5485 can be found by clicking here