Steam locomotive service

[Hobbes]

I've seen a few documentaries on restoration of steam locos. Invariably, these restorations take years to complete.

I knew that back when these locos were in daily use, it wouldn't have taken that long to service them. Still, the actual number came as a bit of a shock: 7 days, for a full stripdown (i.e. everything including the boiler is removed from the frame).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nZ3AN-kd66g

[zenrat]

Seven days seems about right to me.  After all, half of that time would be spent putting it back together.
Also, no power tools.

[Hobbes]

should have specified that more accurately:
1 day to strip down to the bare frame (boiler, running gear, cab: all moving parts are removed)
6 days to refurbish and reinstall everything (except the boiler - this gets swapped out for a different one) to working order

then 5 days to repaint.

[NARSES2]

Seven days seems about right to me.  After all, half of that time would be spent putting it back together.
Also, no power tools.

Actually it's very good by the time you factor in tea breaks 

Probably take longer to put it back together then strip it down ? You'd have to do safety checks etc when putting it back together ?

[PR19_Kit]

You'd have to do safety checks etc when putting it back together ?

Yes, they'd have to do a pressure check, even if the boiler already had its certificate.

[kerick]

Today you would have to search for drawings, if they exist, then send out for custom made parts. Who knows how long that would take. Some of the tools would have to be custom made too!

[PR19_Kit]

Actually lots of the drawings are filed in the National Railway Museum, even for steam locos.

[sideshowbob9]

Actually lots of the drawings are filed in the National Railway Museum, even for steam locos.

True but a great many drawings no longer exist. I believe the Unknown Warrior has had to have a great many drawings recreated for example.

What the NRM has preserved is an absolute treasure trove! I've perused several original drawings there, myself. Bought one or two here & there as well. Some of the sections are amazingly ornate.

[PR19_Kit]

Sadly the NRM also have thousands of drawings that haven't been filed or even examined, but they are stored in reasonable conditions.

That may not be true of steam era drawings, but it certainly is of diesel and electric (and gas turbine.......) locos.

[zenrat]

Way back in '89 I worked in the British Rail Southern Region Regional Civl Engineers Plant Section based in Southern House in Croydon.
We were responsible for maintenance and modifications to the Southern Region's on-track engineering plant including tampers, cranes, inspection trollies and the Long Welded Rail Train.
In the office was a filling cabinet containing engineering drawings of Civil Engineering plant dating back to WW2.  While I was there, due to lack of space it was decided to dispose of any drawings not of current equipment and they were thrown away.  I wasn't supposed to keep any (i might have profited from them and that would have been a bad thing) but I did manage to sneak out some drawings of steam cranes which I think I donated to a museum.
This attitude was typical, if it was old it was worthless.  Get rid of it.  No scanners then of course so it wasn't even digitised.

[PR19_Kit]

This attitude was typical, if it was old it was worthless.  Get rid of it.  No scanners then of course so it wasn't even digitised.

Exactly! 

Which is why when I left BR in '78 I took the APT-E Tilt log books with me. They told me to throw them in the Scrap Bin on my way out! How crazy was that? The late Mrs_PR19, although she was 'just a friend' at that time, thought the same way, and she ran the Registry at the Railway Tech Centre. 

So when they dumped all the old APT-E drawings in her 'Inbox' (it was the size of a small house.....) with instructions to dump them all, she loaded them into a vast number of big cardboard boxes and marked them 'To NRM York', as she knew the train itself was there. She was aboard it when we took it there of course. 

In some ways her actions saved the train as when it came to scrapping it or restoring it in 2000 I was able to tell them they already had the full documentation on hand, even if they didn't actually know what it was. 

RESULT! 

[NARSES2]

Way back in '89 I worked in the British Rail Southern Region Regional Civl Engineers Plant Section based in Southern House in Croydon.

I was working just up the road at the time mate. I was based in the NLA Tower (Thrupenny Bit Building) at the time. May have even drank in the same pubs lunchtime/evenings ? Small world.