Flying Scotsman trips
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dinmore
- Well Established Forum Member
- Posts: 628
- Joined: Wed Jun 01, 2005 11:56 am
- Location: Birmingham, 2 miles from Tyseley Loco Works
I understand what people say about FS being 80 something yrs old etc. but how much of it is ACTUALLY 80 yrs old? Not alot I reckon, frames, wheel sets, cylinders and the valve gear maybe but probably not a huge amount else. Last year if I remember rightly when a brake pipe cracked the its "80 yrs old card" was played then but there is no way that pipe would be 80yrs old! It would never be allowed to run if it was! I am involved with the restoration of 3850 (now very near to completion in the next few weeks, Yipeee! 
) from barry condition, now before people jump up and down and say that FS never spent years rotting away in a scrapyard so may not have had to have so much replaced which is probably true, this is just some of the things we have had to replace/make from scratch etc. excluding boiler work. Virtually every bit of pipe work, New smokebox, and door, Nearly all new steam fittings, ashpan, fire bars, boiler and fire box cladding, cab platework, window frames, new pistons, valves, rings, draincocks etc. cylinder cladding etc. All the rods and valve gear obviously have new bushes, eccentrics have been re-metaled etc. This is just a small selection of course! but dosn't leave a huge amount of the original engine behind! Once say a connecting rod has had new bushes fitted then it is almosy as good as new surely, after all a bush is a bush wether made yesterday or 80yrs ago so should have a simillar service life??? Also bear in mind that she sees very little use compared to that of 50yrs ago. Don't get me wrong, I'm not knocking FS (I think she a wonderful engine, so much so I have been spending many years buliding one in 5" gauge complete with second tender!) or the staff at the NRM It's just that I think that the old age excuse is played upon a little bit to often, the poor thing is just suffering from years of a lack of proper maintainence that previous owners just couldn't afford to keed up with. I'm not a Nazi figter pilot so please don't shoot me down everybody is entitled to there opinion
) from barry condition, now before people jump up and down and say that FS never spent years rotting away in a scrapyard so may not have had to have so much replaced which is probably true, this is just some of the things we have had to replace/make from scratch etc. excluding boiler work. Virtually every bit of pipe work, New smokebox, and door, Nearly all new steam fittings, ashpan, fire bars, boiler and fire box cladding, cab platework, window frames, new pistons, valves, rings, draincocks etc. cylinder cladding etc. All the rods and valve gear obviously have new bushes, eccentrics have been re-metaled etc. This is just a small selection of course! but dosn't leave a huge amount of the original engine behind! Once say a connecting rod has had new bushes fitted then it is almosy as good as new surely, after all a bush is a bush wether made yesterday or 80yrs ago so should have a simillar service life??? Also bear in mind that she sees very little use compared to that of 50yrs ago. Don't get me wrong, I'm not knocking FS (I think she a wonderful engine, so much so I have been spending many years buliding one in 5" gauge complete with second tender!) or the staff at the NRM It's just that I think that the old age excuse is played upon a little bit to often, the poor thing is just suffering from years of a lack of proper maintainence that previous owners just couldn't afford to keed up with. I'm not a Nazi figter pilot so please don't shoot me down everybody is entitled to there opinion
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arabiandisco
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- Joined: Mon May 10, 2004 9:49 am
- Location: The Church of Noise
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colinjamesporter
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- Joined: Sun Aug 10, 2003 12:39 pm
- Location: Bristol, with all the GWR influences
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