David N. has been in touch with the News Desk giving us an update on progress with his ‘Manor’ class:-
‘I have been working to form a protective shield over the eccentrics to keep off the furnace ash which is gritty and abrasive. The eccentrics are on the middle driving axle just in front of the firebox and ash could easily get onto them.
The red painted frame stretchers are between the eccentrics and the firebox, the upper one being shaped to the boiler throat plate. The gap between the stretchers leaves room for ash to reach the eccentrics which are clearly visible through this gap.
A stainless steel plate has been made and fills the gap between the two stretchers and is also extended a little below the frames.
The paintwork has suffered but hopefully in a good cause.
Pipework for the backhead has been completed. Bit of a plumber’s nightmare. The photo represents how they would look when fitted.
I took a short video of the chassis running on air in my workshop.
Editor: David brought the Manor tender along to the 2018 ‘Bits & Pieces’ evening. Click here to read the article. David followed this up with a very interesting presentation to the membership on how he constructed the complex curves on the top of the tender tank.
Photograph of the Manor class ‘Norton Manor’ courtesy of Wikimedia Commons
