WD 90775 Boiler Overhaul Begins

A major milestone has begun in the life of the M&GN Joint Railway Society's massive War Department (WD) 2-10-0 locomotive, no. 90775, with work starting to overhaul her boiler.

The locomotive's boiler was lifted from her frames in November 2012 and transported to Chatham Steam Ltd's base in Kent, to allow assessment to take place to determine the work required to return the locomotive to steam. Following this assessment, it was decided to begin the boiler overhaul.

The Society's locomotive engineer, Keith Ashford reported that following the removal of wasted parts of the outer firebox, it was found that the extent of the wastage on the inner firebox was greater than first determined from the initial non-destructive testing. This has meant the removal of further sections of plate for replacement.

The firehole ring has been found to have deep corrosion pits and areas of significant wastage. This has resulted in a circular cut to remove the ring and affected plate, and a section of the lefthand inner firebox corner has also suffered from deep pitting. Corrosion to part of the boiler barrel around the front tubeplate has also been identified, this being due to the aggressive nature of the ashy and acidic combustion process.

Some photographs of the works already undertaken can be viewed by clicking on the photo, left. Whilst the nature of the surgery may appear very drastic, this work is essential to ensure the long term future of the loco.

There are a number of ways you can support the overhaul of WD 90775. You can make a donation to the M&GN Joint Railway Society (Cheques made payable to "M&GNJRS"), you can join the Society, you can join the Loco Club (either assigning your contributions to WD 90775 or the General Loco Fund), or you can volunteer with the Society to assist with fundraising or the overhaul of the locomotive.