Steam Apprentice Club
Editor
Kevin Munn, 56 Blacklands Drive, Hayes End, Hayes, Middlesex. UB4 8EX. Tel 0208 573 9180 sac.raisingsteam@ntet.co.uk
Chairman
Elaine Massey, 21 Down Close, Northolt, Middlesex UB5 6NS Tel: 020 8248 6570 sac.chairman@ntet.co.uk
Vice Chairman
Hugh Dyson, 32 Granary End, Witchford, Ely, Cambridgeshire CB6 2WF Tel: 01353 667150 hugh.dyson@inbox.com
Membership Secretary
Lisa Crankshaw, NTET Membership PO Box 10348 Hinckley LE10 9FB membership@ntet.co.uk
Membership fee £15 per annum Webmaster
Nick Bosworth, 76a Main Road, Smalley, Ilkeston, Derbyshire, DE76EF Tel: 07931 577430 sac.webmaster@ntet.co.uk
SAC Committee
Main email: sac.raisingsteam@ntet.co.uk
Matthew Lund Tel: 01329 832462
Barry Sumsion Tel: 01633 671798
Helen Tyrrell Tel: 01793 751830
The Editor welcomes any contributions of articles, shorter items or photographs for inclusion in future issues. All material submitted is voluntary and payment cannot be made for any material published. The opinions expressed in the magazine, with the exception of Club announcements, are those of the contributors and do not indicate the views of the Club as a whole. All items are held copyright by the contributor and the NTET. The Editor reserves the right to amend or refuse contributions. The magazine is normally published during January, April, July and October. The Club accepts no liability for failure to meet intended publication dates.
The Steam Apprentice Club is a section of the National Traction Engine Trust.
NTET is a Registered Charity, No. 291578. Registered in England No. 1302197. Registered Office: 4 Church Green East, Redditch, Worcestershire B98 8BT.
www.ntet.co.uk
www.ntet.co.uk/sac
From the Editor
Kevin Munn
Autumn has now arrived a time when traditionally we start putting the engines ‘to bed’, but not this year as we held our first ‘Steam it Sunday’. An event designed to have an excuse, (do we really need one) to take the engines out on the road for people to see and bring our activities to their attention. Did you manage to see any, or even take part? If you are on Facebook you will have seen many people take part and in this issue we have some more pictures. It was a lovely day for it which made it even more special. I was out and about during the summer going to rallies and museums and one of them was The Thursford collection in Norfolk which has a large collection of engines. And I
went back to my ‘youth’ and had a ride on a set of gallopers which was great fun and more so as I think I was the youngest having a ride as many other people also went back to their ‘youth’. I mention this now as it could be somewhere to go next year if you are in the area. I will be putting some pictures in the January issue so you can see some of what is on offer. I hope you can something to do over the winter months if not write to us with what you have been doing or, if you want to be put in touch with someone to offer to help out as can be seen elsewhere in the magazine people do need help. And finally on a VERY early note have a Happy Christmas and New Year.
From the Chairman
Elaine Massey
Yet another season drawing to a close! Hopefully its been a good one for you all and you have had some fantastic experiences.
I was in York last month at the World Ploughing Championships where there were examples of every ploughing technique you could ask for, including steam. With 31 steam ploughing engines on site, I really don’t think I will ever see a gathering like that again. The great thing is that the Steam Plough Club have been asked if engines could attend every British Championship in future, which just goes to highlight the amount of interest generated by the display.
The results of our annual Dorset competitions are announced later in this edition of Raising Steam.
Overall the popularity of these is dropping, although we have made it a lot easier to enter, eg emailing photo entries, accepting photos as entries for the model competition, which opens this
to members who cannot attend GDSF. My questions to you all are:
• Do you want to continue with these competitions?
• Should we have new / different ones?
• Do we need to advertise them earlier? They are a lot of work in some ways for the committee, so please let us know your thoughts.
On a lighter note, I do hope that you all find something steam related to fill the winter days. Don’t forget many museums have steaming days throughout the winter, including of course Santa trips on the railway. On that thought, let me wish you all a Happy Christmas, see you next year!
Tinker’s Park Driving Day
Alec Colbeck
This was the first time I have been to Tinker’s park. It was great and a great place for a driving day. There are lots of interesting engines to see there and a narrow gauge railway. The site is packed with old equipment and engines so there’s lots to see. We travelled
down to the engine shed on the railway behind the steam locomotive. At the shed I was put with Aveling roller Sammy Lou. We started by cleaning the grate and the tubes . Then we lit the fire and started cleaning the engine. Three of us enjoyed getting Sammy Lou back to shiny
condition. By lunch time we had enough steam to drive up to the shed where we ate and then took some pictures. I liked the Tasker roller with the strange five section front roll.
After lunch we took the Aveling all around the tinkers park tracks. It was great fun driving up the hill with the regulator open.
Later I went on Wallis traction engine Pensioner. We shared the footplate with a cat, which was fun. We went all over the site until it was starting to get dark, sharing the steering and driving.
After long fun day it was time to go home. Thanks to all the crews who made it such a great day.
NTET Driver Training Scholarships
Bob Siddall, Head of NTET Engine Owner’s Commitee
The NTET may award a number of Scholarships to the NTET Driver Training Course which is held in May each year.
The Driver Training Course has 3 stages over 3 years, Foundation, Intermediate and Advanced and covers many aspects of engine management, maintenance and driving. An indicative syllabus can be found on the NTET website - www.ntet.co.uk
The scholarships are open to non-engine owners being members of non-engine owning families, who are members of the NTET or SAC
Applications including a CV and a statement of why you wish to attend a year of the 3 year Driver Training Course should be submitted by 31st January to the General Secretary of the Trust: general.secretary@ntet.co.uk. Successful Applicants will be notified by the end of February.
Your CV should include:- Name, age, previous experience with steam engines, how you became interested, in traction engines, and any other information that you consider to be relevant to support your application.
The Scholarships only cover the Course Fees, NOT incidental Expenses such as travelling, accommodation and food.
Help Wanted
With a 4” Miniature
We have been contacted by Mr David Steel, who is looking for an apprentice to help with his miniature.
Mr Steel’s engine is a 4” scale Burrell Agricultural engine and was built from a Steam Traction World kit, the same as our very own Lady Sylvia! It was completed 7 years ago and Mr Steel has rallied it ever since.
The help required involves operating the miniature at rallies, village fairs and at home, maintenance of the engine during the winter months and help building a watercart and a second wagon for the engine to tow.
Mr Steel has experience of miniature and some full size angines, and has also taken part in the Steam Plough Club’s hands-on events, and hopes to pass on his experience to an apprentice.
Mr Steel lives near Chichester, so you would need to live reasonably close. You need to be responsible and willing to learn. Preferably aged 10 or over.
If you are interested, please send an email to sac.webmaster@ntet.co.uk , telling us your name, age, location and experience with steam engines.
We will review applications and speak with Mr Steel.
St Alban’s Driving Day
Alec Colbeck
I was lucky enough to attend the 2 day driving weekend at Oaklands College at St Albans in July.
This was a great fun weekend with lots of engines to have a go on.
On Saturday I spent the day with Philip and his 4 inch miniature Foster. I prepared the engine, cleaning the tubes, brushing out the smoke box and cleaning the ash pan.
At lunch time we drove over the speed bumps to the college restaurant for a tasty pizza. In the afternoon we took turns driving and steering the Foster in the sun . It was great.
On Sunday I worked with Sandy on his 4 ton Aveling Roller. We prepared the engine all morning, plenty of brass to
clean on this little roller. I enjoyed driving this engine as it was difficult to get the hang of the regulator and reverser.
There were two other Aveling 10 ton rollers there. Both of which I had a go steering and driving. It was great steering Bertha the big green Aveling. The Foden estate tractor was busy running round with apprentices all afternoon. There were lots of miniatures rushing around, three 4 inch Burrell’s looking very smart and a very nippy 3 inch Burrell which I enjoyed riding on.
All in all it was a great weekend and I learnt loads. Lots of thanks to all the engine owners and organisers for giving up their time and letting us lose on their precious machines.
Vintage Spirit Magazine
Reduced price Subscription for SAC members.
We are pleased to announce that Vintage Spirit, Britain’s fastest growing steam and vintage transport magazine, are offering a reduced price subscription to members of the Steam Apprentice Club.
Standard subscription is £36, but is now available to SAC members for £24. If you are interested in taking up this offer, phone 01403 588360.
Dorset Competition Results
Nick Bosworth
We had another great show of entries for our Dorset competitions this year. Here are the results:
COLOURING
1st: Thomas Ravenscroft
2nd: Ellis Morris
3rd: Sean og Lordan
MODEL
1st: Isaac Jacobs
2nd: Jack Wallbridge
JUNIOR PHOTO
1st: Daniel Crook
2nd: Matthew Glover
3rd: Sean og Lordan
SENIOR PHOTO
1st: William Hurley
2nd: Danielle Wainwright
3rd: Kieran Tyrell
Congratulations to the winners and a big thankyou to our judges, NTET President Andrew Semple and Photographer Clive Flack
Steam-It Sunday
Nick Bosworth
Steam-It Sunday is an idea by the National Traction Engine Trust, based on the Federation of British Historical Vehicle Clubs ‘Drive-It Day’ to encourage steam vehicles of all kinds to have a steam up.
We’ve heard of many gatherings up and down the country. If you were out and about on Steam-It Sunday, why not send us an email about it! sac.raisingsteam@ntet.co.uk
Here we have a few photos from a road run in Nottinghamshire.
Christmas is Coming
What present would you like?
Ask someone to give you a voucher for the NTET Driving Course on 6/7 May 2017 at Astwood Bank. Steam Apprentices (age 13-15) £80, (age 16 – 21) £115 for the two days if paid before 1st March 2017. After 1st March (age13-15) £80, (age 16-21) £125
DISCOUNT of 15% If you pay for 2 years at the same time
Contact Joe Black at:- training@ntet.co.uk - or Tel: 07595 466353
New Members
Luke Crowther - Swindon, Wiltshire
Harvey Stigar - Gosport, Hampshire
Rebecca Wotton - Truro, Cornwall
James Wotton - Truro, Cornwall
Tino Mason - Barnstaple, Devon
Charlie F J Williams - Hay on Wye, Herefordshire
Michael Pettitt - Rye, East Sussex
Thomas Briggs - Bude, Cornwall
Ben Briggs - Bude, Cornwall
Jacob Taylor - Hailsham, East Sussex
Will Ritchie - Whitechurch, Dorset
Shane Gumede - Portsmouth, Hampshire
Louis Bloor - Shrewsbury, Shropshire
Kieran Richards - Camborne, Cornwall
Toby Welford - Whitby, North Yorkshire
Archie Stockdale - Nottingham, Nottinghamshire
Harry Saxton - Lichfield, Staffordshire
Edward Saxton - Lichfield, Staffordshire
Charlie Braithwaite - Driffield, East Yorkshire
Alfie Jay Edwards - Dorchester, Dorset
Holly Carr - Tarporley, Cheshire
Master Adam Carr - Tarporley, Cheshire
Madison Yambo - Folkstone, Kent
Hannah Cosgrove - Northwood, Shropshire
Jonathan Gill - Guildford, Surrey
Dafydd Cornock - Fishguard, Pembrokeshire
Robin Dolan - Bodmin, Cornwall
George Phillips - Near Glastonbury, Somerset
Samantha Gill - Guildford, Surrey
Elsie Yambo - Folkestone, Kent
Chad Bailey - Torquay, Devon
Alexander-James Smith - Southampton
Rhys Lloyd Peakman - Fishguard, Pembrokeshire
Alex Michael Prowse - Brixham, Devon
Lowenna Wills - Newquay, Cornwall
Lauren Crosland - Bognor Regis
Brendan Kidd - lewes, East Sussex
River Temlett - Epsom, Surrey
Willow Gilbert - Dartford
Demelza Semmens - St Austell, Cornwall
Skye James - Truro, Cornwall
Joseph Grindrod - Cornwall
Alexander Burgess - Bideford, Devon
Tom Ellis-Martin - Southampton
Adaylah James - Truro, Cornwall
Layla Ridley - Crowborough, East Sussex
Jacob Topgood - Spalding, Lincs, Lincolnshire
Oscar Brett - Shepshed, Leicestershire
Jack Kempe - Plymouth, Devon
Ben Turner - Cirencester, Gloucestershire
Charlotte McIntosh - Uckfield, East Sussex
Tyler-Jack Stafford - Shrewsbury, Shropshire
Naomi Anne Leeson - Shrewsbury, Shropshire
Jack Brain - Salisbury, Wiltshire
Wilfred Allen - St Albans, Hertfordshire
Liam Maton - Leatherhead, Surrey
Harry Burgess - Brighton, East Sussex
Luke Kelly - Rayleigh, Essex
Fynnlay Wiltshire - Leeds, West Yorkshire
Chloe Day - Ramsey Forty Foot, Cambridgeshire
Finn Watkins - Evesham, Worcestershire
Michael Day - Ramsey Forty Foot, Cambridgeshire
Jessica Thompson - Dunstable, Bedfordshire
Sam Hazel - Necton, Norfolk
Daniel Percival - Colchester, Essex
Jordan Woolerson - Bedford, Bedfordshire
Harry Winter - Lakenheath, Suffolk
Jacob Clemow - Camborne, Cornwall
Dylan Jones - Dorking
Jack Milner - Coventry, West Midlands
Get Technical!
Cylinder Drain Cock Repair
Nick Bosworth
On Sunday 2nd October we were out with Garrett 33986 “Queen Mary” on the road run mentioned in the Steam-It Sunday article earlier in the magazine.
Just after lunch, whilst preparing for the drive back to base, I shut the cylinder drain cocks but heard a rattle and noticed one of the drain cocks had sheared off.
A tap was borrowed from another engine to replace it whilst we drive home, and the sheared one was removed to be repaired.
Upon examination it looked like the best course of action would be to drill the body of the valve, make a new threaded piece, and silver solder it into the body to hold it in place.
The first job was to mount the valve in the lathe, machine the flange to remove the remains of the broken thread, then drill a hole ready for the new threads.
The threads are made with a tap. The photo below shows the tap being used.
When tapping threads in a hole drilled in the lathe, a good trick to ensure the threads are made perfectly in line with the hole is to use the tailstock to support the tap.
The next job was to make a new piece of bronze the right size, drill a hole through it, and thread the outside.
The photo above shows the valve and the new piece ready to be fitted.
To make sure the new piece is permanently fixed to the valve, I chose to silver-solder it in place.
To Silver Solder you need three things; A blow torch, flux, and solder wire.
The solder is what joins the two pieces together, and the flux is what helps the solder to bond to the metals.
My flux came in a powder form which I had to mix with water ot make a paste. I then spread the paste over the areas I wanted to join, which was the threads inside the valve and one end of the new piece.
I was now ready to do the soldering. I placed the valve in a piece of large steel angle, which help to contain the heat from the blow torch.
As the temperature increased, the water I mixed with the flux began to boil off, leaving just the powder in the places I had spread it. I continued to heat the valve until it reached 600 degrees. A telltale sign that I had reached the correct temperature was the powder melted and turned clear. I then pressed the solder wire against the point I wanted to join, and it melted and flowed aroind the joint to where the flux had been.
After soldering the joint needed cleaning up because some of the solder had flowed out onto the flange. To do this I put the valve back into the lathe, and took another small skim along the flange. I also used a wire brush to shine up all the surfaces.
Here is the finished repair, all cleaned up and ready to fit back onto the engine.
