1863 Mountaineer Locomotive Project

Dear fellow Mountaineers, friends and followers.

We have been quite busy these past few weeks. Mountaineer had her boiler lifted and was stripped down, leaving only the cylinders attached. Three
years of oil, grease and workshop film was pressure washed away. After a good rubbing down and masking up the chassis was despatched to Saragon Custom Paint of Darlington. Many days later we sent the forklift down the road to collect our now beautiful frames.

Components of the Allen valve gear mechanism, which will connect the rear axle and the cylinder valve chest rear glands which comprises several major components, is completed. The next stage has been to make coupling pins, bronze thrust washers and bushing then drilling to allow taper pins to
secure each joint.

Now we start to assemble said components. This is the first time the complete ensemble has met its final home. Oil holes can now be drilled in the most ergonomic position possible. The weighshaft supports are bolted to the frames, eccentrics clamped to the rear axle , radius rods, lifting links and exclusive to George England, Allen expansion links. Will they all fit together? Find out in next month’s newsletter!

We need to fund the Valve chest and cylinder components:-

1. Valve rods
2. Valve bodies
3. Valve buckle
4. Valve tails
5. Bronze final valve guides
6. Piston Crossheads
7. Slidebars
8. Slippers

We need £6,000-£8,000 to complete the above work.

The inside valve work has been expensive in both labour and material and has thus reduced our reserves somewhat.

If you would like to sponsor a particular component please call me on 07712484821 or go to: paypal.me/1863mountaineer

Please look at ‘1863 Mountaineer New Build‘ on Facebook or ‘Northern Heritage Engineering’.

Thanks to all who have supported the project so far, it is beginning to get very exciting, so please dig deep if you can.

Happy Christmas to you.

Yours,
David RC Wood (Chairman)
07712 584821
11 December 2024