D1041 Progress Report: 

May 2013

D1041 has seen many areas of progress since the last report. Work is still progressing through the re-wire. Pulling in looms and general wiring on-board the locomotive has slowed down a bit due to working around the vast amount of welding and bodywork repairs that are underway. Methodical production has led to decisions, to put off wiring certain areas of the loco, until fabrication work has been completed to make life easier for all parties involved. In other words we took the decision to put on hold, pulling all the wiring looms into A-end and into the cab, until all welding work in and around the cab has been completed.

The modified B-End Control Frame now complete with yours truly

Electrical work has still been coming on leaps and bounds away from the locomotive, with the building and wiring of the electrical cubicle frames. Control frame for B-end has now been completed. This is virtually 100% scratch built as every relay and contactor has been built up from several spares to ensure fully functioning switchgear. The frame has been wired from scratch which was a very tedious and time consuming job to get everything as neat as possible and laid out practically. Also taking into account modifications to the locos electrics has resulted in adding new contactors, re-positioning others thus meaning a lot of forward thinking to get the wiring correct for any changes.

The Power frame for A-end is also taking shape. New Diesel Group volunteer Stephen Smith has taken well to the electrical overhaul scheme, he has overhauled the contacts for the power frame and is in the throes of wiring the frame under supervision and has become a valuable and enthusiastic member of the project team.

A-End cubicle 2 (Power Frame) taking shape in the workshops away from the loco

The biggest and most obvious progress this year has been the start of all the bodywork repairs. As previous reports and photographs may have demonstrated, D1041 suffered severe rot and metal corrosion over the last 50 years. This down too water ingress at the front ends. The cabs and cab sides being a slightly thinner profile steel than the cab to cab body side skin, meant that they have deteriorated very badly.

Martin Tottle begins rebuilding A end and the new box section in place

Martin Tottle begins rebuilding A end and the new box section in place

The front ends being all box section, have proved a nightmare with water build up leading to the rapid breakdown of the steel. This could have been simply avoided during the locos original construction, by the inclusion of strategic drain holes to help water run away. This was never thought out by Swindon and Crewe and thus 50 years later, Martin Tottle has embarked on the massive task of cutting the front ends back to good metal, and re-fabricating it all from scratch.

Martin is leading the welding and bodywork repairs and is doing an absolutely outstanding job as the photographs will demonstrate the progress. The body side grills at A-end cooler group area have also been re-fabricated by Martin and Carl Holt. Again the photographs demonstrate the finished article and the high standard to which all work is being carried out.

Box section welded into place at the B-End with headcode doors test fitted

re-fabricated A-End grilles

As mentioned in previous reports, some of the conduit junction parts in the A-end cab had all but rusted away and these are not parts which can be sourced! Rob Mason from the Class 15 Preservation Group has reconstructed a new conduit junction using what was left of the old one and has done a fine job!

Conduit junction box from A-End cab as was and the newly constructed replacement

Lots of progress is on-going, but a long way to go and still with lots to do.

As always thank you for taking the time to have a look. If you feel you would like to help contribute by either getting involved, or simply by making a donation via the website then any and all means are greatly appreciated by the team.

Regards
Matt Lindley