More Boring Jobs

A new progress update from Tim: 

Readers of my ramblings may well remember the posts alluding to all the new castings of NER Central Division signal components. They may also recollect the preparations carried out to the wooden signal posts in order to accommodate the said castings...


Routing out the signal posts


Well, after much avoidance of setting to and drilling out the castings, ready for ftting up, things got serious! In the machine shop, the radial arm drill has been commissioned, and appropriate training carried out.

The raw castings, as collected from the foundry, but left to weather, slightly.


The castings were cleaned up and marked for the hole centres whilst suitable clamping arrangements were devised for the work.


The first front bearing casting, clamped down onto a couple of spacers to raise up from the bed and prevent damage drilling through.

The four mounting holes were drilled in one go, once the centres were marked and double (triple!) checked, but the centre pivot hole was drilled in stages, working up, since it was of a far larger diameter. After the trials of drilling the frame logitudinals, this was far more straightforward, and we completed 3 of the 6 front bearings required. The next step with these will be to drill and tap for grease nipples, then cleaning up and painting can take place. The remaining 3 front bearings will then follow suit.

First hole drilled.


Centre hole drilled.


Of course, the setting up and clearing up afterwards always take far longer than the job itself...

Life gets a little trickier with the rear bearings, as these need drilling to account for the taper of the post, and the thickness of the casting at different points, so as to get it to look 'right', although I suspect I'm over-thinking the impact of a few thousandth of an inch...



Location: Stainmore Railway Company, South Rd, Kirkby Stephen CA17 4LA, UK

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