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16 SVT Society

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16 SVT Society

40118 is based at The Battlefield Railway in Shackerstone. Built by RSH in Darlington and being restored to her former glory by members of the 16 SVT Society.

16/05/2026

No matter how closely you follow the overhaul schedule, there are certain jobs that can only be done when it's almost to difficult to do them! One such job is checking the power unit timing chain. This links the crankshaft to the two camshafts and keeps them synchronised allowing the power unit to run properly.

Getting to the chain to check it's deflection (it's allowed a small amount of slack) is a job not for the faint hearted as it needs arms the length of a gorilla.

However, we have today been able to get at the various inspection hatches and check the timing chain. Which was within the design specification.

An important milestone and something that we were generally relieved about!

02/05/2026

After grill boxes 3 and 4 got sprayed last weekend in anti corrosive primer, the Yorkshire team were back on with another day of fabrication of grill box number 5. Plenty of other bits and bobs going on with good progress made but unfortunately not many photos.

25/04/2026

We are making a new set of roof side grill boxes, which are being made by a member in Yorkshire and once delivered to Shackerstone are prepared for painting.

Today the weather meant we could spray two of the ten into green primer.

18/04/2026

Busy day today with lots of bits and pieces being progressed.

We have refitted all 16 Decompression Valves, with new copper caps, and new tab washers. We then refitted all the power unit inspection doors which had been loose fitted for some time.

Next we started to get in a position to check the timing of the power unit, which will involve checking and potentially adjusting the timing chain tension.

We also cleaned and checked the injector feed and overspill pipes ready for refitting (all 32 of them).

Then after a cup of tea, we moved onto prepping the next two grill boxes for painting. Today's work was giving them a deep clean and emery clothing and then tank swilling the drain tanks with an xylene based waterproofing paint.

12/04/2026

We’ve been mopping up a few bitty jobs over the last week or so. The fuel lift pump commutator cover needed a new 2BA bolt with an extended head to replace the one that had snapped. Ordinarily we would have made a new one on the lathe out of a bit of hex bar. But unfortunately we still don’t have three phase connected back to the workshop following the move from Tyseley, and so the lathe isn‘t back up and working yet. So the bolt had to be made by alternative means. We’re quite pleased with end result. The new drains for the turbo air inlet filters above the generator have been trial fitted. The one pipe is original, the other is new. The injector feed pipes and spill pipes are being cleaned up and checked over for damage in readiness for fitting. And more fabrication has taken place with grill box number 5. We had a batch of slats pressed many years back in readiness for this work. The photos show it up side down with the first top slat fitted. This is a half slat and so a slat has to be slit in half over its entire length. As it gets warm it twists and bends and so has to be pulled back straight prior to welding in. The second slat is 50mm wide, whereas the rest are 55mm wide. So the second slat has to be squeezed over its length to get the right width. To ensure the slat is consistently 50mm, we have a jig that limits the compression to 50mm. And then having got 4 slats in, we offered it up to the template grill box to ensure everything lines up correctly.

31/03/2026

The Yorkshire team have made a start on grill box number 5. Two side cheeks have been fettled and trimmed from the batch made previously so that they are a good fit to the drawing. This is a lesson that we picked up early on in the manufacture of these grill Boxes. If these cheeks are not accurate it leads to problems later in the build which then have to be rectified.

29/03/2026

Good progress again this weekend, but not many photos. The last four fuel pumps have been fitted along with all the B side fuel pump feed pipes. The No2 end B side Turbo Air Intake filter drain has been repaired. This is an aluminium fabrication, so the mig had to have the gas and wire changed, then a few practice welds to get the settings right. It’s been painted in etch primer, ready for a coat of rail grey gloss. Grill box number 4 is being cleaned up ready for spraying in anti-corrosive primer. Some particularly oily bits got steam cleaned. Thanks to HTRS for assisting. And some electrical work got completed in the workshop.

21/03/2026

We have been commissioning the fuel transfer pump today, wiring it to the control cubicle and ensuring it runs in "prime" mode (it won't work in 'normal' mode as there is no water in the radiators). This work was slightly complicated by the motor terminals having slightly odd identification references, which needed cross checking to the drawings, and a blown 15 amp fuse which needed replacing!

However, we then had the oil priming pump running alongside the fuel pump and we hand barred the power unit to keep it free and lubricated.

07/03/2026

A quiet few weeks in 40118 world, but today a lot of good progress was made on the locomotive.

The air inlets at the generator end of the power unit are made up of an odd collection of pipes, hoses and filter frames, all of which are large and generally awkward to fit.

However today both have been fitted and completed. Next is the oil drip trays, which have been cleaned, checked and painted ready for fitting.

We also made a new pipe to connect the a side turbo drip tray to the bed plate, the original having gone missing many years ago.

06/03/2026

The Yorkshire contingent have finished Grill Box number 4. It’s taken a while to get it right, but sat alongside the one we use as a pattern, it looks ok. The filter frames sit nicely in the inside of the grill box too.

Address

The Battlefield Railway
Shackerstone
CV136NW

Website

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