Sandstone Steam Railroad – Workshop
RN21 – More NG 4 progress
Lukas Nel and his team are making good progress on the NG4 restoration. The boiler has been retubed, and for those who wonder what this entails see the pictures taken during the operation. The tubes are put into place than expanded into the holes, first by mechanical means, then by hand operated expanders. Once they are properly fitted the ends are beaded over with a hand tool, a dying art that Lukas has taught to his apprentice Leon. You can see from the pictures taken from inside the firebox and smokebox that a first class job is the result.
The loco is also missing the cap for the chimney, it having disappeared along the way. In steam days a new one would have been cast from a pattern, but with no pattern available, and the cost of a new one prohibitive, Lukas has invented a new way of forming a chimney cap. A very simple technique, and one it is painted will be indistinguishable from the original.
Just another example of a dedicated, highly skilled, steam restorer at work.
