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Prototype Shunter D0226 "Vulcan" 

Words by Peter Turner. Photos by Tim Moody & Peter Turner.

Updated : 11th December 2009. For latest Update click here.

The locomotive suffered main generator failure in late spring 2006.

The strip down began on the 23rd of August 2006, with myself (Caretaker), Chris Boocock (Project Leader, overseas and long distance expert) along with a small group of regular volunteers – all working under the guidance of our CME (Chief Mechanical Engineer) John Reddyhoff.

As the loco is a prototype there was no written procedure to follow, unlike the recent overhaul of 20031.

The power unit on a production loco is designed to be a quickly changeable item and could be swapped over in one long day if required. Our own Type One (20031) had its power unit lifted in and was running within 6 hours. A start was made on the power unit removal from D226, and it quickly became apparent that it would not be straightforward. The

unit had been put onto the loco frames then the engine room built around

it, making the work especially awkward. The cooling system fan drive pulley was directly above the free end of the power unit, and required removing before any lifting could happen. As the space was also limited at the rear end of the power unit this meant the cooling systems and the complete nose end needed to be removed just to allow the fan drive housing to be slid out of the way by 8 inches! This took all of 5 minutes – plus a bit! With the power unit out of the loco the generators (and traction motor) were sent away to a contractors.

Whilst the weight of the power unit was removed from the loco a decision was made to overhaul the traction motor and take a look at the noisy final drive reduction gearbox.

The task of removing the gearbox and traction motor was easy but 50 years had taken hold of the various fixings on the rubber bushed Cardan shaft, so without using the cutting torch for heating up nuts and bolts a struggle was overcome with the help of half a dozen man sized tubs of elbow grease and three extra large boxes of spanner rash, (production nearly stopped don’t you know). The units were removed at a total weight of 7.5 tons. 4.5 tons for the gearbox and 3 tons for the traction motor.

The gearbox is thought to be a prototype design for this loco, but two may have been built and the other used on D0227 the hydraulic version (now scrapped). It is a fabricated casing of two halves with three shafts, 1 - input pinion; 2 - bevelled gear and a reduction gear and 3 - final drive gear and axle.

The bearings were thought to be worn out and would need the wheels pressing off the axle and new bearings sought from as far away as South America, but on inspection it was noted that the outer race was rotating in the housing on both the axle and the second shaft. This was creating some of the noise that was thought to be a worn out gearbox. The bearings were shimmed up to remove any play and the mesh pattern aligned. The outer races were lowered into the housing on the respective shafts and wrapped in shim steel this will nip the outer race enough to stop the rotation.

The rest of the was covered in 50 years of railway flange grease so a good steam clean removed the grime and uncovered a worn out set of brake rigging cross shafts and the compensated spring gear had also had a hard life. These are now repaired and ready to fit at the required time.

The naturally aspirated 6RKT power unit was stripped for inspection. Cylinder heads were stripped and inspected and sent to a local contractor for valve and seat grinding.

Pistons were removed and re-ringed with standard sized rings. The shells were checked and found to be in more than excellent condition so were re-used.

The cylinder liners were badly coked up at the top of the piston travel and looked worn, but on removing from the crank case and after a deep clean they were found to be well within wear limits. These received a full set of new seals and had a glaze busting.

The rest of the unit was is in remarkably good condition considering the lack of care and attention it had received in its 40 year life at the KWVR - so it was rebuilt, cleaned, painted and is now ready for service.

The electrical units were in a very poor state and have required extensive work to remedy the damage, wear and tear.

The traction motor was just generally worn and had a deep clean and overhaul.

The main generator was almost at a point where a new unit would have been easier to replace it with. But as it is a prototype, it is not of a common design so repair was the only option.

The actual reason for the loco’s withdrawal was the burn out of several field coils – indeed there was a hole the size of a mans fist in one of the coils!

The contractors found that all the coils along with the rest of the generator was packed with asbestos based putty. At every point of repair asbestos was found hidden and packed into every conceivable space. The result is we have now funded the retirement of a very well off asbestos removal man.

D0226 was laid out in 1955 and on completion sent to BR in 1956 for evaluation along with hydraulic loco D0227.

At some point in this evaluation it suffered electrical falier of the self field coils and had this wiring disconnected. The loco has never performed to its full potential since then. Hopefully when the loco comes back into service these can be reinstated. This should give the loco better ability to keep to line speed.

The auxiliary generator had deep wear to the commutator but was generally sound and has been repaired.

We then stopped for morning tea break and a bacon butty. And it’s now 2009!!!!!!!!

December 2009 Update.

The electrical components returned from the contractors in April 2009.

The locomotive was re-wheeled with its - hopefully - now quiet reduction gearbox and the traction motor was installed at the same point.

The power unit overhaul was completed and a date was made for its installation.

With the power unit in place the job of refitting the cooling systems and wiring up the generator could be started, this task was followed by fitting the bulkheads, the auxiliary generator and the traction motor blower ducting.

Next were the inlet and exhaust manifolds. Unfortunately when we torqued down the heads I had not accounted for the manifold bolt holes as each cylinder head is individual and can be 10millimeters out either way, so we had to un bolt the heads to align the holes. But the head gaskets are one use only and had to be swapped - so off with the heads again!!

The paid staff re-bushed the worn-out fully compensated brake rigging and re-fitted all the components including re-machined brake beams.

The next job was the radiator and the oil cooler which went smoothly until we had to fit the noise end casing, which didn’t fit! The radiator bed plate had a very badly wasted surface which had caused the radiator to lean over 15millimeters at the top, thus stopping the holes lining up with the casing. With this solved we piped up the oil and water and filled the cooling systems. With only small weeping joints to nip up, another job was ticked off.

The batteries were installed and charged and the oil priming pump run. With the oil pressure holding and more importantly oil getting to the little ends of the con rods and only a small flange to nip up it was all systems go for a start up.

With all the small jobs attended to and the batteries benefiting from a full charge we were ready for a start up. 

The power unit turned over with ease and began firing - spitting smoke rings across the yard into station road. The 90 litre straight six English Electric power unit barked into life with a good belch of white oil smoke and then settling down into a steady tick over. Draft!!

See a Video of the Start Up HERE.

After running up the engine some more small water leaks were dealt with but the flange on the oil cooler bypass was still weeping fast so the valve was removed and found to have been over tightened in the past and so had become bent, so this was scraped to fit the other flange and should cause no further problems.

The loco was run again and took power but notch one was giving too much power and after investigations the resistance for notch one was found not to be high enough and an extra resistor had to be wound. (the original resistor had been removed when the self field in the generator had burnt out whilst under tests with BR in the 1950s). This will be tested and proved in late 2009 early 2010. 

The vacuum brake system proved very trying and only after looking in the heynes manual instruction book we found a missing 3/8” pipe. It has now gone from rubbish to just ordinary Vulcan style slow.

The loco re-build continued with the fitting of the generator compartment roof which was bent out of shape when some unhelpful person drove over it whilst it was in storage in the yard. It now fits, but an hours job extended into a full day.

The main roof was fitted and bolted down and the jobs list keeps getting smaller.

The loco is now in the final throws of its rebuild and is due for traffic possible in early march.

Continuing thanks must go to the dedicated few who are pushing the loco ever nearer to completion.

The pictures below show the loco inside Haworth MPD on December 11th 2009.