Last week, we took delivery of the new boiler tubes and stay material for No.60163 Tornado’s boiler. These will be affixed by Northern Steam Engineering Ltd (NSEL) over the coming weeks, and the team in Darlington wasted no time getting to grips with preparations for the task ahead.

Happily, the new tubes have been approved for use by our boiler inspector, and two flue tubes and two small tubes have now been trial fitted without issue. Click on the images in the gallery below to see more.

The tubes, when fitted, are welded into the firebox tubeplate and expanded into the smokebox tubeplate. Thus, the smokebox ends of every tube need to be annealed and both ends need polishing to remove all scale before they are fitted. We are currently over halfway through this process with the small tubes, and the flue tubes will follow.

Soon after arrival, our volunteer team of Steve Wood and George Bee immediately set about cutting the new boiler stays to length and the ends were then finished off by our apprentice, Ed Laxton, in the lathe. Following this, NSEL’s Jack Harper tacked them all in position and they will be fully welded when the coded welder visits later this week. There are now only 2 stays to fit: a new flexible on the left hand upper firebox side, and a new rigid in the throat plate which passes through the Everlasting blow down valve flange. These will both be fitted when the coded welder visits.

While this work is covered within our boiler contract, the extended period away from work on the main line prevents Tornado from essential commercial income. Could you support Tornado for as little as £2.50 a week? Find out more here.