3094 Still Patiently Waiting Her Turn

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Tom Macrery
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Joined: 26 Jan 2007, 08:47
Location: Pretoria, South Africa

3094 Still Patiently Waiting Her Turn

Post by Tom Macrery »

Is this stop-block position in Hercules her final resting place?
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I wonder who has the number plate?
I wonder who has the number plate?
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Nathan Berelowitz
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Location: Pretoria, South Africa

Re: 3094 Still Patiently Waiting Her Turn

Post by Nathan Berelowitz »

This is the loco we are trying to raise some money for, to purchase black paint so she can look cosmetically good again, as she stands right in the public eye. We also do not want the new Hermanstad site to look messy. This loco was the first 15F to work a passenger train into Beit Bridge station, Zimbabwe. She was involved in the NZASM centenery celebrations. Has worked numerous steam safari operations and was the first locomotive FOTR used. She was named "WENDY" after driver Cliff Petzers wife and he was our first driver and the first driver in this region to have steam, diesel and electric certificates for driving. He is also the longest driving steam driver we have still in service, possible exception may be Reef Steamers. He is still driving today for us and Rovos Rail.
We intend to replace her name once she is cleaned and place a plaque on her. We must remember what this loco has done for steam and FOTR. Contributions PLEASE!!!!
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Luca Lategan
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Location: stellenbosch

Re: 3094 Still Patiently Waiting Her Turn

Post by Luca Lategan »

If she worked for you, why does she look like this today?
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John Ashworth
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Re: 3094 Still Patiently Waiting Her Turn

Post by John Ashworth »

She was stripped for spare parts to get 3117 working. We did have a complete set of pipework for 3117 but they got lost in Germiston, where they were stored, so we were forced to use the pipes from 3094. The shabby paintwork is just the result of standing outdoors in all weather. With our enforced move to Hermanstad and the need to build a complete new depot from scratch we are so tight for cash (and so short of hands-on volunteers) that painting a dead loco hasn't been a priority so far.
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Steve Appleton
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Re: 3094 Still Patiently Waiting Her Turn

Post by Steve Appleton »

To add to what John and Nathan have said, 3094 requires replacement of flexible stays, a costly exercise, so it was adjudged cheaper and simpler to restore 3117, whose boiler was good, to service and to put 3094 on ice until better financial times. Class 15CA 2850 is also in the retoration queue, most likely ahead of 3117, so the wait could be a long one.
"To train or not to train, that is the question"
Kevin Wilson-Smith

Re: 3094 Still Patiently Waiting Her Turn

Post by Kevin Wilson-Smith »

The plan at the moment is to mothball this engine properly to prevent any deterioration in the meantime. This is being looked at as a seperate exercise outside FOTR's normal funding/budget.

The engine needs paint as a first step and Nathan has offered to put up R300.00 for the black paint. I am happy to put in another R300.00.

Chaps- divvy up some more and we can get cracking! The more we get, the better we can do the job. Then there is a fireless engine and 1223 waiting for the same treatment!
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Luca Lategan
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Re: 3094 Still Patiently Waiting Her Turn

Post by Luca Lategan »

What about the diesel/tar mixture?
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Kevin Wilson-Smith

Re: 3094 Still Patiently Waiting Her Turn

Post by Kevin Wilson-Smith »

Nathan and I actually discussed this a bit last night. Bitumen or tar/diesel for none visible areas maybe (like in the tender), but paint externally - the engine will be standing very much in the public eye when moved to Hermanstad.
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Luca Lategan
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Re: 3094 Still Patiently Waiting Her Turn

Post by Luca Lategan »

Oh, but doesn't Bitumen or tar/diesel give better long tearm protection? Does it look very ugly? Wouldn't this be a option for the Millsite locos or others stored all over the country?
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Kevin Wilson-Smith

Re: 3094 Still Patiently Waiting Her Turn

Post by Kevin Wilson-Smith »

Bitumen does.

When I was a student there was a big economic depression and one of my part time jobs was mothballing plant - with bitumen. More recently I was involved with more mothballing of plant and again the route was bitument.

It acually does not look too bad from a distance one it has set - gets pretty dusty but can be hosed down from time to time.

Cautiously, because I really do want to start another Great Millsite Debate (!!) I have advocated something similar as per your suggestions. So we are in the same camp here!

Logically, anything being preserved should be PRESERVED. I have watch the preservation stuff over the years just rust away - with little apparent interest while this happened. A Trust Fund where the investments are used to "preserve" the stock would have made much sense years ago (and it need not have been a huge sum) and we would have had some good kit today. Going forward I have made similar suggestions - hopefully preservation along these lines may materialise in the future.

Another good option is to have an engine plinthed where it will be looked after in the meantime by someone else - shopping centres, entertainment parks and office parks are good examples.

The important thing is to do it all early, before everything really deteriorates. I have seen some impressive rusting on the Reef - contamination in the air? Who knows? I am not an expert. But I do have photos taken some 8-9 yearsd ago of engines in good nick that are now in a terrible state. A couple of grand a year would have kept an engine good.

And in terms of the FOTR items maybe we can set a mothballing example - hence our approach with this engine in our stable.
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Luca Lategan
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Re: 3094 Still Patiently Waiting Her Turn

Post by Luca Lategan »

Looking blindly at maybe a thousand Rand per loco for 'mothballing' is so short sighted. If the exposed surfaces isn't protected it is going to deteriorate and will cost much, much more to repair.

Most locos standing around now will not be repaired in five year's time and we still want locos that are refurbishable in five year's time, right?

LONG TERM PRESERVATION
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Kevin Wilson-Smith

Re: 3094 Still Patiently Waiting Her Turn

Post by Kevin Wilson-Smith »

Exactly. Dead right.

I am not certain how much it would cost - a couple of grand a year in bitumen maybe depending on size etc. plus initially some more money to seal off things properly.

In the case of our engine we want to place it on show and have it preserved. As was indicated this is a side project, but if the other members chip in a bit we can probably do it.

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About ten years ago I was in Finland and was shown a military depot where they mothballed locos immediately after the Second World war. They remained mothballed as there was concern over the fuel crisis. 4-5 years ago I read that one had been cleaned up, checked and steamed after minor work. But there are different ways to mothball and here the locos were stored in a dry enviroment, undercover, in a sealed area. Theyhad been mothballed via the use of overall greasing and then a further layer of hessian and grease. Some components were crated in greased paper etc.The protective layers were maintained on a regular basis etc etc - so this was an expensive operation all in all. But their purpose was, remember, to have locos that were a strategic reserve for rapid use.
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Luca Lategan
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Re: 3094 Still Patiently Waiting Her Turn

Post by Luca Lategan »

Kevin Wilson-Smith wrote:as per our "bitumen" discussion in the other thread. Preserve the stuff until it can one day be worked on etc., not just park it on a lot and leave it for another day!
Exactly.
expensive operation all in all
Taken all the costs involved in manufacturing new parts that are missing / rusted, I'm sure that it was still cheaper to mothball the locos as it was done in Finland. Although I want Soekie and other locos returned to steam as soon as possible, we have to face the facts, this is not going to happen soon. As one of the characters in an Afrikaans soap-opera says, "Feite, Attie, Feite."
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Nathan Berelowitz
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Re: 3094 Still Patiently Waiting Her Turn

Post by Nathan Berelowitz »

This locomotive is going to be painted with gloss black enamel paint applied with a roller. The missing boiler plating, which is stored in the locomotive, will be replaced and painted. The wheels will be whitewalled and the cab will be closed up with the existing expanded metal cage that it had made, many years ago.

All that is required from those interested, is contributions towards repainting it in as simple yet cost effective way possible.
The tender inside, once the spares have been removed and locked away, will be bitumened or rubberrised painted.

So, thanks to yuou Kevin, for your contribution, and we should look at sometime mid July to make a start, before the rains once more appear! Keep them pledges coming.
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Derek Walker
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Re: 3094 Still Patiently Waiting Her Turn

Post by Derek Walker »

logic says you cant just go and paint her, surely the rust will be removed and the steel primed before painting. If you paint over the rust your loco will look like some others that I know.
Not quite on the rails.
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