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"From the Footplate" - SteamRanger's Enthusiast Website | ||||||
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Enthusiast Activities - Loco Maintenance and Restoration |
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Work on locomotives, carriages, freight wagons, depots and associated infrastructure is carried out by the one team of three paid employees and dozens of volunteers from all walks of life. The tasks involved in the routine maintenance, repair and overhaul of locomotives and rollingstock are many and varied. They can range from trademens’ work such as boilermaking, welding, fitting, turning, mechanical, carpentry and carriage building to general work such as cleaning, painting and chopping wood. As well there are many different tasks required around the Depots and associated infrastructure to support the operations of SteamRanger’s trains This page consists of two sections; an outline of the role that volunteers can play followed by an update on the present mechanical status of major items of rolling stock |
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A substantial workshop facility was established at Mt Barker Depot in 1996 following the transfer of our operating base from Dry Creek. Most maintenance,repair and overhaul work is undertaken "in-house" by staff and volunteers under direction of appropriately qualified team leaders. Some more complicated tasks or those requiring special facilities or certification are outsourced. A smaller running workshop is maintained at Goolwa Depot, staffed mainly by local volunteers. A comprehensive records management system has been established to cover work procedures, servicing and maintenance tasks, requirements regarding pressure vessels, worker competency and occupational health a safety. All workshop work is required to be fully documented, carried out in accordance with agreed rail safety and industrial procedures,and formally inspected. Ongoing quality assurance and audit proceduresare mandatory. Certificates of competency are issued where appropriate
The machine shop is equipped with
A welding bay includes two oxy LPG sets and five welding machines (including one M1G). Power tools include five angle grinders, three electric drills, magnetic particle tester and a nibbler supported by too many hand and specialised tools to mention. Pneumatic tools include needle guns, riveting guns, torque wrenches, air motors, air jacks, grease pumps and die grinders. Other items of equipment Include a 10 tonne hydraulic porta-power, chain blocks, hydraulic and screw jacks and a 5 tonne crane. Facilities have keen set up tor the servicing, testing and adjusting of air brake components and for the calibration of pressure gauges and air safety valves against master gauges. Wood working facilities include circular bench saws, a radial arm saw, a planer and a rebater, together with a large collection of carpenters' tools. A number of items and facilities support the depot operations, including a Leyland truck/coal grab/crane; two depot air compressors; inspection pit; truck shed, paint shed, store sheds; oil store; two battery chargers; mobile platforms and scaffolds; steam cleaner; boiler washout pad; marking out table; hydrostatic pump; washing machine; cupboards and racks for tools and parts and large quantities of nuts and bolts.
The Mechanical Services team is headed by the Mechanical Services Manager, Craig Dunstan Volunteers from all walks of life contribute valuable supporting assistance.
The depot facilities are also used for rollingstock maintenance. Personnel working in this area are featured on our Rollingstock page. Our loco and rollingstock employees are complemented by a number of qualified volunteers in the fitting and turning, carpentry, upholstery, painting and decorating, welding and electrical trades. Volunteers typically contribute from a half day to several days of effort each week, at mutually agreed times.
Volunteers not qualified in a trade commence by assisting with tasks
such as cleaning, painting, assisting tradesmen and general housekeeping
and are progressively supervised and trained to undertake more significant
tasks as their level of competence rises.
Workshop activities fall into two major categories Running maintenance All locos and carriages are mechanically inspected prior to their use on a train service. A schedule of required routine maintenance tasks must signed off to meet accreditation requirements. Running maintenance on steam locomotives can involve tasks such
as greasing, oiling, cleaning smokeboxes, fireboxes and
injectors, coaling, varied mechanical jobs, inspections
and locomotive cleaning and brass polishing. Much less effort
is required on diesel locomotives and carriages
with servicing and cleaning being the main tasks.
Repair and heavy overhaul Selected locomotives and carriages are taken completely out of service as necessary and as part of a forward looking programme to conserve and upgrade rolling stock. Specific components are identified for major
maintenance or rebuilding. In extreme cases the vehicle may be
completely stripped down and rebuilt. Locos Rx207 (pictured), F251, Brill railcar 60 and a
number of wooden passenger cars have undergone major rebuilding
in recent years.
Volunteer crews are drawn from the loco maintenance team to crew all our trains. Volunteers typically start by assisting with cleaning and lighting up locomotives and progress through a rigorous training program to qualify them to operate as firemen and drivers on increasingly more challenging sections of track and with particular classes of engines. Training involves gaining of both technical and safeworking qualifications. Trainees are provided with appropriate documentation and training opportunities and progress through structured assessments under the guidance of an assigned facilitator.
Certificates of competency are awarded as milestones are met.
Ongoing and special project support, supply of services and materials and financial donations to loco maintenance are most appreciated and often enable difficult to fund activities to proceed.
For more information on becoming involved in this area, |
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RON WILLIAMS PARTS COMPANY WITH STEAMRANGER Contributed by Ian Johnston On our Latest News page we announced that longserving mechanical services fitter Ron Williams had retired afer 23 years service to SteamRanger, Throughout that period Ron had worked very closely with previous Loco Manager Ian Johnston and here are some insights into Ron and his career that Ian has compiled, to which we have added a few photos taken over the years.
Ron's value was soon demonstrated with his deeper knowledge and expertise on steam plus his ability to relate to everyone within SteamRanger, including all budding volunteers. As would be expected, it took some months for Ron to learn about the many little differences between Victorian and SAR rollingstock. He did have early difficulties with the absolute lack of workshop equipment, even a simple item such as an angle grinder. Gradually many items were scrounged, borrowed and even purchased and these became the beginnings of the now well equipped workshop at Mt Barker. During the early days, Ron was well supported by an energetic group of retirees affectionately known as Dad's Army including regulars in Roy Stanley, Carl Sappiatzer, Max Biggins, Rusty Stanway, Tony Collins and Dean Smith. Over the years, Ron has supervised literally thousands of different and complex tasks with some of the more major being; rebuilding 207's, 224's and 621's axleboxes; repairs to the main frames of 207, 224 and 251; retyring 520's leading drivers; rebuilding pony/ trailing trucks and tender bogies on 207, 520 and 621; rebuilding the motion on 207 (twice) and 520; new crankpin bushes for all locos; many new main piston and valve rings/liners for all locos; numerous boiler repair tasks including sections of boiler plates, stays, fusible plug holes, regulators, elements, boiler fittings and mountings; fitting of the new superheater header to 621. These are just a few examples of Ron's ability to work through tasks and fabricate parts and support equipment as work proceeded. Ron's passion for steam was one of the main driving forces behind his dedication and nothing was impossible, it just may have taken a bit more time and funds to work through. He had an innate ability to size up a looming problem, consider the big picture, think sideways if necessary then come up with a solution which could be managed by SteamRanger's often limited resources. ![]() Ron on his lathe machining a bogie centre Feb 2006 and measuring 621's smokebox tubeplate Jan 2009 - Photos: Ian Johnston Ron spent time studying to successfully become proficient in both Air Brake fitting work and pressure vessel welding, as well as applying his talents to his trade of fitting and turning. He has been responsible for the efficient use of volunteer tradesmen, particularly in the machine shop, and for the training of volunteers to be valuable "trades assistants" to support him in his work. Ron made everyone feel at ease with his friendly nature and nothing was too much trouble in explaining what was required to be done. The work and results Ron has achieved over the 23 years has been a result of his tenacity and being fastidious in everything he undertook. A good example, is that after 50000 kms of running since Rx 207's driving axleboxes were rebuilt by Ron prior to 2000, when pulled down as part of the retyring work in 2008, the axleboxes were found to still be in almost perfect condition and good for another 50000 kms. Ron was quite a discerning chap and during the Dry Creek days he took a strong fancy to the very pleasant lass running SteamRanger's office when it was located in the city. Ron and Lorraine subsequently married and were blessed with a son in young Ryan and they have found their niche living in the Adelaide Hills. While Ron may have departed SteamRanger, he will still be handy to provide advice when requested. ![]() Ron and Lorraine (621 trip to Melbourne May 1994) & Ron and Ryan at Mt Barker Depot(both photos Roger Currie) During the past few years Ron has taken a liking to performing remedial massage and undertook some studies so as he could take up such work part time, particularly for his local footy club. At the same time Ron could feel that the many years of hard and heavy work, often cramped in fireboxes and smokeboxes, had taken its toll on his body and he now and then needed someone to give him a good remedial massage. This was part of the reasoning as to why he decided that the end of the 2008 financial year was a good time for a major change and to put more effort into establishing his massage business. On Tuesday 30th June 2009, Ron's co-workers at Mt Barker depot held a sausage sizzle to farewell Ron and for depot volunteers to take time to express their appreciation and best wishes to Ron and reminisce about former times. As a memento from the depot chaps, a pensioned off Rx class steam pressure gauge was brought back to its gleaming brass glory, mounted on a wooden base and with a suitably inscribed brass plaque, presented to Ron. In response Ron thanked the many people he had worked with and said he was delighted with the gauge as it represented what he had striven for over many years - good steam pressure! ![]() Co-workers at Mt Barker for Ron's farewell (Ian Johnston) |
The following information and most of
the photos have been supplied by our Mechanical Services Manager or members of his team
Work continues five days a week and more progress has
no doubt been achieved out since these reports
so watch this page
for a further update.
Information last updated on 14th April 2010 or as indicated
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Main characteristics and photos of our full fleet can be found
here