K1 - Rebuilding the Chassis

Tyseley

After the May 1995 Gala, K1 was moved to Tyseley Locomotive Works in Birmingham, and completely stripped down for overhaul, almost certainly for the first time since it was built. Unfortunately the condition of the boiler proved worse than expected, requiring replacement with a new one. The original idea was that Tyseley would overhaul the boiler on a commercial basis, while the K1 Group tackled the rest of the loco.

During the time at Tyseley a great deal of work was done on the many individual components, as well as cataloguing the items needed to complete the loco - a major task for such a complex piece of machinery. Also, through various avenues, a very substantial collection of copies of engineering drawings for the loco was assembled - including almost all the original drawings used to build K1 at Gorton in 1909.

In addition to the work carried out by volunteers, some items were supplied or refurbished by outside contractors during this period. These included new bogie pivots and axleboxes, and refurbishment of the wheelsets, including turning to accommodate the slight gauge reduction for use on the WHR. The frames of the power units were worked on by ESCA Engineering near Wigan during 1999.

K1 moved to Wales for completion of the overhaul in Spring 2000. The power units went straight to Boston Lodge Works on the Ffestiniog Railway, with some jobs being subcontracted to ESCA and other firms. The boiler frame was moved to Dinas in late April 2000, together with the old tanks and major boiler components, joining the extensive collection of smaller parts which had already been moved there from Tyseley.

The boiler frame only stayed at Dinas for a few weeks, before being moved to Boston Lodge, as it was found that this was a more convenient way to proceed. It was fitted to the power units in mid-summer 2000.

At the FR Vintage Weekend in early October 2000, K1 was displayed - minus boiler - at Porthmadog Harbour Station, close to the spot where it stood for some time following delivery from Manchester in 1966. It is seen below coupled to Fairlie Earl of Merioneth, which returned the Garratt to Boston Lodge for restoration work to continue. The tanks had been refitted, though work still remained to be done on these.

By May 2001, the cab and tanks had been lifted off again, with the top plates of the tanks removed to give access for the patching work which has allowed the original tanks to be reused; it had been thought that replacements would be necessary. Although numerous jobs remained to be done, the major parts of the loco below footplate level were complete; despite the lack of a boiler, K1 moved under power in March 2001, for the first time in perhaps 70 years - towing a diesel loco, and the air compressor that was supplying power to K1's cylinders.

The following pictures by Robin Rees-Jones were taken on the occasion of the K1 Group's AGM in June 2001.

K1's cab is seen below at Boston Lodge on May 5th 2002. The "step" in the rear of the cab fits over the forward edge of the rear tank structure; the apertures visible are for access to the handbrake, and (in the original arrangement) the coal bunker.

K1: Introduction	K1 in Tasmania	K1 back in the UK	Rebuilding the Chassis
The New Boiler	Completing the Rebuild	Commissioning	In WHR Service
Help to keep K1 running - Appeal.

K1: Introduction	K1 in Tasmania	K1 back in the UK	Rebuilding the Chassis
The New Boiler	Completing the Rebuild	Commissioning	In WHR Service
Help to keep K1 running - Appeal.