762 Club Progress Report - September 2023

Castings for a number of parts for Yeo & Exe have been cast by Peak Patterns ltd in Sheffield. These are now with the WHR FR at Boston Lodge for machining. Included in this batch are driving wheels, front & rear frame stays, hornblocks, bogie frame stretchers, axleboxes and keeps, slide bar brackets and radius links for the Joy valve gear.

Enquiries were sent out to a number of foundries some of who were overloaded with orders after the Covid period. Peak Pattern supplied wheels for Lyn previously and more recently the pony wheels for Yeo & Exe. Their quotation was the most competitive and they have done a splendid job with casting and delivering a substantial part of the required components for the build of these two Manning Wardles.

Meanwhile, Boston Lodge has completed machining of the cylinders, end covers and valve chest covers for Yeo and Exe. The blue & green paint is just to denote which engine the parts are destined to go towards.

The photographs show the castings in the foundry. The driving wheel pattern is set up ready for casting which had to wait until after the August closure. Now the castings are at Boston Lodge they are being cleaned up and painted blue & green. More photos in the near future.

It will not be long until the main frames are required and assembly can begin.

The die blocks which run in the curved slotted links on Joy valve gear were worn on Lyd after so many years of use. New blocks were being CNC machined and so two sets for Yeo & Exe were made and are now in store.

Peter Miles