Good News – a rare commodity at the moment.
At a time of a National Health Emergency, good news does seem to be thin on the ground! However, for members of the B17 Steam Locomotive Trust there is some welcome news. Following completion of the static mainframe last year, we have been involved in a protracted period of redesign based on the needs of the Rolling Chassis. This redesign has been required for a number of reasons, not least the need to fit roller bearings to the locomotive. The final design will give the locomotive greater longevity, reliability and make it easier to service.
The good news is that this period of redesign is now virtually over and we have agreed the design and specification of most of the parts for the Rolling Chassis. In turn, this means that we have been able to send out Requests for Quotations (RfQs) to a number of suppliers for the parts we need. When these quotes are returned, they will be scrutinised and, if acceptable, orders for parts will follow in due course.
In order to give members an idea of the extent of the progress made, we can confirm that RfQs have been requested for the following parts :-
This last line item is being pursued in collaboration with the A1 Steam Locomotive Trust as they are looking for a Crank Axle for their proposed V4 Locomotive which is a similar design to the B17.
Work continues in order to raise quotes for the assembly of the various components, but we believe that this is a significant step forward at a very difficult time. We hope that members will appreciate that this is being done in the current climate and we look forward to seeing real progress in 2020.