Boxhill Locomotive

Help please. Can anyone explain how the firebox door is fitted to a Boxhill locomotive. I have a very nice boiler, professionally built in the 1980s, which is about to be tested and looks as if it will pass without. However, there are no bushes fitted for attaching the firebox door and its catch - ref sheet 5 of the drawings. Can anyone advise how this can be done.

With many thanks, John

Not a lot of help to you, but a professional boiler that I have was built with internal thickening pads placed around the firehole. Sketch drawings were provided to show the locations. After this length of time presumably you can't ask the maker.

Can you pluck up courage and drill and tap, say, 6 BA at the latch position to see if yours is similar Assuming a 1/8" nominal backhead thickness, it would take the latch anyway.

I am not familiar with Boxhill but I attached the firedoor of my B1 Springbok to the backhead cladding which is 0:8 mm brass.

I might be wrong but I think the proper terrier firehole door is hinged at the top and opens inwards so forming a bit of a baffle for incoming air.

Paul.

If you drill and tap the backhead use bronze screws

don't drill into the backhead, do as Simon suggested and fit the door to the cladding, assuming this model has backhead cladding, like others I'm not familiar with the Boxhill.

Pete

Boxhill along with all Martin Evans's designs I can recall does not have backhead cladding as drawn - but this does not mean you can't fit it.

The boiler drawing does not show and thickening pads and I doubt a professional boiler maker would have deviated from the plans without specific instructions and drawings from you.

The only references to the firedoor in the magazine articles I have scanned through this morning is on the cab interior layout. it appears, along with the latch to be fixed by screws. It is not dimensioned.

As the boiler expansion/hold down angles are shown fitted to holes drilled and tapped into the boiler I suspect the firedoor hinge and latch would be similarly attached - but whether you do this is a decision for you to take.

Remember this boiler was designed nearly 60 years ago and as L.P. Hartley said 'The past is a foreign country - they do things differently there' and screwing things directly into a boiler was the normal practice then.

Absolutely agree. The boiler is 40 years old, but a work of art and professionally built.So, the intention is to bit a backhead cladding that reflects the quality of the boiler.

Thanks, John