As part of a restoration programme for a vintage, 1960s diesel locomotive, Bristol-based heat transfer specialist, Fulton, has supplied an oil-fired, 20J vertical steam boiler to Midland & Great Northern Joint Railway Society, with steam raised from the boiler being used to heat the locomotive’s passenger carriages via heat exchangers.
The Type Two, Class 31 diesel locomotive — originally ordered by British Railways and built by Brush Traction in 1960 — was purchased by the Midland & Great Northern Joint Railway Society in 2004 and has remained in operation since. It is supported, promoted and sponsored by Weybourne Traction Group and is operated on the ten-and-a-half miles of tracks owned by North Norfolk Railway.
Commenting for the North Norfolk Railway, Laurie Dickinson, lead engineer for the restoration project, says: “The locomotive originally came in for some fairly routine bodywork maintenance but, being nearly 60 years old, it has become apparent that more extensive works are required and, once the roof came off to attend to the gutters, the project escalated.”
He goes on to say that in the early stages of the restoration, the locomotive’s owners — Midland & Great Northern Joint Railway Society — visited the workshop and have since decided to reinstate some of the locomotive’s original features and equipment. This includes installing a replacement for the original Spanner Swirlyflo steam boiler, which was removed from the locomotive in the 1980s when it was decided that electricity would replace steam for space heating purposes.
Laurie approached one steam generator and two steam boiler manufacturers but, when Fulton got in contact, it quickly became apparent that it was the company to work with on the restoration project. “While a steam generator was considered, only off-the-shelf products were offered for the project and they just weren’t going to fit within the limited space of the boiler room. However, when Fulton’s area sales manager arranged a visit, he actually cared about what we wanted and needed, and was so helpful and knowledgeable, that a decision to work with them became an easy one.” says Laurie.
An oil-fired Fulton 20J vertical boiler was specified for the project, with steam raised from the boiler being piped via flexible hoses from the main locomotive through to each carriage. The steam then enters ‘trombone-like’ heat exchangers and finned cylinders located along the carriage’s corridors and under passenger seats to provide space heating. Any waste steam condenses and is collected in steam traps, or is vented to the atmosphere at the end of the train’s carriages.
The new boiler has to fit into the existing boiler room at one end of the locomotive and while the footprint of Fulton’s 20J boiler is slightly larger than the original Spanner Swirlyflo, the physical size of the installation — including pipework, etc. — is very similar to that of the original, with the Fulton boiler being more than capable of providing enough steam to heat the locomotive’s six passenger carriages.
The restoration is expected to be complete by the end of Autumn 2018, with the diesel locomotive returning to the tracks of the North Norfolk Railway just in time for the Winter months, when steam from the Fulton boiler installation and heat from the system will provide welcome warmth for the train’s passengers.
Fulton Limited
Fernhurst Road
Bristol, BS5 7FG
Phone: +44 (0)117 972 3322
Fax: +44 (0)117 972 3358
www.fulton.co.uk
