STEAM was raised in Ffestiniog & Welsh Highland Railway’s ex-South African Railways Société Anglo-Franco-Belge (works No. 2684) NG15‘Kalahari’2-8-2 No. 134 in early September.
Although the boiler had been steamed and tested at Locomotive Maintenance Services in Loughborough, this was the first time it was steamed in the locomotive’s frames in Wales.
The test followed the fitting of the two main steam pipes from the superheater header down to the steam chests, including expansion joints, which had been manufactured by staff at Dinas, and installation of a new fire grate and smokebox fittings by Cymdeithas Rheilffordd Eryri/ Welsh Highland Railway Society volunteers.
At operating pressure, steam joints were checked as the boiler expanded its length by just over half an inch, then the fire was dropped without any attempt to move the loco. This was fortuitous, since opening the regulator to blow out detritus from the rebuilding work on the steampipes, superheater elements, valve chests and pistons resulted in significant expulsion of metallic residue that could have damaged the rebored liners and
