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No.85 Merlin

A photonews report from the Railway Preservation Society of Ireland

Back in Easter 1977 Lord Henry Dunleath offered to the fund the restoration of a main line locomotive for the use of the RPSI on our main line railtours. The Ulster Folk and Transport Musuem loaned their 4-4-0 compound locomotive Merlin to the RPSI for restoration to working order. She returned to steam in 1984 after work had been carried out at Harland and Wolff and at Whitehead.

In 1989 she was taken out of traffic for major boiler repairs, which at that time were the most extensive undertaken at Whitehead. After these repairs were complete the locomotive operated again on our mainline railtours from 1994 until 2004.

Every ten years a locomotive boiler must be lifted from its frames to allow a statutory thorough inspection and repair. Despite having no moving parts a boiler can suffer from corrosion and stress cracking, either through misuse or poor design. When Merlin's boiler was last overhauled extensive welding repairs to the steel sections were required, as well as new copper sides in the firebox.

However these repairs made good many years worth of wear. It is hoped that this time round the required work will be less expensive.

Now, after five years of storage and display at Whitehead, work has been started to ascertain the cost and scope of the work required to return Merlin to her natural habitat - the Great Northern Railway's Belfast - Dublin main line for which she was built.


	No.85's last appearance in public was on one of our "Summer Steam" open days at Whitehead in July. As usual, No.85 was hauled out of the engine shed and cleaned and polished for the education of visitors. Photo by C P Friel

	Dismantling work began within a week. The component that is usually the most difficult and expensive to repair in an overhaul like this is the boiler, so plans were made to remove it for examination at an early stage. First of all the boiler fittings were labelled and removed from the cab. Although in essence a simple machine, a steam locomotive has many parts which have to go back in exactly the same place from where they were removed! To this end photographs and notes are taken at each stage to make sure each component is returned to its place later in the overhaul.

	The locomotive was split from RPSI tender No.73, one of three RPSI tenders she has used during her career in preservation to date.

	When the Belfast Transport Musuem purchased Merlin in 1965, they couldn't afford to buy a tender to go with her. Fortuitously for No.85, the RPSI owns more tenders than engines! This tender, originally built for a "U" class locomotive, was rebuilt by the RPSI to replicate the tender which Merlin ran with while still in company service. Here Eddie is cleaning off ten years of oil and dirt to allow its condition to be assessed.

	The cab needed to come off to allow the boiler to be removed, so it was unbolted from the frames. In the smokebox, Alan was uncovering bolts to allow it to be disconnected from the cylinder block.

	Next, the cab was lifted off using our hand crane, an exhibit in itself. It was built in 1943 for the NCC by Cowans Sheldon, a company still making rail mounted cranes today! However, their modern products don't use muscle power like this one . . . Photo by Geoff Moore

	The cab was placed on a flat wagon, which will be used to store the larger components from the locomotive. Picture by Geoff Moore

	The next day the cladding sheets were lifed off using the hand crane. These thin metal sheets cover the boiler insulation, and give the exterior of the boiler a smooth and more attractive appearance. These cladding sheets date back to the 1980s and were manufactured by Harland and Wolff. Picture by CP Friel

	With the cab, cladding, insulation, and numerous other small parts removed, the boiler was ready to be lifted from the frames. Merlin was positioned under our shear legs and slings were attached to the front and back of the boiler. Picture by N J Lightowler

	The shear legs, although they work for a living, are historic railway items in their own right! They came to us from NIR's Central Services Depot, on the east side of the Lagan in Belfast, the site of which is now occupied by the Oddessy. They were overhauled last year after exceptionally high winds toppled them. Here they are doing the sort of job they were designed for. Merlin's boiler was lifted clear of the frames and then 3BG "Guinness" shunted the rolling chassis back into the engine shed.

	The boiler was then set down on accomodation bogies. It will now be tested and examined to find out what work is needed next! Photo by N J Lightowler

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