Boscastle Locomotive Limited
12th June 2012
Below are two new bronze bearing bushes, made by one of our volunteer machinists. These are for the reverser rod which as its name suggests, is part of the mechanism that enables the locomotive to be put into forward or reverse. This rod forms part of the valve gear which allows the burst of steam that the cylinders receive to be adjusted. When the locomotive is running, this adjustment enables the steam to be used more efficiently in the cylinders.
The view above shows one of the the bearings fitted into the rear fork of the reverser rod. The bearings are accurately machined to be a tight fit in the component and are pressed in on a hydraulic press. The main part of the rod is over six feet long and when assembled, is adjusted by a large screw turned by a geared handle in the cab.