THE BIG MOVE COMPLETE - The Chassis moves from Llangollen to Sheffield
On 30th September, the B17 SLT had held a meeting with CTL Seal of Sheffield and the haulage contractors, when the tenders were delivered, to discuss the unloading of the static chassis at Sheffield. The planned date of the move for the static chassis from Llangollen to Sheffield was set for 19th–20th October, allowing for any preparatory work to be carried out at both Llangollen and CTL Seal. The great unknown at the time was the Covid 19 lockdown currently imposed in the Llangollen area, and any future restrictions that could be applied anywhere and anytime.
The move went as planned, with the low loader taking delivery of ‘Spirit of Sandringham’s chassis at Llangollen on the afternoon of the 19th and safely delivered to CTL Seal’s premises in Sheffield early on 20th. The chassis is now safely located in the building that will be its new home for the next build phase and for the foreseeable future.
Chassis loaded on the S.A.Smith lorry
ready to leave Llangollen - 19th October 2020
Now at Sheffield, the Chassis being removed from the low loader by overhead crane
Once off the lorry, the Chassis was relocated by crane onto the shop floor
Finally, on the ground mounted on steel trestles
All photos in this sequence by Tony Brzosko
Finally, manufacture of the wooden Hornblock patterns, the order being reported in August, has started. Casting of the Hornblocks is expected to be at the end of November. In the meantime, the design team is finalising the design of the main driving wheel springs.