Now that the new tube wall of the firebox has been completed, the holes for the heating tubes are drilled. Through them, the hot combustion exhaust gases from the combustion chamber flow into the smoke chamber and heat the boiler water on the way.
Before the spare part can be installed in the firebox, the defective tube wall must first be cut off. A plasma cutter is used for this (bottom left). Then the new tube wall had to be adapted to the firebox. Both are now ready for transport to a special company that will weld the copper parts (below right).
The copper welding work is being carried out by the SMS Buss-Canzler company in Butzbach (see pictures below). This company had already welded copper fireboxes for steam locomotive boilers in the 1960s. Our 89 339 is also proven to have been manufactured there. However, this production technique was abandoned years later, since after the Second World War, fireboxes were generally made of steel. Copper fireboxes, if they still existed, were only repaired at that time. Therefore, this technique was revived especially for the restoration of the 98 727.
Work is also progressing on the driver’s cab in the workshop of the International Alliance. This is being rebuilt there. The parts are being riveted according to the historical model. Below, you can see how a number of rivets have already been set on the roof edge with the riveting hammer that I built myself.
The bolts for the “sash locks” were set on the smokebox door. These lock the door. Likewise, the hinge was made new and can be mounted.
