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MAZDA Restoration Blog

Updated September 2024

OBJECTIVES OF THE PROJECT

MAZDA is a special loco, it was the prototype of the 165 DE class and is now over 70 years old. It spent 28 of those years at the Coventry site and was rarely out of traffic. Whilst it was maintained at Coventry, when moved to Shackerstone we had the help of the highly experienced diesel engineers at that railway to advise us of some of the issues the loco had that would need to be attended to. We decided to take it out of traffic for a much needed overhaul.

Work Undertaken & Planned

The cab windows went missing years ago when a well meaning member took them home to get them stripped down and repainted but that was the last we saw of them..... A replacement set was manufactured for us by a company that makes windows for horse boxes; these have been fitted into the apertures and look the part.

The loco has a twin stage compressor mounted in the front of the bonnet behind the radiator. Examination revealed the shaft that the pulley wheel, that is belt driven from the engine, is mounted on had suffered excessive wear and the compressor was 'lop sided' we had to remove it and have it sent off to an engineer who specialises in repairs of this sort. The shaft was milled and a collar added so it would run true, the compressor has been refitted to the loco and successfully tested.

The cab floor had gone rotten at the edges so these rotten boards have been removed, some of the bolts that secured it had rusted solid so these have been ground out and the holes re-drilled. The new boards will be sourced and fitted when work resumes. The whole of the cab interior will be repainted too. The locos brake controller was defective and not admitting the correct amount of air into the brakes. This has been stripped cleaned and rebuilt successfully. The brake cylinder itself needs to have its gaskets replaced in due course.

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We had the chance to examine under the loco when we put it over the pit in Shackerstone shed. It was here we discovered the tension springs that retain the coupling draw hooks had both split, one of them in two places so we have sourced some rubber bushings to replace them and will need to make some separator plates before they can be fitted.

The loco has had new brushes fitted to its generator but the brushes also need to be replaced in the traction motor. These will need to be manufactured and we shall have to produce drawings to allow our supplier to do this.

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Work on the loco restarted during 2021. The donkey air compressor has been removed so it can be serviced on a workbench, a new head has been sourced for this unit and work to re-commision it continues. Drawings for new traction motor brushes have been produced and these will be ordered for delivery this year. The fuel injectors for the six cylinder engine have been removed and are being sent away to be serviced. The bodywork has been started with the engine compartment hatches rubbed down and primed. The cab floor comprised of wooden floor boards flanking a central inspection hatch, the boards have all suffered rot and have been removed with replacement material to be sourced.

By Summer 2024 work had progressed on the donkey engine to the point that it was ready to be re-fitted, the magneto has been refurbished and the engine primed ready for painting. The locos main engine has benefitted from a complete service of all six fuel injectors. The coolant rail was removed and found to have corrosion damage. It was repaired in the workshop at Shakerstone with sections welded in to replace the wasted metal. MAZDA's radiator has been flushed clean and the coolant system is now able to run clean and do its job of keeping the engine cool. The engine has been started a couple of times during 2024 since the injectors were re-fitted. It runs very well.

The cab battery box and toolbox has been taken off site for restoration and when done work will begin on the cab floor. Replacement carbon brushes for the traction motor have been purchased and delivered to site and these will be fitted once the generator and motor casings have been cleaned and inspected by a proffesional contractor.

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