The exhaust pipes are threaded into the steam chest on current production. They'll rotate fairly easily, but the in/out movement should be small, as the thread is fairly fine. If the pipe can move in and out of the steam chest without being rotated, the thread has probably been stripped.tom_tom_go wrote: ↑Wed Aug 01, 2018 7:00 pm How loose should the exhaust pipes be as they move about freely including being able to be moved in and out of the cylinders?
If the thread is badly damaged you will hear and see a steam leak when the throttle is opened. Unfortunately replacing the exhaust pipes requires removing the cylinders.
if Tony W is reading this, he'll likely know if the older cylinders fitted to this loco have the same arrangement as current ones.
Regards,
Graeme