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Hi Chris, They are the same shape as the hole but bigger!, same curve as the boiler shell ( but not by tooo much!, probably about maybe an inch if that for this size) Hope that makes sense. They have a gasket on the side that pulls up against the inside face of the boiler, indays gone by it was asbestos, the stud is used as a handle to get it in & out & always looks way to long....I guess trial & error has shown that if you make it too short you end up having to figure out how to retrevive it! They usually are placed for inspection of problem areas of the boiler, as you pointed out, low down around the fire box to allow cleaning / inspection of the foundation ring, and it sounds like over the top of the fire box. Somewhere on the barrel should be a manhole, vertical boilers giving limited access to check out the tubes, locos to above the tubes. Our x club traction, full size ,engine had this in the smoke box, I have managed to squeeze thru it, don’t think I could now! The boilers were I used to work had them in the end domesThe elliptical shape allows it to go thru the smaller diameter(?), where as a round one wouldn’t fit!When I did my steam tickets, part of the course was drafting, on paper, & we had to do the set out & drawings for manholes, can’t quite remember how now but CAD should make it easy!Cheers Kerrin
Hi Chris,The drone shoot is cool! Just need to get the tips of some shoes in it & it would look like the model to come!Cheers Kerrin
Chris, the clean-outs/manholes are oval so that they can be turned and tilted to remove them...Pete
Hi Chris, Arr crap! Teach me to be in a hurry & typing! Still Pete put you right. Sorry about the curve too.....should have read your info better, no curve required on a flat side. Pity this hadn’t come up a couple of weeks back as I could have got some pictures of the club boiler when it had its annual check.Thanks for the extra info on the boiler, it’s about the same size as a traction engine so would of thought that there would of been some access to the inside.Love the feet in the picture...thanks for that!Cheers Kerrin