2019 steaming for Hagley Hall?

It’s 30 years since GWR ‘Hall’ No. 4930 Hagley Hall last steamed, but the group raising funds for its overhaul hopes to have the engine working again within three years. And if Hagley Hall does return to traffic in 2019 with a new ten-year ticket, it will mean the Collett 4-6-0, built at Swindon Works in 1929, will still be in steam for its centenary. However, it looks increasingly likely that No. 4930 will require new cylinders. Bob Sweet, spokesman for the support group, said: “The recent removal of the cylinders from the frames has confirmed the longheld belief that the block is beyond economic repair. “Enquiries are now under way to source early ‘Hall’ engineering drawings, and consideration is being given to a new casting. The boiler still needs to be fully assessed.” Hagley Hall was withdrawn from traffic on the Severn Valley Railway in October 1986, following the failure of several boiler stays. The overhaul of No. 4930 began in October 2013 when, after several years in storage, Hagley Hall was removed from The Engine House at Highley and moved to Bridgnorth for dismantling. Fundraising has passed the £110,000 mark but, says Bob: “It is too early to estimate the final cost.” October 24 saw the delivery of the new Collett-design tender tank to Bridgnorth. The arrival coincided with a payment of £50,000 to the locomotive’s owners, Severn Valley Railway (Holdings) plc, by the Friends of Locomotive 4930 Hagley Hall. This amount covers the manufacture of the new tender tank, new tyres on the tender wheels and other work in progress. During its main line career, GWR ‘Hall’ No. 4930 Hagley Hall steams through Teignmouth with the ‘Great Western Limited’ from Plymouth to Temple Meads on April 8 1985, double-heading with No. 7819 Hinton Manor. Hagley Hall was standing in for No. 6000 King George V, which had failed the previous day. JOHN COOPER-SMITH