Rebuilt ‘bb’ No. 34058 SIR FREDERICK PILE

The last unrestored rebuilt ‘BB’, No. 34058 Sir Frederick Pile is still many years away from returning to steam. Languishing in the headshunt at Alresford on the Mid‑Hants Railway, No. 34058 is arguably the most overlooked member of the class in preservation. One of the last of the class to depart from Barry, it was rescued from the scrapyard in July 1986 by Mike Vout, who moved the locomotive to the Avon Valley Railway to begin its restoration. During its time at Bitton, Mr Vout managed to create a new set of tender frames and original‑pattern tender wheelsets for Sir Frederick Pile, as well as amass two PMVs’ worth of spares and replacement parts for the ‘BB’, including most of the boiler fittings. In 2011, No. 34058 was evicted from the AVR and Mr Vout donated his charge to the Mid‑Hants Railway Preservation Society; the locomotive arrived at the ‘Watercress Line’ in July that year. Sir Frederick Pile is still in ex‑Barry condition and no work has been done on the ‘BB’ since Mr Vout passed away in March 2015 following a stroke. MHR General Manager Colin Chambers was keen to stress that it is still very much the railway’s intention to restore Sir Frederick Pile and that it will become a member of the fleet.