Appeal to build Prince George’s boiler
ConstruCtion of the boiler for LnWr ‘George V’ 4‑4‑0 no. 2013 Prince George will start by the end of this year ‑ if £10,000 can be raised.
This sum will pay for the rolling of the boiler barrel, and the LNWR George V Steam Locomotive Trust is seeking pledges of £1,000 to be paid in instalments over a 12-month period, with all other one-off or regular donations also welcomed. Trustee Paul Hibberd said: “It looks as if the money will be coming in mostly at £250 per quarter, which points to a start date around the end of the year, when we have scheduled the work. “The more money that turns up, the more we can get done, so if somebody opens their chequebook big time, we can tear up this schedule and get under way earlier.” Design work to bring the boiler in line with today’s regulations is in progress. Looking forward to the next step of constructing the firebox, the trust has already made contact with potential builders, including Germany’s Meiningen Works, where the boiler of ‘A1’ Tornado was made (SR459). The total cost of the boiler is still to be confirmed. Mr Hibberd told Steam Railway: “As for who constructs the boiler, we are discussing a wide range of options, including Israel Newton at Matlock, but LNWR Heritage at Crewe will certainly be considered. It’s a big decision, and obviously we want to get it right.” It is hoped that the metal will be ordered to produce the Bowen-Cooke 4-4-0’s coupling rods by the end of March, with the stress diagrams produced for main line approval. However, delays are being experienced with the other major component on the group’s shopping list - the bogie wheel castings - due, says Mr Hibberd, to “the demanding approvals process required by the modern railway, and in particular, the need to demonstrate the adequacy of the wheel-axle interface. “The bogie wheel and axle arrangement first appeared on the LNWR ‘19in Express Goods’ class 4-6-0 in 1906. It was used on the ‘Claughtons’ and some ‘Jubilees’ - there is a photograph of No. 45554 Ontario so equipped operating in the 1960s - but all this track record counts for nothing.” In the meantime, attention is focused on producing the dome and chimney, with quotes being sought for the latter. As detailed in SR464, two chimneys are to be produced, starting with one to the original design for use on preserved railways, followed by a cut-down version for main line operation. ❚❚For details of the boiler appeal, see the insert with this issue, write to 62 High Street, Buntingford, Herts SG9 9AH or visit lnwrgeorgevtrust.org.uk