THE ROSTER
LOCOMOTIVES IN FOCUS
3850: A new cylinder block is to be cast for the ‘2884’ 2‑8‑0 by the Coupe Foundry in Preston, along with one for No. 4930 Hagley Hall at the Severn Valley Railway. It replaces the original, which was found to be cracked after No. 3850 was withdrawn for overhaul in September 2015. The driving wheelsets (originally from ‘28XX’ No. 2874 – see SR463 Roster) have had their tyres and axle journals re‑profiled, and owning group Dinmore Manor Locomotive Ltd will begin reassembling the bottom end this summer at the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Steam Railway. The boiler from ex‑Barry classmate No. 3845 (also owned by DMLL) is to be sent to Riley & Son (E) Ltd to be overhauled for No. 3850, as it is in slightly better condition than the latter’s own boiler, which DMLL volunteers will then begin overhauling for future use. 4979: Wootton Hall’s tender wheelsets have been grit‑blasted and repainted at the Ribble Steam Railway, and replacement sections welded onto the tender frame plates. 5199: The Llangollen‑based ‘5101’ 2‑6‑2T steamed at Tyseley – the shed where it was allocated new in 1934 – during January, following winter maintenance. It was the first working ‘Large Prairie’ at the Birmingham depot since the 1960s. 5526: The South Devon Railway‑ based ‘4575’ 2‑6‑2T is to be the guest engine at the Chinnor & Princes Risborough Railway for this season, from March 2018 to January 2019. It is the locomotive’s first visit to Chinnor, although fellow Buckfastleigh ‘Small Prairie’ No. 5542 has previously been hired. Last year’s visitor from the SDR was ‘64XX’ 0‑6‑0PT No. 6412 – but with passenger numbers on the rise in recent years (SR476) the CPRR is planning to run its first regular five‑coach trains, and so the greater power of the ‘Prairie’ will be of use on a line which includes two miles of 1‑in‑68. The ‘45XXs’ and ‘4575s’ were rated by BR as power class ‘4MT’, while the ‘64XXs’ were only ‘2P’. 5538: “It’s costing a fortune but going well,” says Mike Little of his ex‑Barry ‘4575’ 2‑6‑2T, which is undergoing restoration at the Flour Mill in the Forest of Dean. Its bottom end is nearing completion, with the coupling rods fitted, new connecting rods made and the bunker temporarily in place. 5619: The Telford Horsehay Steam Trust’s Collett 0‑6‑2T arrived at the Nene Valley Railway in early February, and is due to remain there until at least the end of March, with an option to extend the hire period if required. The NVR has only one resident steam locomotive in ticket – ‘Battle of Britain’ No. 34081 92 Squadron, which is currently undergoing winter maintenance (see below). Since October 2016, the ‘56XX’ has been on loan to the Midland Railway – Butterley, where it will be replaced for 2018 by Roger Hibbert’s ‘Austerity 0‑6‑0ST No. 68067 (Hudswell Clarke Works No. 1752 Robert) from the Great Central Railway. 6695: On January 26, the boiler of the ‘56XX’ 0‑6‑2T was moved by Triple H Haulage to the Flour Mill for overhaul. In a light‑hearted prank before it left the locomotive’s West Somerset Railway base, it was adorned with the number 4156 – that of the ‘Large Prairie’ cut up at Barry scrapyard in 1980. The overhaul will include: repairs to the firebox foundation ring; replacement of wasted steel plate on the outer firebox wrapper; attention to the laps on the copper inner firebox; replacement of firebox stays as required; re‑riveting of the mounting pad for the safety valves; repairs to the internal steam pipes; and new superheater elements (the current set dating from BR days) as well as a full re‑tube. Nigel Clark of the 6695 Locomotive Group said: “This list is by no means exhaustive but gives an idea of the work required to put this boiler back into a suitable condition for a further ten years’ service.” To help fund the work, shares in the locomotive are available and components can be sponsored – email locomotive6695@btinternet.com or visit the 6695 Loco Group Facebook page.
6984: Early British Railways ‘cycling lion’ crests and lining have been applied to the tender of Owsden Hall at the Swindon & Cricklade Railway, in preparation for the loan of the Collett 4,000-gallon vehicle to fellow ‘Modified Hall’ No. 6989 Wightwick Hall (see below). Owsden Hall’s first coupling rod – the leading rod on the right-hand side – was fitted on December 18, while in the cab, the regulator stuffing box has been fitted, together with the pipe to the vacuum brake valve. 6989: As restoration of ex-Barry ‘Modified Hall’ Wightwick Hall nears completion at the Buckinghamshire Railway Centre, the spark arrester is being fitted in the smokebox, and the problematic ‘elephant’s ears’ (the awkwardly shaped pieces of cladding on the top corners of the firebox) are nearing completion. Fitting of pipework continues in preparation for an in-frames steam test. With its own Collett 4,000-gallon tender still to be completed, the locomotive will initially run with a hired example from classmate No. 6984 Owsden Hall, whose own Barry restoration is in its final stages at the Swindon & Cricklade Railway (see left). 30075: The boiler of Project 62’s Yugoslavian ‘USA’ 0-6-0T was lifted from the frames at Shillingstone station on January 31 and taken by low-loader to Richard Vincent Engineering at nearby Henstridge, where its ‘ten-yearly’ overhaul is to be carried out (SR476). Project 62 incurred extra costs of £440 to pay for crane hire, as it was discovered at a late stage that the first crane could not be used; however, its replacement lent a ‘Somerset & Dorset’ air to the operation, having travelled from Evercreech. While the boiler is under overhaul, the group’s volunteers will recondition No. 30075’s frames and running gear with the aim of returning the engine to steam in late 2019 or early 2020. More details can be found at www.project62.co.uk 30506: The Urie Locomotive Society’s annual open day at the Mid-Hants Railway will be held on June 30, with access to both its ‘S15’ 4-6-0s (Nos. 30499 and 30506). By this time, the overhaul of No. 30506 will be nearing completion, and it is hoped that ex-Barry No. 30499’s centre casting will be riveted back into the frames. Society President Bob Urie, grandson of ‘S15’ designer Robert Wallace Urie, will be in attendance, along with the society’s new honorary patron, Wave 105 radio presenter and railway enthusiast Mark Collins. He has worked in radio for 25 years and presented two series of Trainspotting for the Discovery Channel. 34081: Winter maintenance on 92 Squadron at the Nene Valley Railway has included a weld repair to one of the firebox thermic syphons, reconstruction of the brick arch and replacement of loose rivets in the bogie frame. 35011: The flawed plain central driving axle (previously from No. 34046 Braunton) has been removed from ‘Merchant Navy’ General Steam Navigation, as
have the crankpins. South Devon Railway Engineering is now preparing to move on to the next stage of converting it into a new crank axle. 42085: With its boiler under overhaul at Carnforth, the Lakeside & Haverthwaite Railway’s stalwart Fairburn 2-6-4T is expected to return to service by early 2019. LHR Managing Director Michael Maher said that it “should be fairly close to ready by the back end of this year – but no promises.” Classmate No. 42073 is operational and in ticket until 2024. 45163: With the connecting rods machined for the Colne Valley Railway-based ‘Black Five’ (SR474 Roster) a £34,000 appeal has been launched for a new set of valves and pistons. The engine lost all these parts at Barry scrapyard, except for one valve whose rod cannot be reused because it was cut through. Cheques payable to 45163 Ltd can be sent to 4 Whitlock Drive, Great Yeldham, Halstead, Essex CO9 4EE (see also www.45163.co.uk). 45293: With repairs to its frames complete, the front end
of the British Enginemen Steam Preservation Society’s ‘Black Five’ is being reassembled at the Colne Valley Railway, with the bufferbeam riveted into place. A new pair of connecting rods have been forged and machined for the ex-Barry locomotive (at the same time as those for neighbouring No. 45163) and a 12-feed Silvertown mechanical lubricator acquired from the Bluebell Railway. 5428: Having been hydraulically tested to 330lbs/sq. in (nearly 1½ times its working pressure of 225lbs/sq. in) on January 30, the boiler of the North Yorkshire Moors Railway’s ‘Black Five’ was trial-fitted back into the frames on February 8. Its tender is being rubbed down in preparation for repainting in LMS livery. 48173: A replacement firebox backplate is being produced at Tyseley for Greg Wilson’s ‘8F’ 2-8-0, and its tyres have been turned to main line standard at Riley & Son (E) Ltd; a new axle has also been made for one driving wheelset after the original failed an ultrasonic test. At the locomotive’s Churnet Valley Railway base, its firebox is in the works for overhaul, with its frames to enter Cheddleton shed once winter maintenance on Polish ‘TKh’ 0-6-0T No. 2944 ‘Hotspur’ is complete. 78018: The tender of the Darlington Railway Preservation Society’s ‘2MT’ 2-6-0 has been painted and lined out in BR black with the late crest at the Great Central Railway. The locomotive is currently running with the tender from under-overhaul classmate No. 78019. 80097: Insulation is being fitted to the boiler and firebox of the Bury Standard 4 Group’s BR 2-6-4T at the East Lancashire Railway, with the crinolines for the cladding already in place. Further caulking of the firebox stays has been carried out, and fires lit to help them bed in.