THE ROSTER
LOCOMOTIVES IN FOCUS
27: Rivet and bolt holes have been drilled in the new frame plates cut last October for the Bluebell Railway-based ‘P’ 0-6-0T, and it is hoped that they will be erected this year.
563: Following early inspection of the former National Collection LSWR ‘T3’ 4-4-0 at the Flour Mill and the initial conclusion that is is “in quite remarkable mechanical condition,” (SR482) Swanage Railway trustee Matt McManus has explained some of the findings. “The slide valves appear to be new and the motion looks like it has only just been put up after overhaul. There are machining scrape marks on the whitemetal bearings that show they have only just been used, as you would normally expect these marks to be worn away with persistent use. “At this stage the locomotive remains on its wheels and we have decided to keep it this way for the time being. We will have the wheels and axles ultrasonically tested to check for cracks, but taking it off its wheels at this stage won’t tell us much. Axlebox work is fairly standard in preservation now and the Flour Mill can quote accurately for this in advance.”
In a similar vein, he continues: “When the boiler cladding was removed, all involved were astonished by its exterior condition. The barrel is, externally, corrosionfree and the firebox outer wrapper is in the same condition. “When the tubes were removed, the story continued. The internal initial exam has shown that the barrel is also clean. So why is the outside and barrel so good but the inner firebox so bad? The boiler inspector agrees with us that the inner firebox requires replacement. “The Flour Mill has advised us that under the authority of the boiler inspector, they will remove the inner firebox as a complete unit from the foundation ring by the end of the summer to allow the rest of the boiler to be examined and measured for thickness.
“Doing this will allow us to preserve the inner ’box, which shows extensive patching undertaken to keep the engine in service in its later years. As an historical artefact it is interesting and we intend to place it on display on the Swanage Railway in future. “The work will be undertaken in such a way that should the boiler inspector find anything particularly serious with the outer shell, we could reinstate the original firebox and place the locomotive on display. Obviously we hope this won’t be the case, but its careful extraction will give us the option to do so should the Swanage Railway Trust wish.” 4253: The ex-Barry ‘42XX’ 2-8-0T has been moved into the workshop at Rolvenden on the Kent & East Sussex Railway for its valves to be re-bored and the motion fitted, with the eccentrics having received new whitemetal. Other progress on the Churchward engine’s bottom half has included fitting all the brake rods and the injectors, with pipework for the latter being formed, while the piston heads have been machined and fitted to their rods. Its owning group, the 4253 Locomotive Company, has recently riveted a new front boiler barrel section into place, and is now preparing to weld new plate into the underside of the second barrel section to replace a wasted area adjacent to the firebox throatplate. Once this task is complete, a new throatplate is also ready to fit. Rivets in the lap seams of the inner firebox have been replaced and the foundation ring refitted. A new ashpan is also under construction, the smokebox dart bar has been made and the main steam pipe flanges are being refurbished. For details of the project and how to become a shareholder, contact The 4253 Locomotive Co. Ltd at 25 Winser Road, Rolvenden Layne, Tenterden, Kent TN17 4HL, or visit www.4253.co.uk – a range of novelty items such as clocks and egg timers, made from sections of the engine’s old boiler tubes, can be purchased here.
4930: Hagley Hall’s frames were lifted from the wheels at the Severn Valley Railway on July 14, ready for the wheels to be sent away to the South Devon Railway for replacement tyres. Donations towards the Collett 4-6-0’s overhaul can be made by texting ‘HALL29’ and £amount to 70070. Funds are being raised by the Friends of Locomotive 4930 Hagley Hall, whose website is at www.4930hagleyhall.org.uk
5552: Most of the firebox work is complete on the Bodmin & Wenford Railway’s ‘4575’ 2-6-2T, and the boiler tubes have been ordered. Its bearings have been whitemetalled in preparation for re-wheeling. 6695: The West Somerset Railway-based ‘56XX’ is to return to steam after its current overhaul (hopefully to be completed in late 2019 or 2020, depending on
fundraising) in post-war GWR green with shaded lettering, the first time it has carried this guise in preservation. It will also be the first of the nine surviving ‘56XXs’ to do so – classmate No. 6697, on static display at Didcot, having wartime sans serif letters. No. 6695 previously ran in lined BR green with the late emblem during its previous stint of service between 2005 and 2015.
Since the Collett 0-6-2T was re-wheeled at West Somerset Restorations of Williton in September, its brake gear and radial truck springs have been refitted along with some of its motion: the expansion links and eccentric straps are in place, along with the reverser.
The locomotive’s boiler is at the Flour Mill for an overhaul, which will include replacing the lower sections of the outer firebox sides and throatplate, new firebox stays and a re-tube. Its owner, the 6695 Locomotive Group, is appealing for £50,000 towards the estimated total cost of £150,000 – donations can be made at www.justgiving. com/crowdfunding/6695returnto steamrestorationproject
Boiler components are also available for sponsorship, with incentives such as WSR footplate courses and seats on ‘Quantock Belle’ dining trains. For details, email locomotive6695@ btinternet.com
7820: Dinmore Manor has returned to its former home of the West Somerset Railway for the summer season and will stay until the ‘Cross Country’-themed autumn steam gala of September 27-30. The boiler of resident classmate No. 7828 Odney Manor, owned by the WSR plc, was reunited with the locomotive at Minehead on August 3 following overhaul at Riley & Son (E) Ltd.
9681: A replacement rear dragbox has been fitted to the frames of the Dean Forest Locomotive Group’s ‘8750’ 0-6-0PT, while the valve gear and reverser have been refitted, along with running plate sections and the cab floor. Other recent work has including overhauling the steam brake gear. 30065: Having reached the end of its last boiler certificate on January 1 2017, the Kent & East Sussex Railway’s ‘USA’ 0-6-0T has entered Rolvenden works and is being dismantled for its ‘ten-yearly’ overhaul, with the tubes removed for a boiler inspection.
30075: Since the boiler of Project 62’s Yugoslavian ‘USA’ 0-6-0T arrived at Richard Vincent Engineering of Henstridge in January (SR477), three sections of firebox plate have been cut out for replacement, and the foundation ring rivets removed in the affected areas. The stays and tubes are still to be removed for an official inspection to confirm the rest of the work required.
At the engine’s Shillingstone base, Project 62 volunteers are preparing to remove the valve and cylinder heads to inspect the bores. A ‘62 Appeal’ for funds is open, and shares in the engine are available – see www.project62.co.uk
34010: Southern Locomotives Ltd has acquired a speedometer and a kit of parts for a new ashpan for rebuilt ‘West Country’ Sidmouth. 34059: The overhaul of the boiler from rebuilt ‘Battle of Britain’
Sir Archibald Sinclair is nearing completion at South Devon Railway Engineering, with a new firebox backhead pressed and the stay holes drilled in the new outer side sheets. The ‘Light Pacific’ is one of five receiving replacement fireboxes made at Buckfastleigh, the others being Nos. 21C123 Blackmoor Vale, 34039 Boscastle, 34046 Braunton and 34101 Hartland.
34070: New front frame sections have been made for Southern Locomotives’ Bulleid ‘Pacific’, to repair the damage from its collision with BR ‘4MT’ 2-6-4T No. 80104 in July 2017. The air-smoothed ‘Battle of Britain’ is undergoing its ‘ten-yearly’ overhaul at Tyseley Locomotive Works.
35011: A pair of dust covers have been obtained for the trailing truck of ‘Merchant Navy’ General Steam Navigation, the locomotive being unique among the preserved ‘Packets’ in having the fabricated design of truck introduced from No. 35021 New Zealand Line, to save weight over the original cast design.
The General Steam Navigation Locomotive Restoration Society has also ordered a pair of spring beams for the truck, which will be the first to be produced for a Bulleid ‘Pacific’ by water jet-cutting from a block of steel. The group hopes to have all the required components test-fitted on the truck at its Sellindge base by the end of the year. All the work is being undertaken to main line standard.
45491: The smokebox tubeplate has been removed from the boiler of Phil Wainwright’s ‘Black Five’ at the Great Central Railway, and a replacement ordered. Holes for replacement firebox stays are being re-threaded, leaving only the foundation ring to repair.
6201: Princess Elizabeth’s small boiler tubes are being fitted at Carnforth, while the front end has received new piston and valve rings, and the locomotive has been gauged for main line running by Balfour Beatty.
60007: Sir Nigel Gresley’s tender tank was lifted from the frames at the National Railway Museum in York on July 5. After the tank was raised using specialist equipment supplied by Durham Lifting, the frames were pulled out from underneath to be jacked up off their wheels for examination of the axle journals. The roof of the tender corridor is being replaced and the tender brake cylinders have been dismantled for overhaul, while members of the ‘007 Gang’ junior volunteer team are cleaning and needle-gunning the underside of the tank and the frames.
One of the first two corridor tenders built to Gresley’s design, this vehicle (No. 5324) was coupled to Flying Scotsman on the first day of the non-stop service between King’s Cross and Edinburgh on May 1 1928, and was still behind the ‘A1’ on its 100mph run of November 30 1934. It was also paired with No. 60007 when the ‘A4’ set the post-war speed record of 112mph down Stoke Bank on May 23 1959, making it the fastest tender in operational preservation. On No. 60007 itself, the springs and their hangers have been removed from the frames for overhaul, and the ashpan has been trial-fitted into the frames following completion of its repairs. At the Llangollen Railway, the replacement section of firebox throatplate is being prepared for welding, following the refitting of the foundation ring (SR482), while the regulator valve and rod have been reinstalled in the boiler. 73082: Camelot is expected back in traffic at the Bluebell Railway in August having received new piston heads, which are being machined. It has been out of service since April 17 when it failed on departure from Kingscote (SR480).
80150: A set of springs from 4-6-0 No. 75079 have been temporarily fitted to the bogie of the ‘4MT’ 2-6-4T at the Mid-Hants Railway, ensuring that it can be moved without the risk of a derailment.
It is hoped that the locomotive can emerge from its current position in the headshunt at Alresford for display at special events. A £4,000 appeal to pay for a new cab roof hit its target in ten weeks, and manufacturers are now being sought to roll the steel plate and fabricate the other parts. The appeal remains open as other missing components are collected – donations can be made at https://mydonate.bt.com/events/ standard4tankproject/456791 92207: Restoration of the ex-Barry ‘9F’ continues at its private site near Poole, albeit at a reduced pace – partly because its owner, Keith Bottomley, is working to set up a new engineering firm, Railway Boiler Services Ltd (SR480). However, it is expected that No. 92207’s boiler will soon be moved from its current location at the East Lancashire Railway (where the engine was previously based) as plans are being formulated for its overhaul and the construction of a new BR1G tender.
The lubrication system is currently being worked on, while the sandboxes and their pipework have been refitted to the frames, along with some of the axlebox underkeeps. The expansion links have been reground and new die-blocks cast, while two new return cranks are to be forged (along with a pair for ‘4MT’
No. 76077), as well as new brake shafts and crossbeams to replace those cut at Barry. Drawings have been sent to a firm which will produce the cab by laser-cutting, while the reversing gear is complete as far back as the cab, and castings have been produced for the remainder. A new whistle, steam-heat valves and injector steam valves have been made, and an original ‘9F’ regulator handle acquired.