HAWKSWORTH ‘COUNTY’ 4-6-0 No. 1014 COUNTY OF GLAMORGAN
In the third part of Steam Railway’s new-build survey, THOMAS BRIGHT rounds up the projects reviving Churchward, Collett and Hawksworth’s lost locomotive designs.
To some, ‘County’ No. 1014 County of Glamorgan is a vital link in Great Western locomotive design as the last two-cylinder 4-6-0 class. To others, however, the effective scrapping of unique Doncasterbuilt ‘8F’ No. 48518, and youngest surviving ‘Modified Hall’, No. 7927 Willington Hall, was an unnecessary waste.
Nonetheless, after a number of years labouring in the doldrums, the ‘County’ finally seems to have turned a corner and the team behind it are pushing forwards with a renewed vigour to complete it.
County of Glamorgan owes its existence to the 2005 ‘Three Counties Agreement’ between the Great Western Society and
Group: Great Western Society Project formed: 2004 Project cost: £1.2 million Raised to date: £800,000 Estimated completion date: 2022/3 No. of supporters: 500
Location: Didcot Railway Centre To run: Preserved railways (initially, see text) Mission statement: To create, on behalf of the Great Western Society, a ‘County’ class locomotive, in late British Railways condition, as authentically as possible, within cost constraints, to satisfy the requirements of the appropriate technical and safety authorities.
Vale of Glamorgan Council, wherein the society acquired members of the ‘Barry Ten’ to form the basis of replicas of Churchward and Hawksworth’s 4-4-0 and 4-6-0 ‘County’ classes respectively, as well as a Churchward ‘County’ 4-4-2T and new ‘Night Owl’ 2-8-0. The society also acquired ex-Barry ‘8F’ No. 48518 so its firebox – the design of which influenced those on the original ‘Counties’ – could be used on No. 1014.
That decision has divided opinion, and some have argued that, as No. 48518 was the only surviving ‘8F’ built at Doncaster, it was worthy of preservation in its own right. In addition, modifying No. 48518’s firebox (with a new boiler barrel) means that County of Glamorgan will run at 225lb/sq in boiler pressure, rather than the class’ original 280lb/sq in (albeit later down-rated to 250). However, because the cylinders have been bored out, project spokesman David Bradshaw asserts that it will be just as powerful as its 1946-built counterpart.
This raises an important question: is No. 1014 – a locomotive using a ‘Modified Hall’s’ bottom end and the firebox from a Stanier ‘8F’, and running at a reduced boiler pressure – a true ‘County’? Would the GWS have been better served building a ‘County’ to the original specification from scratch?
Aside from the ethical questions, what has been more concerning is the hitherto slow rate of progress. This has been partly down to limited resources available at Didcot – whose volunteers are working on multiple projects simultaneously – and partly owing to the death of the ‘County’s’ original engineer in 2016.
Although the locomotive is approximately three-quarters complete, the ‘rolling chassis’ has made little outward progress since it was wheeled in mid-2016 while efforts have been concentrated on restoring and modifying the ‘8F’s’ firebox.
Encouragingly, the tide seems to have
turned and work is progressing on a number of fronts. The boiler components have been despatched to Heritage Boiler Steam Services (which is building the boiler for new-build ‘Patriot’ No. 5551 The Unknown Warrior), while parts for the smokebox have been ordered, and it is hoped the ‘face’ of the ‘County’ will be assembled early next year.
The bottom end is almost ready to accept the rebuilt ‘8F’ boiler, the assembly of which is expected to begin next year, as is the completion of the new flat-sided Hawksworth-pattern tender. In 2020, the motion will be completed, with final assembly of the complete locomotive taking place the year after.
Don’t expect it to run on the main line any time soon, however. Although the project isn’t ruling out running the ‘County’ on the national network, “realistically, the 8ft 11in width of its cylinders makes main line operation difficult, and casting new ones would be a step too far at this point,” said David Bradshaw earlier this year (SR483).
Things, both figuratively and literally, are starting to come together, and while the ‘County’ will stand out from the various other ‘identikit’ GWR 4-6-0s in preservation, its true value is arguably the fact that – accompanied by the ‘Saint’ – it will tell the complete story of Swindon’s twocylinder ten-wheelers. If the team can capitalise upon this renewed urgency,
County of Glamorgan could appear sooner than recently expected.