THE ROSTER
LocomotIves In Focus
Danish State Railways
No. 656: Affectionately known as ‘Tinkerbell’, this ‘F’ class 0‑6‑0T is undergoing overhaul at the Nene Valley Railway, with the boiler lifted from the frames and sent to Locomotive Maintenance Services of Loughborough on January 2. Kingsley Harris from the Battle of Britain Locomotive Society, who is assisting with the overhaul, said: “It looks like we might get the boiler back within the year, so the engine should be in with a good chance of entering traffic in October 2020.” It last steamed at the NVR in 1982.
Although constructed by Frichs of Aarhus, Denmark, in 1949, No. 656 can claim a degree of British ancestry – the ‘F’ class having been introduced in 1898 as a development of a design supplied by R&W Hawthorn of Newcastle‑ upon‑Tyne, in 1873.
928: After a brief period as a ‘4‑2‑0’ (SR488), Maunsell ‘Schools’ class Stowe has all its wheels back in place, with the leading driving wheelset refitted at the Bluebell Railway during the week ending December 21, following machining of its crank journal. Steve Pilcher, treasurer of owning group the Maunsell Locomotive Society, said: “We had hoped to have it fully re‑wheeled for Christmas, so we kept to our ‘prediction’!
“The next jobs will be reinstating the motion and brake gear, and we hope to have some of the rods in place by Easter.”
957: Restoration of the unique surviving Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway ‘Ironclad’ 0‑6‑0 reached a milestone on December 12, when the frames were re‑wheeled at Haworth shed on the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway. Its owning group, the Bowers 957 Trust, aims to return the engine to steam for the 50th anniversary of The Railway Children film in 2020, when it will probably be turned out for a period in the fictional ‘Great Northern & Southern Railway’ green livery that it carried for its role as the ‘Green Dragon’ in the 1970 production.
1556: Ultrasonic testing has been carried out on the boiler of the SECR ‘P’ 0‑6‑0T at the Kent & East Sussex Railway, with no major problems revealed as a result, and its driving wheelset has been sent away for attention to its eccentric sheaves.
4930: A replacement firebox throatplate is the first section of the new platework delivered in October (SR487) to be fitted to Hagley Hall’s boiler at Northern Steam Engineering of Stockton. A new boiler barrel section is also being prepared for welding.
At the Collett 4‑6‑0’s Severn Valley Railway base, the bogie frame has been cleaned, examined and repainted, the spring hangers refitted to the engine and tender frames, and the tender brake gear and axleboxes prepared for refitting.
6989: Following its historic first movements under its own steam at the Buckinghamshire Railway Centre on December 11, making it the 150th locomotive from Barry scrapyard to be restored (SR488), Wightwick Hall was “put to bed for the winter” and its boiler drained. The ‘Modified Hall’s’ restoration team are now carrying out the final jobs required before its planned official launch event, scheduled for March 3. Its reverser was found to be extremely stiff during its first runs on December 11, but volunteer Mike Tayler said that this “has been investigated and found to be just an over‑tightened connection, and is now resolved.”
7202: Work on the boiler of the Great Western Society’s ‘72XX’ 2‑8‑2T at Didcot is currently focused on replacing the firebox crown stays, with most now fitted, but the ‘Heavy Freight Mob’ restoration group is awaiting the delivery of a further batch.
The firebox throatplate has been cut out for replacement, with new platework also required in the lower sections of the outer wrapper, while a new smokebox tubeplate has been pressed at the South Devon Railway.
The engine’s bottom half is nearly complete, with new cab floor supports being fitted along with the cylinder drain cocks, lubrication pipework and steam pipe cladding, while the vacuum pump is back in place having had to be realigned.
Mark Baldry, leader of the volunteer team, estimated that the ex-Barry engine is around four years from completion, although GWS spokesman Frank Dumbleton added: “Those are four flexible years!”
“It depends on the volunteers, and how much beer we sell,” added Mr Baldry, referring to the ‘Heavy Freight Mob’s’ real ale bar, which provides funding along with sales of clothing and second-hand books. “We raise our own funds and carry out most of the work ourselves, which keeps the cost down – we’ve spent less than £50,000 so far – but also means that the work takes longer.”
34039: A new smokebox tubeplate has been pressed for the boiler of ‘West Country’ Boscastle at South Devon Railway Engineering, where construction of its replacement inner firebox is also well advanced.
43106: Having run over 80,000 miles since its last heavy overhaul was completed in 2009, the unique surviving Ivatt ‘4MT’ 2-6-0 is undergoing a valve and piston examination at the Severn Valley Railway this winter. Provided this work is completed in time, it is agreed that the ‘Doodlebug’ – which was allocated new to South Lynn shed on the Midland & Great Northern Joint Railway system in 1951 – will be the star guest at the North Norfolk Railway’s ‘That’s Yer Lot’ gala on April 5-7, commemorating 60 years since the closure of the M&GN network in February 1959.
The locomotive also received an intermediate overhaul in 2013, while the superheater elements and flue tubes were replaced in 2018. Martin White, works planner at Bridgnorth, said: “The next boiler overhaul will be due in 2020 (seven years from 2013) but with an insurance examiner’s agreement it would go to a ‘ten-yearly’ in 2023. Obviously we’d hope for the threeyear extension, bearing in mind how much was done to the boiler at the last heavy overhaul, but as always, the date will depend upon a multitude of factors in the future.”
●● For more about No. 43106, see ‘Living With’, pages 42-49.
45231: Air braking is being installed on Jeremy Hosking’s ‘Black Five’ at Crewe Diesel Depot, following the same basic design as the equipment on its Locomotive Services Ltd stablemates Braunton, Royal Scot and Britannia, but with some differences to suit the ‘5MT’s’ individual characteristics. The Stanier 4-6-0 is also receiving