NEW-BUILD NEWS
Betton Grange’s boiler steams
Afire has been lit in the boiler of No. 7927 Willington Hall for the first time in 54 years, ready for its use on Betton Grange.
Quentin McGuinness and Chris Moore, respectively chairman and engineering director of the 6880 Betton Grange Society Ltd, lit the first warming fire on the grate of the ex-Barry ‘Modified Hall’ boiler at Tyseley Locomotive Works on November 16, the occasion of the group’s annual general meeting. The boiler had passed its hydraulic test the previous evening.
Withdrawn from Oxford shed in the week ending November 27 1965, Willington Hall was dispatched to Dai Woodham’s scrapyard on February 22 the following year.
The Hawksworth 4-6-0 was acquired by Vale of Glamorgan Council as part of the ‘Barry Ten’ collection, but was dismantled for spares at the Llangollen Railway in November 2005. Its frames now form the basis of replica ‘County’ No. 1014 County of Glamorgan, under construction at Didcot.
The boiler was expected to have its smokebox refitted, and be lifted into No. 6880’s frames, in early December, after being kept in steam for up to ten days to check for any leaks. The ‘Grange’s’ bottom half is almost complete, with the latest progress being the fitting of the vacuum pump and its associated pipework. Once the boiler is in place, the next steps will be to fit its pipework, lagging and cladding, and fit out the cab, with the locomotive expected to return to its Llangollen Railway base in the spring for running-in.
6880 Society Publicity Director Paul Appleton said: “At the AGM, it was stated that the society would like to see it in service on public trains at Llangollen in summer 2020 and be able to fulfil two gala requests from other lines later in the season.”
He added: “It is estimated that we still need between £20,000-30,000 to complete the locomotive,” and a £150,000 appeal is ongoing for the engine’s new Collett 3,500-gallon tender; details can be obtained at www.6880.co.uk or 6880 Tender Appeal, 224 Staining Road, Blackpool, Lancashire FY3 0DL.
The ‘Grange’ will initially run with a 4,000-gallon tender hired from ‘2884’ No. 3814, which has received its initial coat of primer.
The planned livery is BR lined green with the later emblem, although Mr Appleton said: “No decision has been made on whether to go straight for a full paint job with lining, or to run it in undercoat or basic green to begin with, as any problems could risk damaging a £10k paint job if it needs stripping down again.”