Leander’s next overhaul ‘could be the last’

‘Jubilee’ No. 45690 Leander may have only one more ‘tenyear’ boiler certificate before it is retired, says its owner.

Chris Beet, whose family runs the Stanier 4-6-0’s owning Jubilee Locomotive Company, has stated that the engine’s next overhaul – which is due in October 2023 – is likely to be the last time that he will undertake such work on it.

Having inherited the ‘5XP’ from his late father Dr Peter Beet, who acquired it from the Severn Valley Railway in 1994, he told Steam Railway that he wishes to “keep it running on the main line as long as we can” in his father’s memory.

But he also admitted: “Realistically, the next overhaul will probably be the last one I’ll do – I’ll be 56 then, so I’ll be 66 by the following overhaul.”

He also stated that he would not be willing to sell the ‘Jubilee’ – but confirmed that he would be open to offers of a ‘restore and run’ agreement, similar to that in which the Beet family’s Ivatt ‘2MT’ 2-6-0 No. 46441 moved to the Lakeside & Haverthwaite Railway for overhaul last year.

If not, he said, Leander would have to be found a home for static display – but he concluded: “I couldn’t accept the thought that it would never run again.”

He hopes that the forthcoming overhaul will be a relatively quick turnaround, thanks to regular winter maintenance – including a full overhaul last winter of the tender chassis, for which a new tank has been ordered.

The locomotive is currently in the works at West Coast Railways’ Carnforth base – where Mr Beet is the engineering manager – for further such maintenance, including replacement firebox crown stays, and is expected to return to service in April.

The boiler is in the sixth year of its certificate, which started in October 2013 – but it had its smoke tubes replaced two years ago.

“We’ve got out of the cycle of massive overhauls every ten years,” said Mr Beet, “by doing a bit here and there, and feeding cash in each winter.” ●● For more, see pages 42-51.