Appeal to raise £40k for the cylinders of new-build Churchward County

THE builders of new GWR County 4-4-0 No. 3840 County of Montgomery have launched a nationwide appeal to raise £40,000 for the manufacture of cylinders.

The Churchward County Trust (CCT) has marked its second anniversary by starting its Cylinders Club, by which 40 supporters will each contribute £1000, either in instalments or a single donation.

The cylinders are the last of the big items required to complete the basic frame assembly.

The two 18in x 30in cylinders are to be cast using polystyrene patterns in the manner recently employed for the Severn Valley Railway’s 4-6-0 No. 4930 Hagley Hall, Dinmore Manor Locomotive Ltd’s 2-8-0 No. 3850, and also being used to cast the cylinders for the Great Western Society’s ‘Night Owl’ 2-8-0 No. 4709. With Gift Aid, the £40,000 will cover the cost of producing the sacrificial patterns, the casting and the final machining of the cylinders.

No. 3840’s cylinders feature inside steam pipes and are the same as those fitted to the ‘Court’ series of

Churchward’s Saint 4-6-0s. Copies of the relevant Swindon drawings have been obtained from the Great Western Society archive, and are being turned into CAD models from which the patterns will be produced.

Exciting phase

Supporters of the appeal will receive an invitation to the launch of No. 3840, a seat on the locomotive’s first train, a special membership certificate, a framed and mounted print of No. 3840 by artist Stuart Black (illustrated), their name on the Roll of Honour and CCT life membership, plus the chance to win a cast brass replica of County of Montgomery’s cabside numberplate.

CCT chairman Gary Boyd-hope said: “We are about to enter a very exciting phase of the locomotive build, which is why we are launching the Cylinders Club now. A programme of work has been agreed with Tyseley Locomotive Works, which will soon commence the erection of No. 3840’s frames with the assembly of the rear dragbox. The main frame plates will be erected around this.

“The final machining of the front extension frames, which we ordered from Roach Precision in Brierley Hill last year, will not take place until the cylinder blocks have been cast so they can be machined simultaneously, thus ensuring a perfect fit.”

➜ Full details can be found at www.churchwardcounty.org.uk or by writing to: Churchward County Trust, PO Box 10633, Leicester, LE9 0DU.