Final push to complete overhaul of 5552 at Bodmin next Easter
GWR 4575 2-6-2T No. 5552 could return to steam on the Bodmin & Wenford Railway next Easter – though £60,000 still needs to be raised.
The former Truro locomotive last ran in 2012 when its previous 10-year boiler certificate expired. It had steamed for the first time in preservation in 2003, following restoration from Barry scrapyard condition.
Its frames are at Leaky Finders near Exeter for repairs, including grinding out and welding of cracks in the top corners of the axlebox horns – a common problem on the 45XX and 4575 tanks.
Several of the cast components around
No. 5552's axlebox horns, including the horn blocks and spring hanger brackets, were also found to be cracked.
Repairs are also being carried out to No. 5552's front end, where a collision at some point in its history has left the bufferbeam and its supporting metalwork bent. Some minor work is also still needed on the boiler, which remains at Bodmin and which, it is anticipated, will be completed during the winter, with a view to reassembling the locomotive in the spring.
However, the costs of the overhaul have increased from the original estimate of £80,000 to £120,000. Its owner, the Bodmin & Wenford
Railway Trust, raised £35,000 through an appeal while the B&WR plc contributed £25,000, leaving a shortfall of £60,000.
Trust chairman Philip Andrews said: “No. 5552 will have to handle the bulk of BWR trains for the next few years while the pannier tanks and the Austerity receive their overhauls. It is fundamentally important that the current works result in a reliable and capable engine.
“Any further assistance will be greatly appreciated. No. 5552 is, after all, our flagship engine with a long Cornish pedigree and has been out of traffic for far too long.”
Cheques payable to the B&WR Trust can be sent to the Bodmin & Wenford Railway, Bodmin General station, Bodmin PL31 1AQ or by BACS to CAF Bank, sort code 40-52-40, account number 00098244.