GWR tank trio take up residence at Cranmore shed
THE East Somerset Railway is now home to three GWR tank locomotives following the arrival of 42XX No. 4247 at Cranmore for overhaul.
Visitors to the line this season will be able to see the 2-8-0 on display, while 5101 Class 2-6-2T No. 4110 is under restoration in the workshop and GWR 2-6-2T No. 4555 is on the roster to work public trains alongside home fleet locomotives BR Ivatt 2MT 2-6-0 No. 46447 and Barclay 0-4-0ST Lady Nan.
No. 4247 relocated from the Bodmin & Wenford Railway to the ESR in midJanuary. When it returns to action, the 2-8-0 will operate at the Dartmouth Steam Railway.
Next stage
BWR chairman David Nelson-Brown said:“No. 4247 arrived at Bodmin in 2005 and has been a popular mainstay of the operating fleet. Unfortunately, a recent review of our structures highlighted that it could no longer operate over one of our bridges.
“This led to the difficult decision, made with its owners, 4247 Limited, that a move away from Bodmin was in our mutual best interests. We wish No. 4247 well in the next stage of its long life of service on the West Country’s railways.”
No. 4247 has been contracted to the DSR for 20-year period. Work will not start on its overhaul until the current project, GWR prairie No. 4110, also for eventual use on the DSR, is completed, which is expected later this year.
When complete, No. 4247 will join fellow 42XX No. 4277 Hercules at Paignton.
Meanwhile, a milestone was reached with the restoration of
No. 4110 on January 25.
The boiler was turned back over so that it was the right way up. While the crane was on site, the opportunity was taken to trial fit the boiler in the frames, allowing members of the team to ensure that the new platework and rivets were not fouling anything and also to check the fit of the smokebox steampipes.
Measurements were taken for the replacement boiler keys, which will be machined in time for when the boiler is fitted for good.
Once the trial fit was complete, the boiler was lifted back out and returned to a wagon where it was pushed back into the workshop for the rest of the boiler overhaul to be completed. The work will include fitting the tube and flues, the new feedwater trays, main steam pipe, and remaining stays. The boiler will then be hydraulically tested, followed by a steam test. The new tanks and cab roof were also lifted back onto the frames on January 28. While they will need to be removed again in the future to allow the boiler to be fitted, they are now up out of the way and inside, protected from the weather.
Still to steam
As previously reported, the 2-6-2T is under restoration from Barry scrapyard condition and has yet to steam in preservation. Built at Swindon in 1936, No. 4110 was withdrawn in 1965. After languishing at Woodham Bros. until 1979, it became the 100th locomotive to leave the Barry scrapyard when it was preserved by the now-dissolved GWR Great Western Preservation Group at Southall Railway Centre. Purchased by the West Somerset Railway in 2015, it remained at Minehead until February 2019 when, due to lack of funding for the restoration work, it was sold to the DSR. The 2-6-2T arrived at Cranmore for restoration in January 2020. Following completion, it is due to operate at the ESR for three years.