Erlestoke Manor return an early Christmas gift?
WR Manor 4-6-0 No. 7812 Erlestoke Manor could be running in time for Christmas at the Severn Valley – as its return to steam reached a significant milestone on November 9. Following completion of reassembly work at Tyseley Locomotive Works, the first warming fire since 2017 was lit to raise steam, which enabled No. 7812 to make trial movements under its own power around the yard.
A boiler insurance exam was due to take place as Heritage Railway closed press. If passed, the Manor will then be transported to the SVR before the end of November for test runs and mileage accumulation prior to full acceptance by the line to see it re-enter service. The owning group, Erlestoke Manor Fund, was hopeful that it will be rostered to some Christmas services.
With No.7812 vacating space, the fund’s sister locomotive – No. 7802 Bradley Manor – has now moved into the Tyseley workshops in readiness for the heavy repair required to replace the damaged cylinder blocks. A new racking plate, which sits across the frames below the cylinders, has been trial fitted and new cylinder blocks are already on site.
The boiler has undergone non-destructive testing and the findings are reported as being favourable. Bradley Manor will be the fund’s main project for 2023, with an estimated 12-month minimum timescale before it will return to steam.
Meanwhile, the fund continues to acquire parts for and conduct preparatory planning of the overhaul of its WR large prairie locomotive No. 5164, currently at Barrow Hill. Boiler tubes have been delivered as part of a programme of continued advance purchasing to beat price increases, though work on the 2-6-2T will not commence until that on Bradley Manor has finished.
A new dedicated fundraiser, the Big Large Prairie Appeal, aims to raise the estimated £400,000 that the overhaul will cost. Further information and ways to donate can be found online at erlestokemanorfund.co.uk