N2 for North Norfolk summer comeback
AFTER nearly six years out of traffic, Great Northern Railway N2 0-6-2T No. 1744 is set to return to service on the North Norfolk Railway this summer, its owner, the Gresley Society, said it was delighted to announce.
The oldest-surviving locomotive built to the design of Sir Nigel Gresley, and the only one of his tank engines in the heritage sector, was withdrawn from NNR service late in 2018 for an overhaul that has proved to be considerably more extensive and costly than anticipated. Built in 1921, the N2 has been owned by the society for more than 60 years and longer than the LNER and BR combined.
Raft of work
Its overhaul began in 2019 but was soon impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic, which affected both timescales and costs, and the war in Ukraine then impacted on the price of materials.
Furthermore, once the locomotive was stripped down, it became evident that far more work was needed than first anticipated. The number of items requiring complete replacement has proved to be exceptional, especially boiler components. Accordingly, an extensive and expensive programme of both mechanical and boiler work has led to eventual overhaul cost of about £650,000, which has been funded by legacies left to the society and donations from members.
The work has included new driving wheel and pony truck tyres, a new crankpin, new expansion links, new safety valve bodies, reverser repairs and replacement screw axlebox and horn repairs, valve and piston examination, a new front boiler ring, new front and firebox tubeplates, a new firebox wrapper, top corners and backhead patch, manufacture of new superheater tubes and repair header, and the manufacture and fitting of new crown and other stays.
The final elements of the overhaul are now underway at the works of main contractor Northern Steam Engineering, at Thornaby.
Hydraulic and steam testing of the boiler is anticipated in May, after which the boiler will be replaced in the frames for final fitting-out. It is expected that No. 1744, resplendent in its distinctive GNR livery, will be ready for test running in July, after which the locomotive will return to traffic on the Poppy Line, where it will continue to be based.
Society chairman Philip Benham said: “Although it was always known that this would be a major overhaul, the scale of work required has proved to be far more than expected. We are grateful to Northern Steam Engineering for the way it has worked with us, and to our partner, the NNR, which would have hoped to have the locomotive back and available to it long before now.
Support still required
“This is, without question, the most comprehensive overhaul the N2 has had in preservation. Our hope is that this will have set it up for trouble-free running over the coming years.
“The positive and much appreciated response from members to our appeal in 2021 helped substantially fund completion of the overhaul. However, the cost of the extra work has placed a significant strain on the society’s resources, and we still need to raise the £20,000 needed to get our N2 back into revenue earning service – so we would encourage all supporters of the works of Sir Nigel Gresley to help us with a donation.
“The society is already thinking ahead to the class N2’s next overhaul and is developing a fundraising campaign which will be launched on No. 1744’s return to traffic.”
Over the years, the N2 has been based on the Keighley & Worth Valley and Great Central railways, before coming to its present home on the North Norfolk Railway early in 2018, ➜ To donate, visit gresley.org or send a cheque, payable to The Gresley Society Trust, to: Chris Nettleton, Membership Secretary, 96 Greenfield Drive, Eaglescliffe TS16 0HN.