Is coupled up

Brighton ‘Atlantic’ No. 32424 Beachy Head is set to become a fullyfledged 4-4-2 this spring, with the fitting of its coupling rods - hopefully in time for a public appearance in March. The LBSCR Marsh ‘H2’ is currently a ‘4-2-2-2’, with its connecting rods having already been fitted in order to set the valves - a job which involved the use of manually operated rollers to turn the wheels. It also required a certain amount of muscle power with the newly assembled screw reverser in the cab - which will be air-assisted when complete, but which Atlantic Group Secretary & Treasurer David Jones described as “quite heavy to rotate at present.” With the coupling rod bushes newly machined, it is hoped to have them pressed in and the rods on the engine by the Bluebell Railway’s ‘Branch Line Weekend’ of March 18-20 (hosting LNWR ‘Coal Tank’ No. 1054) during which ‘Atlantic House’ shed will be open for viewing. Work on the boiler (originally from a Great Northern ‘Atlantic’) will continue in earnest this year, with most of the tubes already sponsored and expected to be ordered soon. The regulator valve and J-pipe have been machined and sections of firebox plate cut by water jet ready for welding in around the foundation ring, while the safety valve casting and its distinctive shield have arrived for machining, along with the 22 handrail stanchions. Further castings for backhead fittings, and the superheater header, are expected to follow soon. After the construction of the cab last year (SR448) the other main focus of work has been the pipework at this end of the locomotive, with