ROSTER

LOCOMOTIVES IN FOCUS

W24: Calbourne was steam-tested at Havenstreet on March 12, after more than a year out of action for bottom end repairs at the Isle of Wight Steam Railway. It underwent a loaded test run over the five-mile line the following day. The popular Adams ‘O2’ 0-4-4T last ran on December 31 2016 and January 1 2017, marking 50 years since the end of steam-hauled passenger trains on the island. 3814: Volunteers have been cleaning and repainting the frames and wheels of the ex-Barry ‘2884’ 2-8-0 at the North Yorkshire Moors Railway, which has been stored in the headshunt at Grosmont for several years with no work being undertaken. Restoration of its tender is almost complete at the Llangollen Railway, with its tyres re-profiled, springs refurbished and repairs made to the tank, including complete renewal of the front plate. 4247: Having undergone extensive repairs to its smokebox during the winter, the oldest surviving ‘42XX’ 2-8-0T made test runs at the Bodmin & Wenford Railway on March 8. 4253: A replacement barrel section is being riveted onto the boiler of the ex-Barry ‘42XX’ 2-8-0T at the Kent & East Sussex Railway. Final riveting work is also being undertaken on the cab. 5239: Since its arrival at the East Somerset Railway for a contract overhaul in October last year, the Dartmouth Steam Railway’s ‘5205’ 2-8-0T has been dismantled and its frames shotblasted. Its boiler has been moved into the workshop for repairs to the firebox lap seams and crown stays. 6695: Moved to the Flour Mill on January 26 (SR477), the boiler of the West Somerset Railwaybased ‘56XX’ 0-6-2T has had the bottom sections of the outer firebox wrapper and throatplate cut away for replacement, and the foundation ring removed for assessment. 7802: Paired with a high-sided Collett 4,000-gallon tender for most of its preservation life, Bradley Manor is to run with a more typical 3,500-gallon example from classmate No. 7812 Erlestoke Manor at the Severn Valley Railway. Both engines are owned by the Erlestoke Manor Fund, with No. 7812 under overhaul at Tyseley Locomotive Works after its boiler certificate expired at the end of 2017. A27: The new cylinders for the SECR ‘P’ 0-6-0T, under overhaul at the Bluebell Railway, have been sent to Statfold Engineering Ltd for machining. 499: The left-hand cylinder of the ex-Barry Urie ‘S15’ 4-6-0 has been trial-fitted to the frames at the Mid-Hants Railway, although it will have to be removed again in order to jack the front end of the frames apart and refit the centre casting (the large cast frame stretcher beneath the smokebox). Its owning group, the Urie Locomotive Society, aims to have the centre casting and both cylinders in place for its open day at Ropley on June 30. Of the two spare boilers owned by the group, No. 799 (originally from ‘King Arthur’ Sir Ironside) is to be overhauled for No. 499, as it is in

better condition than boiler No. 451 (from ‘King Arthur’ Sir Lamorak). The latter, explains ULS Chairman Mark Pedley, has “non-weldable cracks” in the firebox crownsheet, which will have to be replaced. 506: The overhaul of the boiler for the Urie Locomotive Society’s other ‘S15’ (originally from ‘King Arthur’ No. 755 The Red Knight) is almost complete at Ropley, with the superheater elements being refitted. Work on the engine’s bottom half is also well advanced, with the driving wheelsets having had their tyres turned by South Devon Railway Engineering; new cylinder draincocks being fitted; six new axlebox horn block liners made; while two new driving axleboxes have been cast and are being machined, the originals having cracked. A new blastpipe has also been cast to replace the original, which had cracked into three pieces. 925: Speculation that National Collection ‘Schools’ 4-4-0 Cheltenham could be repainted in BR lined black has been dismissed by Mid-Hants Railway Managing Director Colin Chambers. He said: “We can’t afford not to have it running at the moment, and we’ve got enough black engines already – if it does change it’ll probably be BR green.” 34059: A new inner firebox for rebuilt ‘Battle of Britain’ Sir Archibald Sinclair (based at the Bluebell Railway) is complete at South Devon Railway Engineering, and has been trial-fitted to the outer wrapper of the firebox, with marking out and drilling of approximately 2,200 stays under way. It is one of a batch of Bulleid ‘Light Pacific’ fireboxes being built at Buckfastleigh (SR472), with that for rebuilt ‘West Country’ No. 34101 Hartland (North Yorkshire Moors Railway) nearing completion, and the components for another Bluebell engine – ‘West Country’ No. 21C123 Blackmoor Vale – being prepared for welding. 35011: New axlebox covers have been cast for the trailing truck of ‘Merchant Navy’ General Steam Navigation – the first components made from scratch by the engine’s restoration group using their own pattern. Axlebox oil keeps for the front bogie and trailing truck have been collected from the Mid-Hants Railway. 45379 : Following its appearance on the Mid-Hants Railway’s ‘Fifteen Guinea Special’ (SR477) the MHR Preservation Society’s ‘Black Five’ was stopped for repairs to a crack in its right-hand frame, at the top of the centre driving axlebox horn. Its centre driving wheelset was dropped out and the crack welded up on February 24. 75 079 : A new cab is being built for the Mid-Hants Railway Preservation Society’s ‘4MT’ 4-6-0, and the Timken roller bearings have been assembled on the wheelsets for the new-build BR1B tender. The former Southern Region engine had lost its original tender by the time it was acquired from Barry for the Plym Valley Railway in March 1982, and so a Stanier example was purchased instead; this has now been sold on to Greg Wilson for his ‘8F’ 2-8-0 No. 48173 at the Churnet Valley Railway.

76077: The frames, cylinders and wheels of the last unrestored BR Standard ‘4MT’ 2-6-0 left the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Steam Railway on March 6 for Locomotive Maintenance Services in Loughborough, where they will be restored over the next 18 months (SR476). 80150: A £4,000 appeal has been launched to fabricate a new cab roof for the Mid-Hants Railway Preservation Society’s ‘4MT’ 2-6-4T, the original having been removed at Barry scrapyard. This will help to protect the rear end of its frames and the bogie from further corrosion. Donations can be made at https://mydonate.bt.com/events/standard4tankproject/456791 (quick link: https://goo.gl/E4g1Lf ). 90775: A third ‘Royal Norfolk Regiment’ nameplate cast for the Midland & Great Northern Joint Railway Society’s WD 2-10-0 has been presented to the regimental museum at Norwich Castle. 92212: Jeremy Hosking’s Mid-Hants Railway-based ‘9F’ visited Ilford depot from February 16-19 to have its tyres turned. MHR Operations Manager Richard Bentley explained: “It was supposed to go to Toton in September for tyre turning, but DB was then unable to do the job. We then got on to Ilford which could do it, but unfortunately not until after it had caught up with the work from the 2017 leaf fall season. In the meantime, No. 92212 had its annual boiler exam and the side rod bearings overhauled.”

TREVOR CAMP 60007: Volunteers of the sir nigel gresley Locomotive trust rebuild the cab floor of the Lner ‘a4’ at the national railway museum on February 14, during one of a series of ‘meet the Public’ events organised jointly by the trust and the nrm.

BR CLASS 8 STEAM LOCOMOTIVE TRUST 71000: two views of Duke of Gloucester at tyseley Locomotive Works in February, showing the frames of the unique riddles ‘Pacific’ supported on the bogie and trailing truck while the driving wheels are out for tyre turning.

‘9F’ No. 92212 in Ropley yard on February 25, with its tyres freshly turned.

bOTH: TObY jENNINgS One of the new wheelsets for No. 75079’s tender, with Timken roller bearings. On the right are two of the driving wheels from Urie ‘S15’ 4‑6‑0 No. 506, which have had their tyres turned by South Devon Railway Engineering.

A new cab under construction on ex‑Barry ‘4MT’ 4‑6‑0 No. 75079 at Ropley on February 25.