NEW-BUILD GATHERING FOR ‘GRANGE’ LAUNCH IN 2020?
£40k needed to steam Betton Grange next year as boiler is assembled at Tyseley.
Anew-build gathering is proposed for a ‘Steel, Steam & Stars’ gala at the Llangollen Railway in 2020, to officially launch No. 6880 Betton Grange into service.
The Collett 4-6-0 is expected to steam in 2019, with its boiler (originally from ex-Barry ‘Modified Hall’ No. 7927 Willington Hall) being reassembled at Tyseley Locomotive Works and expected to be trial-fitted in early November.
Tyseley will then fit the locomotive’s pipework (the main steam pipes being in production), set its valves and complete other work on the bottom end for a planned return to Llangollen in April – so that, in the words of 6880 Betton Grange Society Publicity Director Paul Appleton, “pretty much straight away we can think about putting a fire in it.” The ‘Grange’ will “stay at Llangollen for the first year while we iron out any issues, before it visits anywhere else,” added Mr Appleton – and for its official launch, one of the society’s signature ‘Steel, Steam & Stars’ galas is in prospect for 2020. A new-build gathering is proposed as the theme for the event, although it is “still only at the discussion stage.”
The society needs to raise £40,000 to complete the engine in 2019; see the leaflet with this issue or send donations to 224 Staining Road, Blackpool, Lancashire FY3 0DL.
However, once No. 6880 is running, a further appeal (estimated at £125,000) will be launched to restore its own Collett 4,000-gallon tender, an ex-Barry example currently paired with unrestored No. 5952 Cogan Hall. The ‘Grange’ will initially run with a hired tender from ‘2884’ 2-8-0 No. 3814.