GROUDLE’S SEA LION BACK IN SERVICE
After missing the 2018 season, the Groudle Glen Railway’s Bagnall 2-4-0T Sea Lion passed its steam test on November 18.
The locomotive was withdrawn from service with boiler issues at the end of 2017 and its boiler was sent to Bennett Boilers, Bristol, for repair.
The amount of work required on the locomotive turned out to be more than expected, and it was sent to North Bay Railway Engineering, Darlington, to be re-assembled and painted. The engine now has bunkers and a smokebox made out of stainless steel. Using a practice that was commonplace in the 19th century, the boiler and firebox have been lagged in timber.
The GGR thinks that its boiler problems were caused by changes in its water supply, leading to the installation of a reverse osmosis water treatment plant at its Lehn Cohn depot. A funding contribution for the plant was obtained from the Manx Lottery Trust.
The GGR’s new-build Bagnall 2-4-0T Brown Bear is being completed by Old Hall Engineering, Bouth, Cumbria.