THE ROSTER
LoCoMotIves In foCus
1450: Didcot Railway Centre is hiring the Severn Valley Railwaybased ‘14XX’ 0-4-2T from the end of April to early September. The Great Western Society’s own Collett autotank, No. 1466, recently moved to the Dean Forest Railway for a contract overhaul with the aim of returning it to steam for the society’s 60th anniversary in 2021 (SR486/488).
4930: Hagley Hall’s tender frames have been re-wheeled at the Severn Valley Railway, with two wheelsets fitted using the wheeldrop at Bridgnorth on February 4 and the third following two days later.
4979: The Furness Railway Trust has purchased a Collett 4,000-gallon tender tank from Thornbury Castle owner Jonathan Jones-Pratt, which will be restored for use with Wootton Hall. Re-riveting of the Collett 4-6-0’s rebuilt tender frames is complete, and construction of a new cab for the ex-Barry engine has begun.
5199: The Llangollen Railwaybased ‘5101’ 2-6-2T moved to Tyseley in January for a “heavyduty” overhaul of the front end, including re-boring the valve chests, re-metalling the crossheads and polishing the slidebars. Richard Pumphrey, chairman of its owning group the 5199 Project, added: “There are one or two other jobs that need to be done if there’s time – it needs to be back at Llangollen for the beginning of the season at the start of April.”
Next year, it is planned that No. 5199 will shed its current BR black livery and revert to its as-built 1934 appearance, in green with full ‘Great Western’ lettering on the tanks. It is expected to remain in GWR livery for the remaining five years of its boiler certificate.
5539: Two Swindon No. 5 boilers have gone into the works at the Llangollen Railway for overhaul, from ‘Small Prairies’ Nos. 5532 and 5539. The latter, a former ‘Barry Ten’ locomotive, is now owned by Hugh Shipton and under restoration at the Barry Tourist Railway, where it is expected to have a complete ‘rolling chassis’ by the end of this year (SR487).
5619: The Swindon & Cricklade Railway has signed an additional 12-month hire contract for the Telford Horsehay Steam Trust’s ‘56XX’, which has been on loan at Blunsdon since September last year (SR486). Following its appearance at the Severn Valley Railway’s spring gala, No. 5619 will return to the SCR until January 2020.
30075: Project 62’s original estimate of £20,000 for the boiler overhaul on its Yugoslavian ‘USA’ 0-6-0T has risen by “several thousand more pounds” says Press Officer Bob Bunyar, following the discovery that additional welding work will be needed at Vincent Engineering of Henstridge.
At the locomotive’s restoration base of Shillingstone station, Project 62 volunteers have begun repainting components (the first being the twin sand dome covers) in preparation for reassembly. Said Mr Bunyar: “It is still our plan to reunite the boiler with the frames later this year and hopefully return No. 30075 to running order as quickly as possible after that.”
Details of the group can be found at www.project62.co.uk
825: The boiler of the Essex Locomotive Society’s ‘S15’ 4-6-0 has been fitted into the frames for the final time in the engine’s overhaul at the North Yorkshire Moors Railway, and Grosmont shed’s Mechanical Foreman Nick Simpson said:
“It has had an in-frame hydraulic test to restart the boiler certificate date. The superheater header is being readied for fitting and the superheater elements are in situ for fitting also.”
35005: Canadian Pacific’s rebuilt cab has been fitted out at the ‘Merchant Navy’s’ birthplace of Eastleigh Works – with a little help from classmate No. 35006 Peninsular & Oriental S. N. Co. at the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Steam Railway. As Canadian Pacific’s cab had been re-skinned, there were no longer any reference points for the location of its fittings, so a team of volunteers visited Toddington to photograph those on ‘P&O’.
It is hoped to make No. 35005 – the subject of a Heritage Lottery
Fund grant – a ‘Pacific’ once more during mid-to-late March by refitting the bogie and trailing truck, with the axleboxes for the former finished and a crack being repaired in one of the latter’s axleboxes.
At the locomotive’s Mid-Hants Railway base, Ropley boiler shop is preparing to begin construction of the replacement inner firebox, and the superheater header is to be sent away for repairs following the discovery of a crack. 45170: A new smokebox door, sponsored by a supporter, has been delivered for the Scottish Railway Preservation Society’s ex-Turkish ‘8F’ 2-8-0 ‘Sir William McAlpine’. The locomotive’s tender chassis is being overhauled at the Bo’ness & Kinneil Railway, with the damaged front dragbox repaired, while the brake gear and springs are being overhauled. The brake cylinder was found to be in “as new condition” because the locomotive had been converted to air braking for use in Turkey.
The society’s £350,000 appeal for the overhaul of the North British-built locomotive has raised over £150,000 – to donate, visit mydonate.bt.com/events/ stanier8f/190986
61306: ‘B1’ 4-6-0 ‘Mayflower’ is booked to visit its former home of the Nene Valley Railway on June 29/30, between main line duties. The Thompson engine, now owned by Steam Dreams Rail Co. Chairman David Buck, has been tipped for a return visit to Wansford on several occasions recently, but these plans were thwarted as its heavy overhaul continued at Carnforth.
For more on ‘Mayflower’s’ upcoming main line tours, see Down Main, page 55.
71000: All work on Duke of Gloucester’s firebox wrapper is complete at Tyseley, while the replacement firebox tubeplate was due to have all its holes drilled as this issue was going to press, and the tubes are expected to be ready for fitting in the coming weeks.
Reassembly of the Riddles ‘Pacific’s’ three Caprotti camboxes will start in March, with all the new parts to hand, while the computer aided design (CAD) drawings for the modifications to the pistons and cylinders (SR483) have been signed off, allowing orders to be placed for the patterns to produce new cylinder covers.
The £32,000 ‘sponsor a foot’ appeal to overhaul No. 71000’s Mk 2 support coach (increasing to £40,000 with Gift Aid) has raised £7,500. Donations can be made at www.theduke.uk.com
92134: Restoration of the unique surviving single-chimney ‘9F’ is on the final straight at the North Yorkshire Moors Railway. Said Grosmont Mechanical Foreman Nick Simpson: “The boiler is almost fully clad as far as it can be, leaving space to get the chains around for the boiler lift, and painting has started too. The ashpan is due with us any time – Ian Riley tells us it is ready for collection in the coming weeks.
“The grate has been removed to allow the ashpan to be fitted in readiness for boiler mounting. The smokebox has been riveted on and the brackets that the superheater header sits on have been designed. The smokebox doubling plate is being welded in next week.”