THREE BARRY RESTORATION GROUPS ARE HUNTING FOR SPARE PARTS

Owners of three ex-Barry locomotives are appealing for help in finding missing parts for a ‘Small Prairie’, pannier tank and ‘Black Five’. Restoration of ‘4575’ 2-6-2T

No. 5532 entered its final stage in January as the overhaul of its boiler commenced at the Llangollen Railway, with old firebox stays being removed before extracting the inner firebox for inspection. Its owner, the Llangollen Railway Great Western Locomotive Group, is seeking a safety valve bonnet and hydrostatic lubricator. Contact group secretary Charles Cooksley on 01492 548670 or email charles@colwyn.plus.com

The Pontypool & Blaenavon Locomotive Group, owner of ‘8750’ 0-6-0PT No. 9629, has unearthed a full set of cab windows and eccentric straps, one of the latter having previously been in use on classmate No. 4613 and ‘Collett Goods’ 0-6-0 No. 2253.

Said No. 9629’s engineer Mark Vrettos: “We just need to secure a set of hinges for the cab windows and this will enable us to finish off the cab and bunker, and get it ready for riveting together.

But, he added: “We are desperately trying to find some eccentric rods – if we could locate at least a pair, we would have all the critical items for which original components are best. There are still many other parts to be sourced, but these will probably be new components, such as piston rods and heads.”

The P&B Locomotive Group can be contacted at The Model Shop, 33 Broad Street, Blaenavon, Torfaen NP4 9BD or by calling 01873 858694.

The British Enginemen Steam Preservation Society, at the Colne Valley Railway, has new connecting rods for ‘Black Five’ No. 45293, but needs return cranks, eccentric rods, radius rods and coupling rods to complete the Stanier 4-6-0’s motion.

“Before we get new ones made, we’d like to find out if any originals still exist,” said Locomotive Project Officer Francis Renouf. “We have found some radius rods – but they’ve all been cut through.”

Mr Renouf can be contacted at www.besps.org or on 07885 633443.

If sufficient funds can be raised, the group hopes to send No. 45293’s cylinders away for restoration this year, in preparation for re-wheeling the locomotive’s frames.