THE ROSTER
LOCOMOTIVES IN FOCUS
GWR & Constituents
3850: Dinmore Manor Locomotive Ltd’s ‘2884’ 2‑8‑0 is having its entire front end replaced as part of its ‘ten‑yearly’ overhaul at the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Steam Railway, with new front frame extensions (the originals being bent from a rough shunt in steam days) and replacement cylinder castings (the original cylinder block having been found to be cracked after the engine’s last boiler certificate expired in 2015).
The group has removed the existing extensions and cylinders from the locomotive’s main frames, in preparation for fitting the new cylinders which were cast last year. The front end assembly was then turned upside down to separate the front bufferbeam, dragbox, extension frames and cylinders, with one of the extension frames to be used as a pattern for the replacement casting.
The boiler from ex‑Barry classmate No. 3845 (also owned by DMLL) is being overhauled for No. 3850 at Riley & Son (E) Ltd, the work including the replacement of the lower halves of the firebox wrapper sides.
In addition, the front barrel section needs to be replaced – pushing the cost of the boiler repair to an estimated £275,000‑£300,000, while the total amount for the locomotive’s whole overhaul will be around £400,000. But, said DMLL director Mike Solloway: “We’re doing such a big job this time that the next overhaul should be easier.”
For details of how to donate towards the overhaul, visit www.dinmoremanor.co.uk 4144: Following its appearance at the Severn Valley Railway’s March gala, the Great Western Society’s ‘5101’ 2‑6‑2T is staying at the SVR for the main summer season. It will remain on the line until September, but this is not expected to include the Autumn Steam Gala of September 18‑22. SVR Engineering Manager Neil Taylor said: “I am pretty sure it will go back before the gala – however, we are hoping for a very different line‑up at the September event compared to the spring gala.”
6024: Since its frames were re‑wheeled at the West Somerset Railway last March (SR478),
King Edward I has had its pistons, valves and most of its motion refitted, and the overhauled brake gear is now going back on. The Collett 4‑6‑0 has already received new outside cylinder castings to reduce its width and increase its route availability for main line operation.
The extensive overhaul of the engine’s boiler is expected to be completed within the next few months at Riley & Son (E) Ltd, with a new smokebox to be fitted. Also nearing completion at Bennett Boilers of Highbridge is the tender; with the frames re‑wheeled and the tank refitted following extensive replacement of steelwork, and most of the main line electronic equipment in place, it is expected to be finished imminently. Also away for overhaul, at Eastleigh, is the ‘King’s’ Mk 1 support coach.
Part of Jeremy Hosking’s Royal Scot Locomotive & General Trust collection, No. 6024 is maintained and operated by the 6024 Preservation Society. It last ran on the main line on March 17 2012, and last steamed at the WSR the following month.
Dave Fuszard, the society’s press officer, said: “The locomotive is undergoing its most comprehensive overhaul to date. The sheer depth and scale of the overhaul being undertaken by Colin Henderson and the team is the reason for the time being taken and should pay dividends in the years ahead.
“The society will not offer a target completion date so that no compromises are made, but in 2020 we should, hopefully, be well on the way back. As you can imagine, we are all looking forward to seeing our locomotive back in action but, because of the quality of the work undertaken, the wait will have been worthwhile.”
9642: Owned by well‑known road haulier Andrew Goodman of Railway Support Services Ltd, this ‘8750’ 0‑6‑0PT has been among the quietest GWR overhaul projects since it was withdrawn in 2005, but Mr Goodman reports that both its boiler and frames are making steady progress.
He told Steam Railway:
“The boiler has been with David Wright [Locomotive Maintenance Services, Loughborough] and he hopes to complete the work on it later this year.
“Last year the chassis was sent to the Flour Mill for attention to the cylinder block and rear frame stretchers. The cylinder block has
been removed from the frames and split so that the valve faces can be machined and liners inserted. The rear frames have been riveted under the bunker area. The wheels and axleboxes are waiting to be dispatched to the Flour Mill, so they can return the chassis as a rolling item.
“I was hoping that the locomotive could be returned to steam early in 2020, but this will be dependent on the progress with the repairs. Currently, we have a considerable amount of ongoing work on our fleet of Class 08 diesel shunters and this has taken priority over the steam locomotives.
“It is hoped, however, that later this year an opportunity may present itself whereby we can devote more attention to the steam side of things.”
9681: Now joined at the Dean Forest Railway by consecutively numbered classmate No. 9682 from Southall (see News), the Dean Forest Locomotive Group’s ‘8750’ 0-6-0PT has received a new rear dragbox and bufferbeam, running plate sections and cab floor, with a new bunker and cab to follow. Its brake gear is also being overhauled and its piston rods have been machined, while its boiler is being overhauled on site by local contractor Western Steam Engineering Ltd. John Metherall of the DFLG said that the target is to have the 1949-built engine back in steam at the end of the year.
The pannier will be available for public viewing during the DFR’s ‘Royal Forest of Steam’ gala on June 7-9, when No. 9682 will also be on display, and the first confirmed guest engine is ‘Large Prairie’ No. 5199 from Llangollen.
SR & CONSTITUENTS
W24: Now in its last year of operation in BR lined black livery before overhaul, ‘O2’ 0-4-4T Calbourne will be in steam for a ‘BR black weekend’ at the Isle of Wight Steam Railway on May 25-27, alongside Ivatt ‘2MT’ 2-6-2Ts Nos. 41298 and 41313.
As detailed in SR488 Roster, the veteran LSWR engine is expected to make its farewell appearance at the IoWSR’s ‘Four Island Classes’ event on September 28/29, before entering the workshops at Havenstreet. The aim is to have it back in steam – carrying Malachite green livery – for the railway’s 50th anniversary celebrations in 2021.
27: The new cylinder block for the SECR ‘P’ class 0-6-0T has been delivered to the Bluebell Railway following machining at the Statfold Barn Railway. Riveting of the new frame plates continues in preparation for the fitting of the cylinders and the new dragbox.
506: “Just the fiddly bits” are left to fit on the Urie ‘S15’ 4-6-0, as the locomotive’s heavy overhaul nears completion at the Mid-Hants Railway.
Virtually all the motion has been assembled except for fitting and setting of the valves, while the brake rigging is in place and the vacuum pipework is being fitted. Final tasks on the boiler include the installation of the blastpipe and cab fittings; the lagging, cladding and firebox brick arch are all in place, along with the final parts of the new ashpan. New right-hand injectors have been ordered for No. 506 and the Urie Locomotive Society’s other example, No. 499, as the originals are worn and would be difficult to repair owing to a lack of drawings.
No date has been set for its relaunch into traffic, but ULS Chairman Mark Pedley said: “We can’t wait to get it out so we can focus on 499.” The centre casting of the latter, ex-Barry example is now fully riveted, with the cylinders to be fitted back onto the repaired frames in the coming months.
LMS & CONSTITUENTS
752: ‘Industrial archaeology’ on the Lancashire & Yorkshire Railway ‘23’ 0-6-0ST has revealed original Horwich Works markings on one of its axles. Cleaning of the axle showed up the brand mark of Horwich steel foundry and a date of April 1895. Richard Greenwood, a member of the engine’s restoration team at the East Lancashire Railway, described this as “not a bad age for an axle, albeit on a shunting locomotive.”
828: The boiler certificate of the Strathspey Railway-based ‘Caley’ 0-6-0 has been extended to April 2020. 4027: While the bottom half of the National Collection ‘4F’ 0-6-0 is nearing completion at the Vale of Berkeley Railway, with lubrication pipework being fitted, its boiler has been transported to the Wishaw workshops of its custodian Andrew Goodman for additional repairs by a coded welder.
Mr Goodman explained: “Significant sections of the outer steel wrapper plate have had to be replaced, and the copper firebox requires repairs. This work is likely to take several weeks.”
He added: “A quotation has been sought for a new tender tank and we are hopeful that an order can be placed for this very shortly.”
8274: A further overhaul is in prospect for the ex-Turkish ‘8F’ 2-8-0, which has been sidelined at the Great Central Railway (Nottingham) since it failed with firebox cracks in September 2017, in the eighth year of its
‘ten year’ boiler certificate. However, work on the North British-built engine will not commence until a new base is secured.
Mike Hoskin of the locomotive’s owning group, the Churchill 8F Locomotive Company, told Steam Railway: “Most of it is the original Turkish State Railways firebox, so it’s good that it did eight years, really.
“They are the sort of cracks that you can weld, but we’re going to investigate whether it needs new half sideplates.”
With the group based in Gloucestershire, he added: “We want to have our own engineering base, and we’re currently looking at a site – but we can’t proceed as quickly as we’d like because of the Brexit problem. The property market isn’t in a good state – but we hope things will start moving this year.”
bR sTANDARD
71000: The driving wheelsets from Duke of Gloucester are now at the South Devon Railway for replacement of their tyres and roller bearings. The old tyres were expected to have been removed from the wheels in the week ending April 12, with the wheels themselves to be pressed off the axles the following week to allow removal of the axleboxes in the week ending April 26. An order has been placed for the replacement tyres which have a 20-week delivery time.
As detailed in Down Main last issue, the BR Class 8 Steam Locomotive Trust needs to raise £104,467 to ensure that the unique Riddles ‘Pacific’ can return to steam in late 2020 as planned. To find out how you can help, see pages 92/93.
73050: The BR1G tender from the Nene Valley Railway-based ‘5MT’ 4-6-0 has arrived at the North Yorkshire Moors Railway on loan to unique surviving singlechimney ‘9F’ 2-10-0 No. 92134, whose restoration from Barry scrapyard condition is nearing completion at Grosmont. A new BR1C tender is to be constructed for the ‘Spaceship’, its original tender having been sold separately from Dai Woodham’s yard for use behind Duke of Gloucester.
80078: Stewart Robinson’s ‘4MT’ 2-6-4T is to pay a return visit to Mangapps Railway Museum over the August Bank Holiday weekend, when the Essex line is holding an event to celebrate its 30th anniversary. John Jolly, the railway’s owner, said: “We should be running as much resident stock as we can,” with the other steam locomotives being Peckett 0-4-0ST Works No. 2087 ‘Achilles’ (currently on loan to the East Kent Railway) and Andrew Barclay 0-4-0ST No. 8.
The Standard is due to spend the summer on the Mid-Norfolk Railway, although its arrival and steaming dates are yet to be confirmed.