THE ROSTER
This year will be your last opportunity to ride behind a celebrity ‘A4’, ‘King’ and an LSWR 4-4-0 before they are withdrawn for major overhauls – or permanent static display. Steam Railway presents its annual round-up of locomotives due to reach the end of their ‘ten-year’ boiler certificates in 2020.
At a recent autumn gala, one Steam Railway reader described part of our monthly locomotive ‘Roster’ page as “quite depressing reading” – namely, the list of locomotives whose ‘ten-year’ boiler certificates are due to expire imminently.
However, the point he was really making was ‘doesn’t time fly when you’re having fun?’ – and never is that more true than when it comes to steam locomotives. When one is withdrawn at the end of its ticket, do you often wonder where on earth that decade went?
It seems only yesterday that the Great Western Society’s BR blue ‘King’ No. 6023 King Edward II, and Jeremy Hosking’s BR ‘Pacific’ No. 70000 Britannia, were dominating the headlines, following the former’s miraculous restoration from a Barry scrapyard no-hoper with torched driving wheels, and the latter’s equally welcome return after many years on the sidelines. Yet, 2020 will indeed be the last season in traffic for both machines before their boiler certificates run out.
Britannia, it is confirmed, will be going straight into the works for another overhaul, and it is to be hoped that the ‘King’, too, will run again in the fullness of time, but that will not be the case for the other big name celebrity engine due to bow out this year – Union of South Africa. The many fans of the BR green ‘A4’ have only a matter of months to enjoy its three-cylinder rasp, and mellow chime whistle, before the Gresley ‘Pacific’s’ fire is dropped for the last time and it is retired for static display – permanently.
To lose a main line star like ‘Number Nine’ is indeed a depressing thought – but it is also a reminder that we should never take any of our beloved locomotives for granted. It can only take one major failure, or a lack of funds, for a former stalwart to be relegated to the back of the shed – so our boiler tickets list is intended not as “depressing reading” but to give plenty of notice that it’s time to pay your favourite engine a farewell visit… and maybe put a few pounds in the kitty for its overhaul.
So, without further ado, here goes…
GWR & CONSTITUENTS
1450: Mike Little’s ‘14XX’ 0-4-2T is due to reach the end of its boiler certificate at the Severn Valley Railway in April, but it is hoped that – depending on the outcome of its annual inspection – it may be granted an extension to run until the autumn steam gala of September 17-20 (SR499).
5637: With its ticket set to run out in April, the Collett ‘56XX’ 0-6-2T is expected to steam for the last time at its East Somerset Railway base during the spring gala on March 21/22 (SR499). A possible return visit to its former Swindon & Cricklade Railway home, for a farewell event at that line’s March 28/29 gala, is still to be confirmed.
6023: Graham Hukins, Didcot Railway Centre’s new Marketing & Events Manager, told Steam Railway: “6023’s final date in service is subject to confirmation
by our boiler inspector as part of the annual inspection process, but we are anticipating she will bow out in late summer and we intend to arrange a suitable farewell once we have clarity of the date.”
As detailed in SR500, the Great Western Society has confirmed that it is no longer planning to take the ‘King’, or any of its other engines, back onto the main line – and that “its overhaul is unlikely to commence immediately as there is limited workshop space and volunteer resource.”
SR & CONSTITUENTS
178 : As reported in SR499, the Bluebell Railway’s SECR ‘P’ 0-6-0T is in ticket until February, but a sixmonth extension is to be sought, allowing it to take part in the line’s 60th anniversary celebrations.
190 : Replica Lynton & Barnstaple Railway Manning Wardle 2-6-2T Lyd was due to have been withdrawn for its ‘ten-yearly’ overhaul by the time this issue goes on sale, but it is hoped to return it to service in time for the main summer season (see News).
30120: Like the ‘King’, it seems only yesterday that the National Collection Drummond ‘T9’ 4-4-0 made its long-awaited return to steam at the Bodmin & Wenford Railway – but now the graceful ‘Greyhound’ is due to run for the last time at its current home of the Swanage Railway in September.
Asked whether it is expected to be overhauled again, National Railway Museum PR and press manager Simon Baylis replied: “It’s still a bit early to say much, but we are in the early stage of discussions with Swanage about the future of the locomotive, and we have no plans to recall it for display in the near future.
“The ‘T9’ is currently included in our Operational Rail Vehicle Strategy (detailed in SR492) – we’ll be reviewing this in the spring.”
31806: 2020 will be the last full season in traffic at the Swanage Railway for the Maunsell ‘U’ 2-6-0, whose boiler ticket expires in April 2021. It will then be overhauled – but precisely how is still to be determined, said Geoff Pitman, the line’s engineering director.
It is one of three Southern Railway ‘Moguls’ resident at the ‘Purbeck Line under a 25-year loan agreement with owner John Bunch, the others being fellow ‘U-boat’ No. 31625, which is in storage at Furzebrook, and ‘N’ No. 31874, which is expected to steam again this year following an extensive overhaul.
Mr Pitman explained: “Probably towards the end of winter 2020, we’ll take the boiler out of 31625 to do a survey and nondestructive testing on it – the engine had boiler problems years ago when it was out on the national network.
“If we don’t find anything too horrendous, the idea is to overhaul that boiler for 31806 – it won’t be ready in time for a quick swap, but it could save some months.
“But if we examine it and find there won’t be a time gain, we’ll just do 31806’s boiler when it comes out, because we know that one’s in good order.” Either way, the work will be put out to competitive tender – although, in the longer term, the railway wants to develop its own boiler works, he added.
Drummond ‘M7’ 0-4-4T
No. 30053 is currently being stripped down into “a giant Airfix kit” at the line’s Herston works, with its wheelsets to be sent away to the South Devon Railway for attention including new eccentrics.
“31806 isn’t the only project,” said Mr Pitman. “We’ll be talking to York about the ‘T9’ – that’s known to want significant boiler work – and 80104 will be coming out of ticket shortly.” The ‘4MT’ 2-6-4T, owned by Southern Locomotives
Ltd, will receive its final annual boiler examination in March and, if it passes, will remain in ticket until 2021.
Once No. 31874 is out-shopped, therefore, he concluded, “there’s the potential for any one of three locomotives to be next into the works – but we don’t know which until we do these exams.”
LMS & CONSTITUENTS
828: Already running on an extended boiler certificate, the veteran Caledonian Railway McIntosh ‘812’ 0-6-0 is due to be withdrawn from service at the Strathspey Railway in April.
Its last day of public service is scheduled to take place on Monday April 13, followed by a private event the next day for trustees of its owning group, the CR 828 Trust. Visitors are advised to contact the Strathspey Railway to check other operating dates.
However, fans of the elegant blue machine will not have long to wait before seeing it back in action. The CR 828 Trust stated: “Following discussions with the Strathspey Railway Company, it’s been agreed that the scope of the overhaul planned to start in April 2020 will be amended.
“Because the loco is in generally good mechanical condition, the overhaul will focus principally on renewing the boiler ‘ten-year’ ticket. The intention is that 828 should be available for traffic again in the autumn of 2020 and will then run for around five years before being withdrawn for heavy overhaul.” 45305: Operating Vintage Trains’ series of ‘Polar Expresses’ at the time of writing, this popular ‘Black Five’ is due to reach the end of its main line ticket in July or August – although Alan Berck-May, chairman of the 5305 Locomotive Association, said: “We are hopeful we can get an extension for one more year working on heritage railways, as we’ve done a lot of work on the boiler.”
After Tyseley’s series of festive specials, the Stanier 4-6-0 was set to return to its Great Central Railway base for a winter stint of operation, but is expected to undertake further main line work later in the year, although nothing is confirmed.
Its forthcoming overhaul will be its fifth in preservation, since it was reprieved from the cutter’s torch by Hull scrap dealer Albert Draper in 1969; it remains in the ownership of the Draper family with 5305LA as custodians. The second part of our interview with the locomotive’s long-serving engineer, Tom Tighe, will appear in SR502.
47406: As detailed in SR500, Roger Hibbert’s ‘Jinty’ at the Great Central Railway, which was originally due to be withdrawn in
November last year, has had its boiler certificate extended until this May. However, the Fowler 0-6-0T may not be out of traffic for too long, as Mr Hibbert stated that he intends to begin work on its overhaul as soon as possible.
LNER & CONSTITUENTS
8572: Although the Midland & Great Northern Joint Railway Society’s LNER ‘B12’ 4-6-0 returned to service on the North Norfolk Railway in 2012, the hydraulic and steam tests on its boiler were carried out in late 2010 – meaning that its ‘ten-year’ certificate will expire in October or November this year. However, Keith Ashford – Chief Mechanical Engineer for both the M&GN Society and the NNR – assured us that the unique surviving GERdesign engine will be turned round “in the shortest possible time – obviously, we’ll be going out for fundraising closer to the time, but we will plan to overhaul it as soon as we can.”
60009: April 22 2020 is the final cut-off point for Union of South Africa’s main line ticket, but there remains the possibility that it may
be able to continue operating on preserved lines until the end of the year. For more details, see News.
BR STANDARD
70000 : Having returned to steam in September 2010, following a major overhaul at its birthplace of Crewe, prototype BR Standard ‘Pacific’ Britannia will reach the end of its boiler certificate on September 1.
Although the ‘Brit’ was out of action between October 2015 and September 2018 for a major bottom-end overhaul – and therefore an extension to the certificate would theoretically be possible – it is planned to send it straight into the works of Jeremy Hosking’s Locomotive Services Ltd at Crewe, its boiler taking the place of that from ‘A2’ Blue Peter.
Explained Peter Greenwood of LSL: “We could seek an extension, but putting 70000’s boiler through our works at this time fits in better with our overall planning. 70000’s boiler should go into the boiler shop at around the same time that 60532’s comes out, which will mean that, as 70000 is a very important and versatile locomotive to us, it will not have to join a queue.
“Over the period July 2021 to November 2022, we have four locomotives due to come out of service on their expiry of their boiler tickets, so to put 70000 back into that period would only compound the situation.”
The four LSL engines concerned are ‘42XX’ 2-8-0T No. 4270 at the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Steam Railway (whose boiler certificate runs out in October 2022), ‘Modified Hall’ No. 6960 Raveningham Hall (on loan to the Severn Valley Railway until the end of its ticket, in July 2021), and two members of its main line fleet, rebuilt ‘West Country’ No. 34046 Braunton (November 2022) and LMS ‘7P’ No. 46100 Royal Scot. The latter’s boiler certificate expires in March 2022, but for this engine, said Mr Greenwood: “An extension is more likely and may be applied for, as to do so would ease the pressure of work in the boiler shop during 2022.”