MOUNTAINEER BOILER COMPLETE – BUT MORE FUNDS ARE NEEDED

Just months after the project was announced, the boiler for the replica Ffestiniog Railway George England 0-4-0TT Mountaineer is all but complete.

At the time of going to press, the firebox had been stayed at North Bay Railway Engineering Services in Darlington, while the smokebox tubeplate was being riveted into place. Once complete, all that remained was the fitting of the boiler tubes and painting into primer.

The boiler’s completion comes six months after the project was exclusively revealed by Steam Railway (SR496) and three months after the scheme was officially launched at the Warley National Model Railway Exhibition in November.

Construction will pause while the project team conducts research into the true dimensions of the frames, wheels and cylinders. While he can fund the cutting of the frames himself, project founder David Wood told SR that “we need more funds basically. We’ve got a regular income of about £120 per month, in addition to individual donations and specific component sponsorship; for instance, we’ve had someone sponsor the nameplates and another the washout plug, but if we want to see Mountaineer steaming in 2021, we need more supporters.”

In addition to more regular donors, Mr Wood is keen for volunteers to assist on the administration and research aspects of the project. A range of monthly donation schemes and rewards is expected to be unveiled shortly.