Order placed for County of Montgomery wheelsets

RILEY & Son (E) Ltd has been awarded the contract to assemble the driving wheelsets and re-tyre the bogie wheelsets for Churchward ‘County’ 4-4-0 No. 3840 County of Montgomery.

With a target completion date of October 2023, the locomotive’s owners – the Churchward County Trust – is set to launch several fundraising appeals. Supporters will be invited to sponsor the acquisition of the new driving wheel axles, the driving wheel and bogie tyres, the driving wheel cranks, and the assembly of the driving wheelsets via several separate appeals over the coming months.

Meanwhile, work on assembling No. 3840’s cab, splashers and running plate is set to begin imminently at Tyseley Locomotive Works, with all the material required now on-site. Tyseley will also commence protective work on the trust’s newly acquired Swindon No. 4 boiler, originally from Didcot Railway Centre’s ‘5205’ 2-8-0T No. 5227. This will entail needle gunning the firebox and barrel, removing the boiler slides to assess the condition of the outer firebox, and applying a coat of protective paint to the whole of the boiler.

Trust spokesman David Bradshaw said: “We have also concluded that the platework on the tender is so badly corroded that it is fit only for scrap. All reuseable parts will be removed and stored under cover.”

He added: “2023 is going to be another major chapter in the building of County of Montgomery. The Forty Fund for the casting and machining of the driving wheels and the Cylinder Club for the casting and machining of the cylinders is close to meeting its targets, with just £3,000 and £11,000 respectively remaining of the required amounts. We need to continue the momentum we now have by raising the funds for this next stage.”