Northampton & Lamport Pecketts offered for sale
TWO Peckett-built locomotives based at the Northampton & Lamport Railway (N&LR) are being offered for sale by their owner, Nick Gilbert.
Mr Gilbert, who also co-owns GWR ‘Hall’ 4-6-0 No. 5967
Bickmarsh Hall and ‘2884’ 2-8-0 No. 3802, said that a change in focus and a re-evaluation of his projects has prompted the decision to part with part-restored ‘B2’ 0-6-0ST
Westminster (1378/1914) and cut-down ‘R4’ 0-4-0ST No. 2104
Westminster has yet to run in preservation, having started its career at the Larkhill and Fovant Military Railways before finding employment with Associated Portland Cement Manufacturers (APCM). It was officially withdrawn from APCM’s Kidlington works in April 1971 and eventually moved to the N&LR in 1998 via a number of temporary homes.
Status
Westminster is currently in a dismantled state and will require repairs to the frames to be completed, said to be mainly riveting work. A new front dragbox has been made, the angle pieces renewed and both bufferbeams replaced. Brandnew Peckett-pattern buffers have also been cast to replace the dumb buffers it carried during its APCM career.
The motion is complete and has been substantially overhauled, axleboxes have all been refurbished and repaired, and the tyres and journals turned. The boiler requires a new inner firebox and front tube plate, although new boiler fittings have been made and a new chimney obtained.
No. 2104 on the other hand was the N&LR’s sole operational steam locomotive until January 2017. Constructed in 1948 as one of three (Nos. 2103-2105) for the Central Electricity Generating Board’s Croydon B Power Station, the loco was built to a reduced height of 9ft 10in.
Background
It remained at Croydon until 1972 when it was bought for preservation along with No. 2105. Both moved to Quainton Road where No. 2104 operated for several years before being withdrawn for boiler repairs. It transferred to the N&LR in 1989 where it was returned to service.
Further information about the two locomotives can be obtained from Nick Gilbert at nickgilbert@sawfordengineering.co.uk