Raveningham Hall bows out – next stop, Margate
GWR ‘Modified Hall’ No. 6960 Raveningham Hall came to the end of its boiler ticket on July 1.
Affectionately known as ‘Ratbag’, the 4-6-0 has been on hire to the Severn Valley Railway (SVR) since 2019, courtesy of Locomotive Services Limited, and arrived after a spell on the West Somerset Railway.
The locomotive was also a much-loved resident on the SVR between 1977 and 1996.
It can now be revealed that
No. 6960 is to go to One:One Collection’s Margate museum for storage for about 18 months. Its future will be considered when there is time for a full inspection.
With the peak season and heavier trains now in full swing at the SVR, larger locos such as BR ‘4MT’ 4-6-0 No. 75069 and GWR 2-8-0 No. 2857, which saw little use in the first part of the year due to the shorter train formations, are now being used more intensively. WR 0-6-0PT No. 1501 is receiving attention to its bottom end, helping to ensure the Hawksworth loco remains fit to operate until the end of its ticket in 2022.
Progress made
The long-awaited return of
SVR flagship GWR ‘Hall’ No. 4930 Hagley Hall continues apace.
Boiler cladding sheets have been repaired – three sheets having required replacement.
The front sand boxes are also now complete. All brake blocks, valve gear and oil lubrication pipe feeds to the axle-boxes have been fitted.
Nameplate brackets have been drilled into the splashers and the plates temporarily positioned.
The smokebox has been refitted to the boiler and the new lower holes drilled. The tender has been successfully tested to its full 4000-gallon capacity.
Small boiler tubes have arrived from Romania for the Stanier Mogul Fund’s LMS 2-6-0, which is under overhaul at Bridgnorth.
Work continues on the smokebox door, replacing the hinge strap bolts with countersunk rivets. The new smokebox plate for No. 13268 has been recently cast and is now in undercoat. In the boiler shop, more stays have been fitted to the backplate, with very few now outstanding.
The leading steam heat connection is all assembled. Having passed their crack detection test, the connecting rods have been thoroughly cleaned and painted. Both pistons, complete with piston rings, are again in their cylinders.
The restoration of GWR Large Prairie No. 4150 at Bridgnorth – the only SVR-based loco not to have steamed in preservation – has seen efforts focused on the boiler.
All crown stay nuts have been fitted, while the smoke and flue tubes have been ordered.
More updates
More needle gunning of the barrel has taken place in the areas which need ‘infilling’, and those areas have been identified for phase one work.
New-build BR ‘3MT’ No.
82045 continues to progress at Bridgnorth. The outer firebox is taking shape as parts are bolted together. The slidebars have had the bolt holes in their ends counter bored. The dust shields for the axleboxes on the pony trucks have been made.
Meanwhile, machining of the cylinder lubrication atomisers is in progress.