Steam & Heritage
Pendennis Castle to steam in August? Plan to develop heritage line safety standards; Raveningham Hall bows out; Terrier loco in a class of its own; N7 overhaul takes a leap forward at EARM; Llangollen Railway rides again.
GWR ‘Castle’ No. 4079 Pendennis Castle is set to make its 21st century steam debut at Didcot Railway Centre’s August Bank Holiday Steam Up on August 28-30. The 4-6-0 last steamed in public back in October 1994 for then owner Rio Tinto in Australia. The 1925-built icon has been the subject of a thorough restoration by the Great Western Society (GWS) since it was repatriated from Australia in 2000.
“The plan is for No. 4079 to make an appearance at our Bank Holiday Steam Up event,” said Drew Fermor, 4079 project manager. “The aim is for Pendennis to be in steam and if possible, move up and down yard – and hopefully put it on the turntable. It will not be pulling trains as we will not have had time to thoroughly check it. It will, however, be lovely to be able to share it with people.
“I am so excited to see it go! It has taken a lot longer than anyone thought – but we wanted to do it right.
Preservation
“We have tried whenever possible to renovate rather than replace. Because it has never been in a scrapyard, most of the parts are Swindon made. It will not be a showroom engine – all those little dents or where repairs have been made over the years tell a story. It is going to look smart and presentable, but the history will remain.
Cared for but 100 years old is how I put it.”
‘Saint’ No. 2999 Lady of Legend, Avonside 0-4-0ST No. 1340
Trojan, GWR diesel railcar No. 22 and visiting Lambton No. 29 will all be working passenger trains during the event.
Pendennis will emerge in Great crest Western – the livery it has carried since it was preserved in 1965.
Drew said the loco’s completion is now “on the cusp,” with “just the last few odd little jobs” outstanding.
Drew added: “The wonderful thing about starting the ticket now is we get all the anniversaries – Castle 100, Pendennis 100 and 1925 trials 100 – that’s a lot of galas and visits to other railways.
“I expect it will follow a similar path to the ’Saint’, paying its dues at Didcot for the first year to ensure we’re happy that it’s ready to go. Once we’ve finished this project, it’s all about sharing it with people. We hope to formally launch it in 2022. Such is the level of interest that people from across the world want to see it.”
Efforts to return to steam another popular member of the Didcot fleet, ‘14XX’ 0-4-2T No. 1466, are now focused on the boiler.
At the end of May, No. 1466 became a complete rolling chassis at Norchard-based Western Steam Engineering Ltd. The loco has received extensive repairs to be the plate work, including the replacement of large sections of the water tanks and the fabrication of a coal bunker.
To help complete the overhaul in as timely a manner as possible, it was agreed by all parties that the 0-4-2T would be moved to Williton-based West Somerset Restoration
Relocation
The logistically challenging relocation required the rolling chassis and a host of components, including a new tubeplate, backplate and a new barrel section to be moved by rail to Lydney along the Dean Forest Railway for onward movement by road.
Following successful arrival in West Somerset, the focus is now on the boiler, which requires substantial work. This includes replacing three-quarters of the backplate, sections of lower side plate and throat plate as well as a new front tubeplate, barrel section and an essentially new smokebox – in addition to new stays and tubes.
Both Nos. 1466 and 4079 are among the projects in the Great Western Society’s Diamond Jubilee Fund, which aims to raise sufficient funds to pump-prime the next chapter in the organisation’s history. Visit didcotrailwaycentre.org.uk for details.
Meanwhile, the creation of Hawksworth 4-6-0 No. 1014 County of Glamorgan continues to take shape. Following the delivery of the motion to
Didcot, the components were cleaned of surface rust, before the application of grease, ready for when they can be fitted. Bearings for the outside motion are now being ordered. The inside motion is at Tyseley for machining.
The boiler is progressing well. Machining is underway ready for the safety valves to be fitted at contractor HBSS.
The superheater header is the largest item to order. The kit of parts for the tender tank is awaiting delivery to Didcot.
Approximately £150,000 is needed to complete the ‘County’. Donations can be made online at www.county1014.org