Trailing truck and crank axle progress for Bulleid ‘GSN’

THE return to action of SR Bulleid Pacific No. 35011 General Steam Navigation at the Swindon & Cricklade Railway has taken a step forward, with the awarding of the contract to restore the trailing truck to the North Norfolk Railway Engineering.

Originally fitted to a series 3 ‘Merchant Navy’, No. 35011’s fabricated trailing truck is the last survivor of its kind.

Lighter than the cast truck fitted to the other preserved ‘Merchant Navy’ locos, longer than a ‘Light Pacific’s’ truck, the GSNLRS is having this unique piece of Bulleid design restored to main line standard.

No. 35011 lost its central crank axle in 1966 when it was withdrawn from Bournemouth shed and sold to Woodham Bros at Barry for scrap. Alongside the missing valve gear, the GSNLRS said this has been the driving force behind the decision to return to original design condition, due to the cost of replacement to either design being similar.

Many years of research and recent detailed Finite Element Analysis conducted at the University of Birmingham has demonstrated that A4T steel is of a suitable grade for the correct balanced crank axle design for No. 35011 in original design condition. This means the GSNLRS can proceed to final design of the central axle and balancing of the motion.

Visit www.35011gsn.co.uk for more details.