New Great Western ‘Night Owl’ locomotive front end takes shape

WORK on the Great Western Society’s new-build ‘Night Owl’ 2-8-0 No. 4709 continues to progress on the front end.

Machining of the smokebox saddle is being undertaken by Roach Precision Engineering in Brierley Hill, ready for the smokebox, for which sponsors will be sought early in 2022.

This work has now been largely completed, leaving only a few holes to be drilled and tapped into the main cylinder block castings before they are finished. The remaining holes’ centres need to be transferred from those already existing in No. 4709’s extension frames.

Some historically poor welds on the extension frames are being removed and re-engineered. Once complete, the frames will join the cylinders at Roach in order to transfer the mounting hole centres. The holes will be programmed on one of Roach’s milling machines, to clean up and then precisely align the centres, which will then be transferred to the cylinder blocks.

Concurrently, four piston valve liners have been cast and are also on route to Roach for machining. Once done, all the castings to complete the cylinder assembly, with the exception of the piston heads and valves, will have been cast and await machining.

Members of the team are eagerly anticipating the return of the new cylinder blocks and machined extension frames back at Tyseley Locomotive Works, where the group’s engineer, Mike Solloway, will commence the final assembly of No. 4709’s front end.