Williton completes restoration of Hudswell ‘PLA’ boiler

THE first preservation era steaming of Hudswell, Clarke ‘PLA’ 0-6-0T No. 1857 (built 1952) has taken place at the workshops of West Somerset Restoration at Williton, albeit with the boiler out of the frames. The restoration of the exNorth Gawber Colliery loco, led by head of mechanical engineering, Ryan Pope, is now at an advanced stage, with much of the bottom end overhaul now complete. Since 2018 the attention has primarily focused on the boiler restoration, including a new smokebox, which at the time was the largest undertaken by the workshop. Three years later, on November 9, the fully overhauled boiler passed its steam test in the presence of the boiler inspector. Meanwhile the cab and tanks have also been refurbished and painted in a new livery of Royal Blue, while fabricated brass cabside numberplates add a little Great Western flavour to the project. The hope was to have the boiler back in the frames by mid-November, with a potential return to operation next year; the first time that the loco will have moved under its own power since being acquired for preservation by the longdefunct 1857 Society in 1975.