Restoration of ex-Australian Avonside in progress

RESTORATION of Avonside 0-4-0ST 1909/1922, which last steamed some 60 years ago, has commenced. The loco, which worked at Farleigh Mill Sugar Mill, near Mackay, Queensland, was imported from Australia by John Moorhouse, arriving at the Bala Lake Railway on

October 22, 2020.

The boiler on the loco was not original, but a 1937 replacement built by Perry Engineering in Australia, which was longer than the original with a higher firebox. A new welded boiler of similar size to the original Avonside unit will be built by a contractor, employing traditional methods in visible areas such as the firebox back head, throat plate and foundation ring. The original Avonside boiler fittings were employed on the Perry boiler and have been removed for use on the new boiler after refurbishment.

Meanwhile, the owner has commenced work on the frames and motion components at his Midlands base. Corroded running plates and cab flooring have been removed, wasted areas on the top edges of the frames have been cut out and new steel sections welded in place, and the running plates replaced with new steel. The cylinders have been rebored and are being refitted.