New Single-Fairlie Gowrie loco construction gathers momentum

PLATEWORK for the cab, tanks and bunker of near-replica Hunslet 0-6-4T Single-Fairlie Gowrie being built by The Gowrie Locomotive Trust has been cut and bent to shape by CTL Seal. Riveting of the carrier frames began in mid-August and the contractor was set to deliver the shot blasted and primed assembly back to the construction team’s private ‘Workshop X’ by late September. Arrival of the carrier frames should be closely followed by the platework, enabling a start on erecting the bunker on the frames and drilling and tapping the holes required to fasten the bottom plates of the side tanks onto the relevant supports. The sides of the tanks will then be tack welded in position. Statfold Engineering Ltd has been contracted to machine and assemble the driving wheelsets. The iron wheel centres were cast at the Haigh Foundry in Wigan and new steel tyres were produced in South Africa through an order with Railway Wheelset & Brake Ltd.