Boiler fit for County of Glamorgan

THE boiler for new-build

No. 1014 County of Glamorgan was lowered into the frames at Didcot Railway Centre on September 26 – the first time since 1964/1965 that it was possible to see a Hawksworth County 4-6-0 complete with boiler.

Having now established that the boiler will fit, a myriad of tasks await members of engineering team, beginning with the measurements for the new ashpan, fully securing the smokebox to the rest of the boiler, fitting the inside and outside motion and setting up the front end. Once this is achieved, the boiler will return to HBSS in Liverpool where it will be completed by the contractor.

Next steps

This will involve fitting the front tubeplate, the tubes and the superheater header and undertaking an unofficial hydraulic test to ensure that there are no issues. It will then return to Didcot where final assembly will take place. It is hoped No 1014 will be in steam by 2024.

Meanwhile, the Hawksworth tender is nearing completion it is planned to show No 1014 to supporters and members of the public alike at Didcot during the spring of 2023.

Around £130,000 is needed to finish the loco.

Visit www.county1014.org or write to: Richard Croucher, The County Project, Great Western Society, Didcot Railway Centre, Didcot, OX11 7NJ.