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EDITORS CHATAs this is the last Newsletter before the end of the millenium, it is possibly a good time to consider what has been achieved with the restoration of 1638 We must remember that1638 was in the poorest condition by far of all the locomotives we have tackled down the years. At a glance it can be seen we have overhauled the locomotive chassis and sorted out a tender chassis. Behind this general statement, the detailed facts are that we had to replace a crank pin, rebuild all the drag boxes on the locomotive and tender, have all the wheels and journals turned and we had to purchase forgings for the motion and have them machined. This has been our most expensive project, with well over £50,000 of our funds spent on it and there is still the boiler to be resolved. It will be a major achievement when it is done. So all in all, good progress for such a small Society as ours. On to other matters. Peter Jessop's final instalment about the Maunsell team has hadto be held over until a later Newsletter. Peter has been very busy recently settling into a new home. Spare time has been at a premium with so many things to sort out, so providing material for the Newsletter has had to be sacrificed for the time being. Rest assurred that the final instalment will appear in due course. IAN HAWKINS |
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At this year's AGM, following a short discussion about the proposal to increase the Life Membership to £120, this was agreed by all the members present. For those Members who subscribe annually, you will be glad to know, I am sure, that the Annual rate remains at £8, which is due to be paid on January ist 2000. Please find a renewal form enclosed with this Newsletter.
It gives me great pleasure to welcome our youngest Life Member, James Cope, 6 months old at the time of joining, especially as he is the great grandson of the late Felix Cope who did so much for the Society over many years. We hope that our Society will give him great pleasure for many years to come.
The leaflets we put on display near to 1638 have proved interesting to visitors to the Bluebell. They were all used up and we had to have a small reprint. Interest in the leaflets has resulted in a few new applications for membership of the Society but a bigger effect, it would appear, has been on the donations box which has had more money put into it this year than for many years past. We have also had magazines on show as well and this has helped to increase donations. Some thought is being given to improving and updating the leaflets, possibly by the inclusion of colour. It is planned that the leaflets will be ready for the next Spring season.
Last but by no means least, thank you for all the generosity you have shown with donations during 1999.
At the time of writing these notes, we have yet to reach the year end but it is clear that the 1999 accounts will be quite exceptional. Now that we have paid for the machining of the rods, expenditure will be our highest ever and, having sold the Halifax shares, income will also be one of the best ever. The donations box has been particularly successful in 1999, with over £1,000 coming by the end of October. This is partly due to Paul Skinner's good signs and to the good free hand out leaflet produced by George Binns. Also there has been impressive work going on with 1638. Visitors can see the project is making progress and contribute accordingly.
We still have approximately £20,000 in the bank - but about £6,000 needs to be allowed for the tender tank. Financing and timing of the work on the boiler has yet be addressed but there is no doubt that the finances required for this work will be greater than our current resources. By the time of the next Newsletter we hope to have a clearer view on this and anticipate launching a boiler tube appeal possibly next Summer. In the meantime we do appeal for general donations so that we can continue to step forward with some sound financial backing.
The late news in the last report concerned the arrival at Sheffield Park of the six coupling and connecting rods and nine smaller motion parts. Since then, Ray Bellingham has organised the manufacture of the bearing bronzes (which one member kindly sponsored) and we have had these machined on site. They now await white metalling and pressing into the rods. The rods do need a bit of work to polish them up as well. There is a little debate going on as to whether to get the coupling rods up on the locomotive to ensure they fit and to free up space in the workshop where they are sitting or conversely whether best to leave them off to save getting muck in the bearings whilst the chassis is standing in the yard. So watch this space for news on this subject.
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Melvyn Frohnsdorff and the volunteers spent some time in the Summer fabricating a new tender tank base from four large sheets of steel plate. These are now in place on the chassis. This is a positive step along the road to getting the whole tank built. For the tank, we need to await the return of the Bluebell Railway's contract welders from other off-site jobs, as we would like to be able to use their skills in the construction of the main body. We have funds for the job - but our tank is but one
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of a list of jobs that await their return and we in turn must wait patiently in our place in the queue. Meanwhile Melvyn has also fabricated several useful parts for the tank - such as tool boxes, water tank filler cover, sieve box (hangs underneath), lamp and tool irons etc. These can all be quickly added on when the tank is built which hopefully may happen Winter/Spring 2000.
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The weekend working parties have otherwise concentrated on the cab roof which is in the process of being riveted up as this is written. In addition, Frank Glue has made a useful start on some of the boiler work required. He is carefully taking out decayed studs and other parts that need replacing, under Keith Sturt's supervision. More next time as to what he will be doing next on the boiler. Various other smaller jobs are going on in the wings - such as Peter Jessop making up cab seats and hinges, Clive Bean cleaning up cylinder covers.
To sum up, this year we have got the tender and locomotive chassis coupled up, rods and bushes machined and a good start made on the tender tank. Next year should be the year of the tender tank and a bit of a crack on with some of the hard work on the boiler. Not so far to go now..... !
As ever, thanks are owed to all those who have contributed towards the work on 1638, physically, financially, or with technical advice and moral support, and apologies to all those whose work I may not have mentioned in this report. And finally to the good humour from all the others on site at Sheffield Park, particularly Keith Sturt, Ray Bellingham and their fellow workshop colleagues who have put up with us for so long.
847 OVERHAUL REPORTW ork on patch screw replacement has ceased for the time being as all those screws which can be easily accessed, while the boiler is still in the frames have been replaced. Each of these replacements still requires the application of an air tool to round it off for the completion of a steam tight joint. This is a job for the future as is the replacement of those other patch screws in more awkward positions. The latter are being left until the boiler is out of frames.
It is not known when the boiler lift will occur but necessary work has been proceeding apace prior to this event. The smoke deflectors have been removed and the concrete in the base of the smokebox has been broken out. Various nuts have been loosened and some cladding has been removed from the boiler backhead. Further work is still required, e.g. removal of lubrication pipes, before the boiler can be lifted but progress in this area has been good.
Meanwhile, the tender has not been neglected. The tool boxes have been renovated and the tender coal space has received one coat of paint. Work on the inside of the tender is scheduled to start soon. If you've never worked inside a tender tank you've managed to miss out on one of locomotive preservation's more unusual activities. Soon you will have your chance to remedy this omission. Adrian Pinkess would welcome some extra volunteers to progress 847's overhaul, so how about you?
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A fairly full article appeared in the Summer 1997 issue of the Society's Newsletter on the subject of Eastleigh's conversion of tenders from withdrawn "Schools" Class locomotives. At the time, information with regard to withdrawal dates for some of the conversions was not available but, thanks to information provided by a non-member, some of the gaps have now been filled.
ADS70210 - tender no. T723 - was withdrawn on 15/8/96.
ADS70227 - tender no. T729 - was withdrawn on 4/7/96.
ADS70228 - tender no. T734 - was withdrawn on 4/7/96.
It is ADS70228 which is currently being worked on for use with 1638.
Withdrawal date of ADS70211 is still unknown. At the time of the original article, it was thought to be stored in the Ashford Crane Shop but it was also thought that it had been bought by the Port Line Project for use with 34028 "Eddystone". Is there anyone out there with the missing information?
"Lord Nelson"
S ince the report in the last Newsletter, a lot of work has been undertaken on the inside of the tender tank. This has consisted chiefly of de-rusting and painting but some remedial work, in the form of small welding repairs, has also been required to maintain the structural integrity of the interior.
In addition to the tender tank, the tender front bogie has progressed rapidly. By the middle of August it had been completely re-assembled and attention has now turned to rear bogie which has been dismantled into a kit of parts. Plenty of needle gunning has been taking place on the locomotive, chiefly the frames (both inner and outer surfaces) and stretchers.
All in all, good progress is being made in returning this fine locomotive to main line condition. If you wish, you can play your part by either:
1) Becoming a member of Eastleigh Railway Preservation Society - contact
Mr G Dickaty
113 Captain's Place
Southampton
S013 3TF
or
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2) sending a donation to
Mr K P Horn
1 Merrytree Close
West Wellow
Romsey
Hampshire
S051 6RB
The Eastleigh S15 has continued to give good service on the Swanage Railway and, in fact, has been used in the latter half of the Summer on more occasions than originally planned. This has resulted in additional funds being added to the coffers of the Eastleigh Railway Preservation Society. All this has been achieved with very few problems for the locomotive. Most repairs have been minor although a new piston head and rings were required at one stage. It has been agreed that 828 will stay at Swanage for a further two years.
It had been anticipated that 828 would be made available to the Bluebell Railway for the "Giants of Steam" weekend in October. Unfortunately, this proved impossible as, at the request of the Eastleigh Railway Preservation Society's insurers, a couple of firebox stays had to be replaced. Thus the weekend date at the Bluebell could not be met.
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Please find a set of the minutes enclosed. The meeting was well attended and there was a fairly brisk discussion of a few good subjects. Always worth attending in order to know what is going on and for some frank exchanges of views!
Thanks to Paul Skinner's efforts, a useful £150 was earned for the Society. If we are to hold the stall again next year, Paul will need a fresh influx of good quality railwayana, either as donations to the Society or to be sold on commission. Have you got anything cluttering up the house you would like to dispose off? Please contact the volunteers at Sheffield Park or write to the Treasurer.
Eastleigh's S15 is shown to the right in earlier days in two photographs taken nearly 20 years apart. In the upper photograph, taken at Exmouth Junction on 3/8/28, smoke deflectors have yet to be fitted. The lower photograph, taken at Salisbury on 20/9/47, shows not only the addition of the deflectors but other changes as well, e.g. removal of the snifting valves, change in style and position of lamp brackets and removal of the crosshead pump. There is also the removal of the cab side number plate. No doubt the keen eyed (and knowledgeable) will be able to detail other changes.
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Several talks about our Society have been given in the past year or two to groups in the south of England ranging from preservation Societies such as the Tunbridge Wells and Eridge Railway Preservation Society at Groombridge and the Kent and East Sussex Railway (Sussex Group) at Westham, to model railway organisations such as the Bracknell Railway Society.
All audiences, which range in number from small groups of ten or so to larger groups of forty or more, e.g. the Southern Electric Group at Southwick where some of our own members were able to attend, are overawed by what we are achieving in restoring our Maunsell locomotives, especially as each project is more challenging than the previous one. Some cannot believe that we can now replace whole drag box assemblies or construct complete new tender tanks at Sheffield Park.
The slides that illustrate these talks are a balance between practical engineering scenes such as Melvyn Frohnsdorff fitting red hot rivets into the drag box of 1638 to the more scenic views like 541 steaming up the line just after being restored or 847 on a special "Golden Arrow" Pullman train with all the associated regalia. Slides often include members of our working teams. As a result, many of the questions at the end of the talk revolve around the people who spend their spare time bringing scrap engines back to like. Some of these working members have been involved for more than twentyfive years from the early days of the Southern Mogul Preservation Society (SMPS) at New Hythe with 1618.
The pattern of the talk is chronological starting from the formation of the SMPS in 1966 up to the present time, not forgetting the early days of the 847 Fund and the Q Class Society. Most groups require the talk to be in two parts with a break for refreshments so the interval normally falls just as 1618 is being outshopped for its second stint on the Bluebell and joins 541 in traffic in 1987. This was when we were able to witness double heading of our two then working locomotives.
Most of the slides have been taken by myself, the exceptions being those of the early days at Tenterden which are duplicates of those taken by Rodney Packham and others involved at that time. Several good slides have been given by relatives of Society members who have passed away. When this happens, it is very gratifying as many such archives are thrown away. Another good source, no longer available, was the Collector's Coach at Robertsbridge where quite a few slides of 847 have been found on sale.
An interesting aspect of these talks occurs at question time after the talk has been given. Quite often the subject drifts away from the Maunsell Locomotive Society story with queries about when the East Grinstead extension is going to be finished, the latest on "Blackmoor Vale" and why the H Class is not running. Fortunately, most of these can be answered as I also give talks about the Bluebell Railway.
Requests for talks often arise as a result of someone having heard about the event from other groups particularly in the Brighton area where there are numerous Societies covering all aspects of transport interest. However, a recent trend has been from our website which, I am told, is one of the best around thanks to the efforts of
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Peter Jessop. Programme secretaries are obtaining ideas for their future meetings from this source and are then contacting us to ask for a talk.
At the time of writing, unusually there are no talks planned but we will try to give members advance notice if we can, as quite a few wish to attend if at all possible.
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U Class 31808 waits patiently for the "right away" at Cheltenham station on 11/3/60 before taking the 1.52p.m. over the Midland and South Western Junction line to Andover aand on to Southampton
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John Chackfield's biography of Richard Maunsell has proved to be popular with the membership with approximately 50 copies sold. Have you purchased a copy? If not, can we interest you in one for £11.95 incl. p&p. It is a good read.
If you would like a copy, please make out a cheque to the Society, and send to the Treasurer - address inside the front cover.
As mentioned in the summer edition of our Newsletter (No.39), an approach was made by the Essex Locomotive Society, earlier this year, with a view to purchasing our S15 No.830.
We can now report that a formal written offer was received from the Essex Locomotive Society. This offer was discussed at length at a Directors' Meeting held early in September. Taking the view that the restoration of 830 was currently and foreseeably well beyond the physical and financial capabilities of our Society, the Directors voted, by a majority decision, in favour of selling 830.
It was however unanimously agreed that the offer received fell well short of our valuation of the engine. This was communicated to the Essex Locomotive Society along with the following conditions that would form a key part of any agreement to sell:
1. That 830 is restored as an S15 and that it retains its identity as 830.
2. That 830 pays a visit to the Bluebell Railway for a period to be agreed, within three years of its restoration to full working order.
We now await their response.
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Dear Editor,
With regard to the photograph of 30823 on page 15 of Newsletter No.39, the headcode carried is for Waterloo-Salisbury-Exeter. As the photographer was on a Portsmouth line train, the location had to be between London and Woking, where the two lines diverge. The third rail can be seen.
The locomotive carries Nine Elms duty No. 6 and is in good condition. This is not surprising as the locomotive was not long ex-Works, being noted at Eastleigh Shed for Works on 2/2/63 and under overhaul in the Works itself on 2/3/63. There would be a brief running in time at Eastleigh, before return to home shed Salisbury (72B later 70E), possibly after working a train up to London on the way.
Yours sincerely,
Alan Gosling
(Since the receipt of the above letter, additional information has come to light concerning the location of the photograph of 30823. It is now believed to be at the London end of Woking station - Ed.)
Dear Mr Hawkins,
Please accept my congratulations on Newsletter No.39 Summer 1999. Being nonmechanical, I found the photograph of Adrian Pinkess working inside the firebox of 847 very interesting as it showed clearly the tools necessary to carry out patch screw replacement.
May I please comment on the liveries depicted in the other photos? Peter Cupper's photograph of 31804 on the front cover, the caption comments upon the fact that the splashers were lined one side and not the other. However, BR Drawing D49/18727, Lining Guide for Passenger Tender Locomotives, quotes re lining of splashers, "When a splasher is screened by external fittings, it shall not be lined." Similarly, the photograph of 31899 shows its very small splashers are unlined. These two photographs clearly show the variations of cab lining - 31804 repainted at Ashford 9/61 and 31899 repainted at Ashford 5/50. The latter has the lining following the complete outline of the cab whereas 31804 shows the later and, in my opinion, neater form.
The photograph of "Lord Nelson"while running on the main line in 1980 shows clearly the large buffer beam numbers of its 1980 restoration by the National Railway Museum to pre-war Bulleid livery. It is generally agreed that the shade of green paint applied was too vivid although the lettering was very good. Author Derek Winkworth has told me that although the large nine inches high numerals were used on the buffer beam to start, they were later discontinued and the standard
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Maunsell numbers were then used. In fact, No.850 in the pre-war period never ran with large numbers on the buffer beam. Let us hope that, when the locomotive is fully restored, it will be painted in an accurate livery.
Finally, the photograph of the malachite green L1 31789. This was repainted at Ashford in February 1948 when it was renumbered s1789 and lettered BRITISH RAILWAYS. It received its BR number in July 1949. The malachite green was lost when it was repainted into BR lined black in April 1953.
In the photograph you can just see that the front of the cab was painted green and lined yellow with black edging as per the side of the cab and the rest of the locomotive. This was standard for locomotives painted at Ashford and on the Isle of Wight. Eastleigh Works however, except for some M7 0-4-4 tanks, did not seem to do this, having the cab fronts of the larger Maunsell locomotives, e.g. LN, N15, "Schools" etc., unlined, sometimes, it is thought, plain green, others definitely black. Can any member throw any further light on this? What did Brighton Works do?
Incidentally, the restored "Schools" Class "Cheltenham" in the NRM has its cab front painted unlined black.
Yours sincerely,
Barry Fletcher
Thanks are due to all contributors and to our printers, Impressions Printing Technology of Sevenoaks, Kent.
Back in Southern Railway days, the Watercress Line's two U Class locomotives are shown to the right, going about their everyday duties, 1625 on a Portsmouth - Cardiff train near Bathampton and 7806 waiting to leave Waterloo. The dates of the photographs are unknown.
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