Projects
Overhaul of No. 6 Part 2
We knew that the work on the boiler of No. 6 would not be a quick job, and so once the boiler had been collected (in February 2019) we were not expecting it to be returned to us repaired until at least the end of 2019. And, of course, this was a long time before the phrase "corona virus" had become common place, and it turned out that this pandemic was to disrupt planned time scales significantly for lots of things.
Meanwhile, the other bit of the locomotive that needed overhauling was the saddle tank, and so we turned our attention to this. Once the tank had been craned down from where it had been stored, on top of a container adjacent to the car park, it did not take much inspection to identify that the back end of it was in a very poor condition. This was hardly surprising, as the back of the tank forms part of the front of the coal bunker, and coal dust is quite corrosive. Indeed, it was obvious that this part of the tank had been patched before, but a section of the patch had now rusted through.
This meant that the only realistic approach was to start by cutting the back out of the tank, so that then we could see inside properly, in order to assess the condition of the rest of it. The picture below shows the inside of the tank, viewed through the hole where the back of it had been cut out.
Cutting the back out of the tank needed to be done quite carefully, so as not to damage the rest of the tank. Also, the bit that was cut out had to be kept, so that it could be used as a template to make a replacement that would be exactly the right shape to be welded into place, once the rest of the tank had been overhauled. The picture below shows the piece that had been cut out, carefully labelled "Do Not Scrap", to ensure that it would be kept. The hole where it had rusted through is clearly visible.
Once we could assess the condition of the inside of the tank, though, it became apparent that the rest of it was not in much better state. Indeed, repairing it properly would effectively mean building a complete new tank, rather than just welding in some new pieces of plate. Because the tank was actually of rivetted construction (even if this was not obvious to the casual observer, since the rivets had been carefully countersunk), this meant that we had to make a choice between the completely authentic option of a new rivetted tank, or the simpler and cheaper option of a welded one.
By this time (March 2019) Northern Steam Engineering had started work on the boiler, and had advised us that the top part of the smokebox (where it fits under the saddle tank) was beyond repair, and so a significant part of the smokebox was also going to need replacement. With the costs of completing the overhaul apparently mounting up, we took the decision that the replacement saddle tank should be a welded one, to reduce the cost, and so drawings were prepared and tenders obtained.
Similarly, Northern Steam Engineering were instructed to remove the old smokebox, as a prelude to them constructing a new one. This would involve a new front plate and a new wrapper plate, but fortunately the smokebox door and hinges were still in useable condition, and so they were kept, ready for fitting onto the new box once it had been built.
The picture below shows the boiler in the works at Northern Steam Engineering, with the new firebox side plate welded into place and the support angle (which sits on the main frames to carry the weight of the back of the boiler) riveted on to it. The bottom edge of the plate has been riveted into place, and it has been bolted temporarily to the backhead and throat plate, to support it while the stay holes had been drilled through.
Another picture, taken on the same visit to inspect progress, shows the front of the boiler, with the old smokebox removed and some of the rivets that fasten the tubeplate to the boiler replaced. All was now ready for them to start fabricating the new smokebox.
Meanwhile, the new tank had been delivered, and we had fitted to it the tank filler cap and handrail knobs (which we had salvaged from the old tank) and the handrail (which we had made new). By this time we had had the long discussion about what the final livery should be, and had agreed that it would be in the original shade of green, with black edging for the panels. So both the tank and cab had been moved into the paint shop, where they are shown in the picture below.
By this time the corona virus pandemic was disrupting everything, and so it was beginning to look as though we would not actually complete the overhaul during 2020. In particular, Northern Steam had initially needed to furlough their staff, until they had been able to work out a scheme to enable them to operate in a CoViD-safe manner, and then there had been significant delays in the deliveries of components such as the boiler tubes. But they had managed to solve these problems, and by the time of the next inspection visit (in June 2020, roughly a year after the first one) all the tubes had been fitted into the boiler, and the base for the new smokebox had been made and fitted, as shown in the picture below. Also, the ashpan had been checked over, to make sure that it would fit onto the bottom of the firebox, and in this picture it can be seen on a pallet underneath the boiler, newly repainted in aluminium paint.
Given this progress, we were starting to look forward to the return of the boiler, but the hydraulic test of the boiler showed up two problems that would need fixing, both to do with the "J" pipe. This connects the regulator valve (which is mounted inside the dome) to the main steam pipe (which runs through to the front tubeplate, and emerges through the large round hole that is visible at the top of the tubeplate in the picture above). One of these problems was that there was a small hole in the "J" pipe itself, through which steam could leak continuously, and the other was that there were problems with the joint between the "J" pipe and the main steam pipe, so that again this would leak steam continuously.
Fixing these problems involved taking the "J" pipe out and sending it to a firm who specialise in welding cast iron components. They welded up the "J" pipe and sent it back to Northern Steam, who re-fitted it into the boiler and made a new joint onto the main steam pipe. They were then able to repeat the hydraulic boiler test satisfactorily, and follow this up by steam testing the boiler. Having passed this, it was then loaded onto a suitable lorry, along with the ashpan, and transported back to Leeds. On arrival the first step was to fit the ashpan to the bottom of the firebox, as illustrated in the picture below (which also shows the effect of the steam test on the paint on the back of the firebox).
Once the ashpan had been fitted, then the hydraulic hoist on the lorry lifted the whole boiler assembly, swung it round and lowered it gently into the frames of the locomotive, as shown in the picture below. It had been an important part of the arrangements that the boiler needed to be moved by a lorry with a hoist that had sufficient capacity to do this, as the boiler assembly was too heavy for our grey crane to lift.
Much to our great relief, the boiler slotted nicely back into the frames, although the base of the smokebox did require a bit of persuasion with some large hammers to fit down round the top of the cylinder casting. Also, it became apparent that the new cab footplate extended just a little bit too far forward to clear the boiler drain valve, which is mounted on the back of the firebox below the fire door. So we would have to cut a slot in the front of the cab floor to clear it, and the picture below shows the preparations being made for this.
The footplate material is not particularly thick, and so it was fairly easy to cut the slot out using a small grinder fitted with a cutting disc, as shown in this picture.
With the boiler fitted nicely into the frames, No. 6 could then be shunted back into the workshop, ready for the next steps. The Sentinel was included in the shunt so as to get the two locomotives into the most suitable order on the track in the workshop for the remaining work on each.
Once in the workshop, the first steps had been to fit the rockwool lagging to the boiler, and the crinoline rings that hold it in place and support the cladding sheets. Also we had needed to make a new set of firedoors, and these had been fitted to the back of the firebox, as shown in the picture below.
None of the original cladding sheets had been in a fit condition to be reused, so we had needed to make a complete new set. This had involved cutting each sheet out carefully to fit round features such as the dome, holding the sheets temporarily in place with webbing straps, and then finally securing them with the boiler bands, as shown in this picture. Here the lighting makes it almost impossible to tell the boiler bands from the cladding sheets, as while the firebox cladding had now had a coat of dark green undercoat, the rest were still all in red oxide primer.
With the cladding in place, the next step was to fit the cab and the tank, so No. 6 was shunted out of the workshop to enable the crane to access it. The cab and the tank had been sitting on trolleys which had been stabled outside the workshop, behind the locomotive, and so these were rolled out through the workshop and the cab lifted off its trolley with the crane, as in the picture below.
As the cab was being lowered into place, its position needed to be adjusted carefully, to ensure that all the bolt holes would line up properly with the ones in the chassis and footplates. Once this had been done, as shown in this picture, then it could be lowered the last couple of inches and bolted into place.
Bolting down the cab and bunker unit took some time, and once this had been done then it was the turn of the tank to be lifted off its trolley with the crane, as shown in the picture below.
Positioning the tank was going to be a trickier job than positioning the cab, because it was a new tank, and while we had been very careful over the measurements for it we had no guarantee that it would fit as exactly as we needed. Consequently, the last foot or so of lowering the tank into position was done very carefully, checking all the points at which things might foul if dimensions were not quite right, as shown below.
It was a great relief to everybody when the tank fitted with no apparent problems, as in this picture, so that the crane could release the weight. Then the slings could be taken off, and No. 6 was shunted back into the workshop. It was beginning to look like a locomotive at last!
The next step was to start fitting the pipework to the tank, but this did identify a problem, in that the balance pipe which goes underneath the boiler fouled on the front sandboxes. So the tank had to be taken off again, the fittings for the balance pipe moved back an inch or two so that they did not foul, and then the tank replaced. The picture below shows the locomotive back in the workshop, with the balance pipe (painted black) now fitted.
By this time it was clear that the overhaul would not be completed during 2020, as there was still a lot of work to do, and only a few weeks of the year left in which to do it. The chimney had been aligned with the blastpipe and fitted, but the dome cover still had to be fitted, as did all the remaining pipework, and the associated valves and other fittings. Also the tank needed to be given its final coats of paint. But once these were done, it was time to steam test the locomotive, and the picture below shows it under test outside the workshop.
After a lot of careful checking, it was time for it to move, at least as far as the coaling stage. Once some coal had been taken on, then the dustsheets that had been covering the tank were taken off and it was shunted back a bit for some photographs to mark the occasion, such as the one below.
This of course was not the end of the story, as there were still details to sort out, such as the bunker wing plates which extend up behind the tank and alongside the firebox. Also, the lining out of the tank and the cab still needs to be completed, including fitting the works plates. But we confidently hope that it will be ready for service for the start of the 2021 operating season.
Go back to the main page for this project.
Go to the page "Help Raise Steam in No. 6", which describes the appeal for funds that we had set up to help finish this project.
More Information
Pages about other projects:
- Last Coals to Leeds;
- Project Phoenix;
- Building a Running Shed;
- Overhauling "Brookes No. 1";
- Conserving "Picton".
Other pages provide more information about:
Hunslet Wagon Restoration
In June 2015 we ran an event to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the first locomotive to have been built by the Hunslet Engine Company Ltd. As part of our preparations for this, we restored the flatbed wagon that we had acquired from Hunslet's, starting in January 2015.
This restoration included the fitting of a through vacuum brake pipe, so that the wagon could be run as part of a passenger train. Originally, of course, the wagon had not had any vacuum brake fittings.
A page documenting this restoration formed part of the special web site that was created for that event. That site ceased to exist not long after the event, but we did not want to lose the record of this wagon restoration project, and so the material from it (including the logos that had been created specially for the event) has all been transferred to this page.
On the original site the pictures of the restoration work were laid out in rows of three, and appeared in that layout on any device. Here they have been re-arranged into rows of two, or a single column if you are viewing the page on a mobile phone, so as to give a better appearance.
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Below is the photo gallery of the restoration of our ex-Hunslet works flatbed which was converted from an earlier wagon in 1951. Parts of it were found to date from 1897 and 1903!
Progress for the end of February : chassis well underway, brake gear overhauled and a sneak peek at the final livery!
April 22nd : The chassis lifted off its wheels to enable better access.
April 25th - May 10th : The wheels have been needled gunned down and painted up in red oxide. Also the brake gear painted up to black gloss.
May 24th - 31st : The frames were painted from red oxide up to black gloss/Brunswick green, a through pipe was fitted and brake hangers were sourced, as well as dolly hangers. The wooden planks were cut to size and offered up.
June 22nd : The wagon is now almost complete with the decking in place, brake gear finished and vacuum system complete. It is all looking very smart and the remaining jobs include axlebox lubrication (the original system used animal fat) and signwriting.
June 29th : This weekend some finishing touches were made to the paintwork, including picking out the brake handles with white ends. The signwriting has also begun as the picture below shows. This really is an exciting final step on the road to restoration.
The wagon chassis in the workshop
A close-up of a chassis angle, before cleaning
The chassis before painting, from above
An end view of the chassis, after needle-gunning
Original lettering on the solebar, revealed by the cleaning
A patch of original Hunslet green paint on the solebar, revealed by removal of a plate
A close-up of the chassis angles, after needle-gunning
A close-up of a brake-lever pin, before cleaning
Brakegear components on the workbench
Brakegear slotted levers on the workbench
Two bolts, one cleaned and the other waiting to be cleaned
A close-up of a brake-lever pin, after cleaning
Close-up of brake lever pin collar
Brakegear components after needle-gunning
A closer view of the wagon chassis
An end view of the chassis, partly primed
Preparing to llift the chassis off its wheels
Wheelsets over the pit, before painting
Wheelsets and chassis with the Engine House behind
A close-up of one wheel, before painting
A brake shoe in primer
Brake levers in primer, and brake shoes in black
The chassis outside, in primer
A close-up of one set of the W irons
The chassis outside the workshop
One wheelset in primer
The two vacuum pipe dollies drying
The chassis outside, in light grey undercoat
An end view of the chassis, mostly in grey undercoat
The chassis outside, with the water tower behind
The wheelsets in the workshop during painting
A wheel rim, showing the inscription "Millom Steel 10 11 97"
A close-up of a wheelrim, showing the date (1905)
An axle showing the forging date (1897)
A wheelset journal, with the boss in primer
The inside of a wheel boss, showing the inscription "1897 Dallam Forge"
Three painted brake levers
Parts of the brake gear after painting
An end view of parts of the brake gear after painting
One brake shoe, in black
The chassis outside, with the crane alongside it
An end view of the chassis, with the buffer beam in red undercoat
A wheelset, partly painted
The painted wheelsets in the workshop
The wheelsets in the workshop, with the vacuum brake pipe
The chassis outside, partly in green top coat
A close-up of a chassis solebar in green top coat
The chassis with the timber decking almost complete
The finished wagon in the workshop
A chassis solebar and the end of a bufferbeam, waiting for the last bits of brake gear to be fitted
One end of the finished wagon in the workshop
The underside of the chassis
A painted axlebox, showing the inscription "Wrigley Maker Bulwell"
A side view of the wagon
A spring and axlebox
A close-up of an axlebox
A vacuum brake pipe dolly
The finished lettering on the wagon
Overhaul of No. 6 Part 1
As explained in the main page for this project, the overhaul of No. 6 started in 2001, and by 2005 had reached a stage where it was appropriate to start work on the boiler, but this then got overtaken by the project to completely remodel the Moor Road site and construct the Engine House building. By 2014, when work on the locomotive resumed, it became apparent that major boiler repairs would be needed, and once we had done what work we could on the boiler, then an appeal was launched to fund the rest of these repairs.
At this time much of our engineering work was focused on the project to overhaul "Brookes No. 1", but once this locomotive was returned to steam successfully in August 2017 then we could start to look again at what needed to be done to the chassis of No. 6. By this time we had acquired a pair of proper boiler stands, and the boiler of No. 6 was the first to be put on them, as shown in the picture below.
Assessing the work needed for the chassis involved a lot of careful measurement, and one of the main conclusions of this was that the crankpins on the wheels were not as round as they should be. Putting this right involved a little bit of work with a grinder, a lot more work with files, and finally finishing off each pin with emery cloth.
Once we had the pins round, then it was possible to fit the bearings to them, which involved machining out the gunmetal a bit to allow the bearing surfaces to be coated with white metal, and then very careful machining of each bearing to ensure that it fitted properly to the corresponding crank pin. Then the side rods and connecting rods could be painted, and the picture below shows the two painted connecting rods on the ground alongside the chassis, and the left hand side rod up on the footplate.
Another piece of work that had been identified by all the measurements that had been made was that the piston rings were sufficiently worn to need some attention. Since we had some material for making new piston rings left over from the overhaul of "Brookes No. 1", we decided to use this and make new piston rings. To go with these we also decided to replace the glands on the rear cylinder covers, which seal round the piston rods. The picture below shows one of the cylinder covers waiting to be refitted to the cylinder.
The other piece of work that had been identified by the measurements was the need to fit the crossheads to the slidebars. The slidebars themselves needed very little attention, and so the first step was to adjust the positions of the bottom slidebars on each side, to ensure that they were parallel to the centre lines of the cylinders. This was done by fitting shims at each end of each slidebar, and the picture below shows the left-hand side of the chassis with the bottom slidebars in their correct positions. At this point the front cylinder covers had not yet been fitted, to allow the centre lines of the cylinders to be measured accurately.
With the bottom slidebars in their correct positions, the next step was to fit the crossheads. These needed to have their centre lines at exactly the right height to match the centre lines of the cylinders, and this involved overhauling the slippers that are mounted in the crossheads, and that slide on the slide bars. As with the bearings, this was done by coating the slippers with white metal and then machining them to fit, and the picture below shows one of our volunteers preparing a slipper for this.
Once the slipper was ready, then a suitable quantity of white metal had to be melted in a ladle, as shown in the picture below.
Then another of our volunteers could pour the molten white metal into the mould that held the slipper, so as to coat the slipper with the white metal, as shown in the picture below.
Once everything had cooled down, then the outside of the slipper could be machined to fit exactly into the crosshead, and the picture below shows one of our volunteers doing this on the milling machine.
Then the slipper could be mounted in the crosshead, and the surfaces that slide on the slide bars could be machined to fit the slide bars. This too was done on the milling machine, as shown in the picture below.
An essential part of getting a good fit between the slipper and the slide bars is careful measurement, and the picture below shows the width of the gap between the sides of the slipper being checked with a micrometer.
Once the crosshead slippers had been machined to the correct dimensions, then the crosshead could be positioned in the slide bars, and the height of the top slide bar adjusted by shimming it to give exactly the right clearance between the bottom and top slide bars. Another of our volunteers is shown in the picture below, measuring the thicknesses of the shims that are needed, using a set of reference shims from the yellow case on the floor.
With both slide bars fitted to give the correct clearances for the crosshead, then the side rods and connecting rods could be fitted, as shown in the picture below of the left-hand side of the chassis.
Then, of course, the whole process had to be repeated for the right-hand side of the chassis. The picture below shows one of our volunteers fitting the crosshead onto the piston rod, so that then the cotter pin can be driven into place to hold it tight.
Once everything fitted correctly, with the slide bars, crossheads, piston rods, side rods and connecting rods all in place, then attention needed to be turned to the sanding gear. The sand boxes were found to be fairly well blocked with old sand, and a lot of time had to be spent cleaning this out. Then the sand boxes could be painted and fitted to the chassis, and the picture below shows the rear right-hand sand box in place.
While the sanding gear was being worked on, work also started on fitting the locomotive for vacuum braking, which it had not previously had. The picture above shows some of the vacuum brake piping under the cab, and the picture below shows the front buffer beam with the vacuum brake pipe and hose in place, and behind it the dolly for the brake hose.
Because the locomotive never had vacuum braking previously, fitting the pipework for it has not been easy, as we wanted to try to keep this out of sight as far as possible. Consequently, a lot of the piping has involved short lengths fitted together with elbows that are screwed onto the ends of the pieces of pipe. Our screw-cutting machine has proved very useful for making the screw threads on the ends of the lengths of pipe, and the picture below shows one of our volunteers operating it to cut the thread on the end of a piece of pipe.
Meanwhile, discussions about the boiler repairs had been going on with various contractors, which had indicated that fortunately the cost of these was likely to be closer to £40,000 than the £60,000 for which we had originally been budgeting. This, together with the prospect that funding which could cover this figure would become available, encouraged us to decide in January 2019 to place a contract with Northern Steam Engineering Ltd. for the boiler work to be done. So, the boiler was lifted off the stands, and the picture below shows it waiting to be transported to their works in Stockton-on-Tees.
The departure of the boiler marked a natural break in the overhaul work, and to reflect this the story of the project is continued on a separate page.
Go to the page for part 2 of the overhaul.
Go back to the main page for this project.
Go to the page "Help Raise Steam in No. 6", which describes the appeal for funds that we needed to set up to help finish this project (although this appeal is now closed).
More Information
Pages about other projects:
- Last Coals to Leeds;
- Project Phoenix;
- Building a Running Shed;
- Overhauling "Brookes No. 1";
- Conserving "Picton".
Other pages provide more information about:
Middleton Colliery Memorial
As part of our "Last Coals to Leeds" project, a plaque has been created as a memorial to all those who worked at the Middleton Broom Colliery during the 100 years of its existence, and particularly to those who gave their lives in the course of this work. Eventually this plaque will be located right at the south end of our Moor Road platform, where trains depart heading for Park Halt (on the edge of the site where the colliery was located). In September 2018, however, there was still a lot more work to do to prepare this site, and so in readiness for our "Last Coals to Leeds" event at the end of September the plaque was installed in a temporary location beside the railway track.
An unveiling ceremony for the plaque was then held on Friday 21st September, although the weather on that day hardly turned out to be kind to this event, as you can see from the number of umbrellas that appear in the pictures below. The unveiling was performed by Councillor Judith Blake, as the leader of Leeds City Council, who had sponsored the whole project through their Community Wellbeing Fund. She was assisted by Charles Milner, our chairman, and by Councillor Paul Truswell, who represents the Middleton Park ward.
Charles Milner began the proceedings by giving a brief explanation of the history of the colliery and its significance both to the local community and to the railway. The railway track itself is just out of the picture on the left-hand side.
Picture © Tony Cowling, 2018
Councillor Judith Blake, sheltering under an umbrella held by one of our volunteers, responded by explaining the importance of this commemoration to Leeds City Council.
Picture © Tony Cowling, 2018
Councillor Judith Blake unveils the plaque, with Charles Milner looking after the other end of the cords that had been holding the union flag in place over the plaque.
Picture © Tony Cowling, 2018
Councillors Paul Truswell (left) and Judith Blake (right) pose with the plaque.
Picture © Tony Cowling, 2018
The design and wording of the plaque.
Picture © Tony Cowling, 2018
More Information
Pages about other projects:
- Raising Steam in No. 6;
- Project Phoenix;
- Building a Running Shed;
- Overhauling "Brookes No. 1";
- Conserving "Picton";
Other pages provide more information about:
Running Shed Opening Ceremony
Once the Running Shed had been fitted out, the final stage of the project to build it was to have a grand opening ceremony. As is often the case with such opening ceremonies, this took place some considerable time after the shed had begun to be used, since this had been during December 2017, for preparing the locomotives that were operating the Santa Specials. The opening ceremony then took place more than six months later, on 21st July 2018.
The opening ceremony was performed by Councillor Judith Blake, the leader of Leeds City Council, and we had invited all those who had contributed to the project - either financially or by volunteering during the construction of the building. The response had been considerable, and so a good crowd had gathered in the area just outside the Engine House, as shown in the picture below.
Looking towards the platform, and part of the crowd attending the ceremony, who were gathered outside the Engine House and the Running Shed. In the foreground, on the track side of the rope barrier, are (from left to right) Don Townsley (a Vice President of MRT), Ian Smith (a Vice President of MRT) and Councillor Judith Blake.
Picture © Janet Auckland, 2018.
Ian Smith, one of our Vice Presidents, acted as master of ceremonies, and began with some brief safety information, mainly warning people to be careful of the two pits if they visited the Running Shed. He then introduced Councillor Judith Blake, as shown in the two pictures below.
Ian Smith introducing Councillor Judith Blake, with the Engine House behind them.
Picture © Janet Auckland, 2018.
Ian Smith introducing Councillor Judith Blake, with Don Townsley to the right of her, and behind them the Running Shed and a couple of our volunteers who were crewing the locomotives.
Picture © Tony Cowling, 2018.
Councillor Judith Blake then made a speech, explaining briefly the significance of the Running Shed to the railway, and the significance of its location on the former alignment of the old Middleton Light Railway, which had been part of Leeds City Tramways. She then went on to encourage the crowd to congratulate all of the volunteers who had been involved in the project to construct the Running Shed.
Councillor Judith Blake making her speech, and being listened to attentively by Ian Smith, Don Townsley, some of our volunteers and part of the crowd.
Picture © Tony Cowling, 2018.
Councillor Judith Blake making her speech, and encouraging the audience to congratulate all of the volunteers who had worked on the Running Shed project.
Picture © Janet Auckland, 2018.
Following her speech, Councillor Judith Blake then waved the green flag to signal to the drivers of the two locomotives that they should bring them out of the Running Shed.
Councillor Judith Blake signalling to the drivers of the locomotives to leave the Running Shed.
Picture © Tony Cowling, 2018.
Almost a driver's-eye view of Councillor Judith Blake signalling to them to bring the locomotives out of the Running Shed.
Picture © Janet Auckland, 2018.
At this point somebody suggested to Councillor Judith Blake that she really ought to have a whistle as well as a green flag, and so one was immediately provided.
Councillor Judith Blake, now with whistle as well, signalling to the drivers to bring the locomotives out of the Running Shed.
Picture © Janet Auckland, 2018.
The first of the two locomotives to emerge was the Hudswell Clarke diesel D577 Mary.
HC D577 Mary emerging from the Running Shed.
Picture © Janet Auckland, 2018.
As Mary ran past the crowd it was greeted enthusiastically, at least by those who were not occupied in taking photographs of it! It then ran forward past the coaling stage and out onto the passenger line, and then ran back through the loop and coupled on to the rear of the passenger train.
HC D577 Mary making its way past the crowd towards the coaling stage.
Picture © Andrew Gill, 2018.
The second of the two locomotives involved in the ceremony was the steam locomotive NER 1310, and the two pictures below show it following Mary out of the Running Shed.
NER 1310 emerging from the Running Shed.
Picture © Janet Auckland, 2018.
NER 1310 emerging from the Running Shed.
Picture © Janet Auckland, 2018.
NER 1310 was also greeted enthusiastically by those in the crowd who were not busy taking photographs of it. As shown in the two pictures below, it too ran forward as far as the coaling stage, but then it reversed back and returned to the Running Shed.
NER 1310 making its way past the crowd towards the coaling stage.
Picture © Andrew Gill, 2018.
NER 1310 almost at the coaling stage, before reversing back into the Running Shed.
Picture © Andrew Gill, 2018.
Once NER 1310 was back in the Running Shed, then many of the crowd came to inspect the shed, and in particular to look at the engraved bricks on the outside wall. Others went for lunch, while quite a number went for a ride on the train. This included Judith Blake and her fellow councillors, and the two pictures below show them on the locomotive which was at the front of the train, namely Hudswell Clarke D1373 MD&HB No. 45.
Judith Blake in the cab of HC D1373, with the driver standing behind her.
Picture © Janet Auckland, 2018.
The team of local councillors on the footplate of HC D1373. From left to right, they are: Councillor Al Garthwaite, Councillor Paul Wray, Councillor Paul Truswell, and (in the cab of the locomotive) Councillor Kim Groves and Councillor Judith Blake.
Picture © Janet Auckland, 2018.
This not only completed the ceremony, but also the whole of the project. From the initial decision to start, which had been taken in May 2013, it had taken just over 5 years. This may sound like a long time for a building that holds just two locomotives, but not only did we have a railway to run at the same time as we were building it, but also we were constructing another building (in connection with our HLF-funded project to acquire and conserve the David Monckton collection of locomotives), and overhauling one of these locomotives too. Other sets of project pages will tell you about the Picton shelter building and the overhaul of Brookes No. 1.
Given that all this was going on as well, we think that we did quite well!
Go back to the previous stage in this project.
Return to the overall description of this project.
More Information
Other pages about this project and the "Buy a Brick" appeal:
- An overview of the project and the appeal;
- The "Buy a Brick" appeal;
- The structure of the project;
- The progress with the project;
- The construction of the pit;
- Design and site preparation;
- Construction of the foundations;
- Erection of the framework;
- Construction of the walls and roof;
- Fitting out.
Other pages provide more information about:
