Newsletter No.18
Spring 1988
Front cover photograph: S15 no. 847 is moved out of the running shed at Sheffield Park by Q class no. 541 on Monday, April 12th giving our photographer the chance to capture it on film and show you the current state of restoration. The recently commissioned unloading ramp at the Park is an extension of 3 road and new arrivals therefore require the track to be cleared - despite this difficulty staff agree that this method of unloading is a vast improvement on the mud and toil system that was previously necessary. The load being delivered next day was the Bluebell's latest acquisition, Maunsell toplight coach no. 1336, lately in departmental use as a mobile office numbered ADS 70313.
Photograph: Mike Frackiewicz
In this edition click to go further to:
Financial Matters or Modelling Maunsell Locos or The Future of 830 or The 506 story
| John Ambler | General Member | 75 Blenheim Road, Horsham, West Sussex RH12 4AJ |
| Mary Bellingham | Treasurer | 7 West Point, Newick, E. Sussex, BN8 4NU. |
| Ray Bellingham | Chairman | As above. |
| George Binns | General Member | 21 Barnfield Close, Hastings, East Sussex TN34 1TS |
| Felix Cope | General Member | Feldor, Grassy Lane, Sevenoaks, Kent TN13 1PL |
| Mike Frackiewicz | Publicity Officer | 55 Rectory Lane, Woodmansterne, Banstead, Surrey, SM7 3PE. |
| David Jones | General Member | 22 Manor Road, Hampden Park, Eastbourne, East Sussex. |
| Rodney Packham | Membership Sec. | 132 Church Road, Swanscombe, Kent DA10 0HP. |
| Steve Pilcher | Newsletter Editor | 52 Thomas More Street, London E1 9LE. |
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This Editorial should hopefully appear in a resurrected magazine-format Newsletter, which I believe our members prefer. One of our members has kindly offered to assist with the production and has undertaken the typesetting and arranged for the printing. Needless to say I am very grateful for his assistance. I just hope the photos come out better than in our last edition!
We are maintaining good progress with 847 and we are grateful for all the subscriptions which arrived after Christmas. We need the money to complete the restoration of 847!
No. 541 double heads no. 1618 away from Sheffield Park on 8th May 1988.
Photograph: Steve Pilcher
This year's AGM will be held in the Belles Tavern Bar at Sheffield Park on Sunday 31 July 1988. The Bar is upstairs in the new buffet block. A prompt start will have to be made at 10.00am as we will have to vacate the bar at 11.00 to allow the bar to be prepared for use at lunch time. We regret this time limit to the meeting, however it is necessary if we want to use a reasonable sized venue on the railway.
All members are welcome. It is always fruitful to discuss our activities directly with our members.
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As usual we have been busy working on 847 and the following jobs have been done since our last report:
(i) Fabrication and fitting of a new cab roof.
(ii) Construction of two combined tool box/seat units inside cab.
(iii) Replacement of wasted platework both on top and on the sides
of. the smokebox. Lifting the chimney into position on the loco.
(iv) Start made on the overhaul of the brake gear components. The
brake beam ends have been skimmed and the brake hangers are being
re-bushed.
(v) Work has started on machining our X10 injectors.
As usual we are indebted to our merry band of regular workers, plus Melvyn Fronsdorff and Ray Bellingham for their skilled work. Our thanks go to Keith Sturt and Colin Turner for their assistance and tolerance and also to all others who have helped us in recent months.
Melvyn and Ray have been active in the work to the smokebox. A large area of platework around the chimney was badly corroded and we have in effect replaced approximately a quarter of the smokebox with one new piece of steel. It required a lot of care cutting the steel to shape and welding it into place without setting up distortion in the surrounding platework. The 'rivet counters' will be pleased to note that the new plate is held into place with bolts that match the rivets they have replaced. Lining the chimney up above the blast pipe was an interesting job, this being crucial in terms of achieving the correct draughting. During this work we established that the King Arthurs had their chimneys a lot closer to the front of the smokebox than the S15s. Presumably this was due to the Arthurs' cylinders being inclined at a different angle and the blast pipes being therefore in a different position. Does anyone know how the boilers were interchanged if the chimneys were in different positions?
Our other regular workers quite enjoyed themselves constructing the cab seats and the roof. We have used 1/8" plate for this work and spent many hours bending it to shape, drilling numerous holes and bolting the whole lot into place. We used the old cab roof as a pattern for marking out the shape and for drilling the holes. We were quite relieved that the new roof fitted as the old one was quite distorted. At the time of writing this report there are still a few jobs left on the cab roof that will keep us occupied for a few weeks. Our next jobs may include sorting out the brake gear and possibly making a start on the cladding. Rodney Packham and Adrian Pinkess have made a smart job of producing two hardwood seats. No dirty overalls allowed in the cab now!
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U class no.1618 awaits the road on an afternoon Santa Special at Sheffield Park on 13th December 1987.
Photograph: Mike Frackiewicz
Our U class loco has been used quite regularly and will be active throughout the year.
Our Q class loco has recently been into the workshops for the following
items of work to be undertaken:
(i) Boring of the piston valves and fitting new rings to both the
valve and the cylinder pistons. The valves were reset as the loco had been
a bit off beat. They now seem spot on and it has made a dramatic
improvement to its power and fuel economy. It also sounds impressive!
(ii) Preparation for a five-year boiler hydraulic test which it
passed with no problems.
(iii) Complete re-paint in SR black as the top of the boiler and the
rear of the tender tank were losing some paint.
The loco is certainly a credit to both the Society and the Bluebell Railway and I would like to thank the workshop staff for all their fine work.
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Although not owned by the Society, we know that members are always pleased to hear news of this popular Maunsell loco which shares its Bluebell home with our own trio of engines. The following repairs are currently being undertaken:
(i) After the failure in service of part of the bogie suspension, the opportunity has been taken to thoroughly overhaul the bogie which was due for attention anyway. The wheelsets have been away for reprofiling, and sundry repairs have been carried out.
(ii) New superheater elements are to be fitted.
(iii) The loco and tender are to be painted in SR olive green.
by John Ambler
When I decided recently to buy or build an 00 gauge (4mm/ft) model of no. 847 I had no idea of what was available either ready to run or in kit form. Observation of the modelling press for a few months has generated a list of easily available kits which I present here to save time for members who may he tempted to build themselves a model of their favourite Maunsell engine. I apologise in advance for any omissions - this was not a major research job, just the fruit of a few hours spent browsing.
Maunsell locomotives are poorly represented on the ready-to-run scene, the only example I have been able to find in current production being the Hornby Schools class. This model is at present available as A900 Eton in an olive livery with oval cabside numberplates, but was previously offered as no. 928 Stowe in malachite green or as no. 30911 Dover in BR black.
Kits for Maunsell designed and rebuilt locomotives are more numerous, some classes being represented by more than one manufacturer, though I have not traced any kits for classes K/K1, L/L1, S, I1X or E1R. Most of the kits listed use brass chassis with whitemetal bodies, though the products of Craftsman (and presumably Falcon Brass) have more highly detailed etched brass superstructures which result in a better model but which require more skill to construct; they are also more expensive. Listed below are kits available, class by class.
| S15 | Three kits available from DJH depicting Maunsell loco with flat sided tender, Urie loco with flared tender and Maunsell loco with flared tender. |
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| Q | Available from Wills Finecast. |
| U/N/Ul/Nl | "Southern Mogul" kit listed by Wills, but I do not have any details of how the variants are catered for! |
| U | DJH produce this model with a choice of 3500 gallon or 4000 gallon tenders. |
| N | DJH as above with same choice of tenders. |
| King Arthur | Wills. |
| Lord Nelson | Craftsman. |
| Schools | Wills. |
| Z | Millholme Models and Falcon Brass. |
| W | Falcon Brass. |
| Dl | Wills. |
| N15X | Nu Cast. |
Potential kit builders should be able to find all of the above products listed somewhere in the advertisements in Railway Modeller magazine.
It may be of interest to readers to know that 4mm/ft scale (00 gauge) etched brass cabside oval numberplates for nos. 541, 847 and 1618 as fitted to the Society's locomotives should all be available from CGW Models from Easter 1988. The plate for 541 is definitely available now as are a range of number and name plates for other classes eg 928 Stowe, KA's, LN's etc.
Should anyone have difficulty finding the kit of their choice or any general questions about getting started in kit building, I will be happy to assist with any information that 1 have to hand. My address is usually shown inside the front cover of this Newsletter and the enclosure of an S.A.E. with your query will ensure a prompt reply.
Felix Cope intends to run a stall at the forthcoming Bluebell Railway Swapmeet on Saturday 23 July at Horsted Keynes. All proceeds will be donated to the Society. In addition, Felix is still collecting stamps and selling them on behalf of the Society. Any stamps or donations for the swapmeet can be left with Ray Bellingham at Sheffield Park, or else sent to Felix at his home address.
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Page 8&9
Centre page photograph: No. 30770 Sir Prianius approaching Hinton Admiral, July 1956
Photograph by courtesy of A. P. Dowley
As predicted, the note in the last Newsletter explaining the reasons behind the purchase of no. 830 created quite an amount of correspondence - not only from within the membership but in the wider Railway Press as well. In some respects this was unfortunate as the information was really only intended for the Society membership.
The general consensus from within the Society, and more importantly from the working members who are actively involved in restoration work on no. 847, is that 830 should be restored to working order as an S15. However this raises some important points, as detailed below:
If the membership shows adequate support, both practically on site and in fundraising, then we may be able to consider full restoration, but a) only if point 1 above is resolved and b) only when no. 847 has returned to steam. The member who owns the engine has indicated that the Society may be able to purchase the engine in easy stages over the next few years providing the other problems mentioned can be resolved, especially the provision from some other source of a bogie and other parts originally allocated to the Atlantic project.
Various members have put forward alternative ideas such as restoration as a King Arthur, rebuilding as an H16, and so on. Further ideas are welcome, either by post to the Editor or verbally at the A. G. M., where time will be allocated for a discussion on the subject.
Editor's Note
The above article has been submitted by the owner of 30830. Since the last Newsletter our members have been busy and have assisted the owner with the following jobs:
-We have needlegunned and painted the boiler and cab with bitumastic to protect the metalwork.
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Needlegunning in progress as no. 30830 receives attention to arrest further deterioration. Note the numberplate, chimney and fresh paint which make the loco look fairly respectable! Our PLV stands alongside.
Photograph: Steve Pilcher
-The smokebox door has been replaced and a replica numberplate fitted. The number has also been painted on the cabside.
-The dome has been blanked off (the dome cover is missing) and a temporary chimney placed on the smokebox. It is the Bulleid chimney from no. 541 and surprisingly it does not look too bad.
The loco now looks quite respectable (see photo) and we feel we have done all that is practicable to mothball it at this stage. I'd like to thank particularly Peter Hazelden and Felix Cope who between them have put in most of the work in tidying up the engine.
Our last Newsletter prompted about a dozen letters from our members, the overwhelming majority of them supporting our action with 30830. We also attracted interest from the general Railway Press, some of which was critical. Whilst I of course do not object to fair criticism, I must make a couple of points with regard to the article that appeared in a February edition of Steam Railway News, under our logo. The article was not written by us, although the facts had been gleaned from a copy of our Newsletter which had been sent to the Editor. I had asked to be consulted before anything was published about 30830 but did not receive this courtesy before their article appeared in print. The use of our logo was totally unauthorised and not surprisingly we received no fee for the use of our material!
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To state the obvious - this Newsletter is primarily for the benefit of members of the Maunsell Locomotive Society Ltd. Since it can cause embarrassment if material from our Newsletters is used (especially out of context) by outside organisations, without prior consultation, I must firmly state that we reserve the copyright on all material in any of our publications. Henceforth, our agreement must be obtained before anyone uses material from this or any other edition of our Newsletter.
by Peter Cooper
During 1987, no. 506 became the second S15 to complete restoration from Barry Scrapyard condition. The locomotive was bought from Woodhams on 26th March 1973 by the Urie S15 Preservation Group (now the Urie Locomotive Society) and arrived at the Mid-Hants Railway on 29th April 1976. After some initial work at Alresford, most of the restoration was carried out at Ropley, with the final assembly taking place in the locomotive shed there.
No. 506's boiler was lifted on 29th April 1978 (exactly two years after arrival) and the chassis of the locomotive was later dismantled further, prior to refurbishment of components. In 1980 it was found that the boiler was not a practicable proposition for restoration (without vast expense) and so a replacement boiler was obtained from Maunsell S15 no. 30825 at Barry.
Urie S15 no. 506 at work on the Mid-Hants Railway. Photograph: E. Martin
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The circumstances were slightly unusual, as normally Mr Woodham would not consider sale of a boiler on its own.
The fitting of the replacement boiler in February 1981 can be taken as the start of real visible progress towards restoration. Since then the team have had their diversions - first there were 18 months spent restoring the T9 no. 30120, and later 18 months helping to refurbish the WD 2-10-0 no. 90775 - but at the end of June 1987, after long intensive hours had been worked by the "core" members of the team, the fire was lit and the locomotive returned to steam. By that time all aspects of no. 506 had been overhauled, and many parts had been replaced, with most of the new components being made in the workshop at Ropley, thereby saving a great deal of money.
No. 506 is now a regular worker on the Mid-Hants Railway, and her owners and restorers look forward to being able to welcome no. 847 to the ranks of restored S 15s.
Editor's Note
The above article has been kindly supplied by Peter Cooper, the Urie Locomotive Society's Newsletter Editor. Our members may be interested to note that the Urie Locomotive Society is now actively raising funds for the restoration of their second S15, no. 30499. The engine is, I believe, not currently available for public viewing, being in store in a siding at Alresford. It has the 8 wheel bogie tender formerly attached to 30825, also obtained from Barry. The society lacks fittings and parts of the motion but progress is being made in acquiring suitable replacements. The sight of two Urie S15s at work together on the Mid-Hants is certainly a prospect to relish.
Peter Cooper has very kindly sent me an advance copy of the Urie Locomotive Society's latest publication, "The 506 Story". It is a 32 page history of 506 with a detailed but easily readable text and over 30 good photographs. The cover has two excellent colour pictures taken since 506 returned to traffic on the MidHants last year.
I believe this is Peter's third book: his previous volumes on the Urie S15s and the Maunsell S15s are hopefully already well known to our members. I certainly think they are the best books on their subject. Peter is a keen member of our Society as well. I can certainly recommend this book to members; copies can be obtained from The Urie Locomotive Society's Sales Officer, John Bell, at 10 Downs View, Isleworth, Middx. TW7 5HF. The price is £2.50 + 32p for post & packing.
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On May 22 Harry Frith, leader of the 828 group (and a former foreman at Eastleigh Erecting Shops) and some of the project's workers paid a visit to Sheffield Park. Hopefully they were favourably impressed with our progress with 847! Our Chairman and Harry have been in regular contact with each other and Harry has been very helpful in the past with his advice.
It was an interesting opportunity to meet and discuss progress on both projects. This year the 828 group are concentrating on their boiler and I understand that they hope to retube it with a view to having it back in the frames in time for the Open Day at Eastleigh this September. The loco is being restored to main line standards and should eventually appear in traffic in Maunsell green.
We would like to thank all members who have taken the trouble to send us donations recently. These have been much appreciated.
However we are still short of funds to help us complete 847. I believe we now have all there castings for the boiler fittings, but we still have to purchase the material for the boiler cladding and copper pipe for all the pipe runs, etc. All this will cost a tidy four figure sum and we would therefore welcome any contributions from our members. All cheques should be made out to The Maunsell Locomotive Society and sent either to our Secretary, Rodney Packham, or direct to our Treasurer, Mary Bellingham.
Z class no 30952. Photograph: E. Gamblin
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S15 no. 841 at work on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway on 24th May 1987, photographed near Goathland while working the 16.40 train from Grosmont to Pickering.
Photograph: David Idle
Despite having mentioned Felix Cope twice already in this Newsletter, I make no apologies for telling members about his involvement in the celebrations to mark the start of the Bluebell's greatest project. On Sunday March 13th the Secretary of State for Transport, Paul Channon, officially launched the work of extending the line northwards to East Grinstead. Felix, as the Bluebell's oldest regular working volunteer (81 years), was invited along with Michael Hawkins, the youngest (14), to tighten the first fishplate. This they did to much applause from the huge crowd present and photographs appeared in both national and local press. We look forward to Felix officiating on 847's return to steam - and who's to say he won't be on the footplate of 847 on some glorious future date when it pulls in to East Grinstead station?
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Back page photograph: No. 830 at Salisbury on 13th
July 1939.
Photograph kindly donated to the Society by A. P. Dowley
