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edition 43

1638's completed tender

our engines 16K


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1638 restoration report

Our engines - the way forward

Maunsells' tenders

Fond memories of the South Western


PRESIDENT

The Hon. Ralph Montagu

LIST OF DIRECTORS

Ray Bellingham Chairman and
Chief Engineer
c/o Sheffield Park Workshop,
Bluebell Railway.
George Binns Membership
Secretary
21 Barnfield Close,
Hastings,
East Sussex, TN34 1TS.
Mike Frackiewicz Company
Secretary
23 Stratton Avenue,
Wallington, SM6 9LJ.
Steve Pilcher Treasurer 312 Riverside Mansions,
Garnet Street, Wapping,
London E1 9SZ.
Ian Hawkins Newsletter
Editor
16 Hazelmere Road,
Whitstable, Kent CT5 4AN.
Other Directors
Peter Jessop, David Jones, Adrian Pinkess, David Pinkess, Barry Smith and Paul Thorp.
Web site: www.maunsell.org.uk

EDITORS CHAT

The hot news is that 1638’s tender is now finished. You can read all about it in Steve Pilcher’s report elsewhere in this issue. You can also read about the results of the Directors’ deliberations when they met in April to discuss the way forward with regard to the overhaul of our locomotives.

This issue also sees the start of two new articles. Clive Groome’s fond memories of South Western 4-6-0s (“chonkers” he calls them but he means it kindly. I’m sure) and the results of Arthur LI. Lambert’s research into Maunsell’s tenders. The latter nicely complements the completion of the work on 1638’s tender.

Finally, it’s humble pie time. In Newsletter No.42, under the heading LOCATION 1. I described locomotive 44264 as a Black 5 when, in reality, it was an LMS Standard 4F 0-6-0. The mistake was all mine as, for some reason, I chose to add “Black 5” to the information provided to me.

Ian Hawkins

Front cover: Photographed by Steve Pilcher in early May, there were just a few fiddly jobs to be completed, e.g. part of the beading round the tender top.

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MEMBERSHIP MATTERS

Our membership is quite well distributed as the following list shows, and it is of interest to see how many of us live far enough away to make a visit to the railway a major undertaking.

Bedfordshire 4 Lancashire 1
Berkshire 1 Lincolnshire 2
Buckinghamshire 2 London 18
Cambridgeshire 2 Merseyside 1
Cornwall 1 Middlesex 8
Cumbria 1 Northamptonshire 1
Derbyshire 2 Nottinghamshire 3
Devon 3 Oxfordshire 5
Dorset 5 Scotland 1
East Sussex 29 Somerset 3
Essex 9 Suffolk 1
Gloucestershire 3 Surrey 57
Harnpshire 17 Wales 5
Herefordshire 2 West Midlands 2
Hertfordshire 9 West Sussex 39
Isle of Wight 1 Wiltshire 2
Jersey 1 Worcestershire 2
Kent 52 Yorkshire 5

Overseas

Australia. Austria. Canada (2), Philippines and Spain

Total: 306

We have had some success with the information leaflets in the box by 1638. Thirteen new members have joined in that way since January this year.

George Binns

TREASURER'S REPORT

The main bit of news is that we have had a successful fundraising effort at the beginning of this year, paid back a total of £15,000 of the £20,000 we had borrowed to buy “Stowe” and the donor has very generously waived the re-payment of the final £5,000. We have now cleared all debts and “Stowe” is fully paid for.

The second hit of good news is that our accountants/auditors have advised on the Capital Gains Tax issues and a settlement of £713 has been reached we had feared it might have been higher.

All members should receive a copy of the 2000 accounts along with this magazine. It was a truly exceptional year. Members may find it helpful if Ielaborate on some of the figures:

In the detailed profit and loss account on the last page, the figure of £59,744 for the “Stowe” appeal relates to two very generous donations totalling £50.000 from members and a very

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splendid £9,744 from the main membership. The purchase price was made up from the £59,744 funds from the “Stowe” appeal, the proceeds from the sales of S15 830 and the “Sir Dinadan” nameplate, the £20,000 loan and some of our cash reserves. The main membership also contributed £3,926 during the year for the 1638 tender tank appeal.

We had been asked not to advertise the purchase pride of “Stowe” which we have abided by and have not mentioned it in our magazine or in conversations with the railway press. However, as a company limited by guarantee, we have to publish a full set of accounts. For those who want to know the purchase price of “Stowe”, it is disclosed as an addition to fixed assets on page 8.

To sum up, it can be seen from the detailed profit and loss account on the back page that we made a very large surplus (£79,363) on our normal activities as a result of the fundraising appeal for “Stowe”. This surplus was used to buy “Stowe” and to pay off the first £5,000 of the £20,000 loan (the remainder of this loan was paid off/waived in the current financial year and will therefore appear in the accounts published next year).

As regards this year, we have received approximately £2,500 more from our members re the “Stowe” appeal and also approximately £6,500 from over 200 Bluebell members as a result of a leaflet that was circulated in February. This has kept Peter Jessop and myself very busy in terms of sending out one of Peters certificates and replying to everyone. I think virtually everyone received a timely response and my apologies to the few who had to wait a bit longer. As a result of these two successful appeals, we have cleared a total of £15,000 of the £20,000 borrowed to buy “Stowe” and, as mentioned above, we are indeed deeply grateful to the donor For waiving repayment of the final £5,000.

We have been very fortunate in having 27 members (including 3 directors) sign up to a monthly standing order donation to the Society, which in total amount to a very useful £220 per month, i.e. £2,600 per annum if everyone keeps going. Now that we have cleared all our debt, we are not making a specific appeal this Summer as I think we asked enough of you last year and you responded so well. Nevertheless, we would be extremely grateful if those of you with standing orders will stick with us as we do need some core funding to keep going this year with the work we want to start on 928’s tender and rest assured we will be back to the wider membership, at the next edition, once we have made a clear start on the project.

Steve Pilcher

1638 RESTORATION REPORT

The tender tank
We are very pleased to announce it is finished, except for final lettering and lining out which will be done when the whole locomotive is complete. and we now have a fully serviceable tender that is in first class condition. It is certainly a credit to all those involved in the physical work and a tribute to the patience and sound financial support of members who have, in recent years, been very generous in funding the work.

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Tender progress (64K)

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We were particularly fortunate in March/early April to be able to take advantage of a five week period inside the workshop to accelerate the work on the tender. A number of very useful jobs were tackled including lifting the tank with the gantry crane and being able to get underneath and finish welding the underside. Also whilst inside the works it was possible to tackle a fair amount of the painting, both externally and internally, that had not been possible due to the damp cold conditions outside. It was a very poor winter as far as outside work was concerned. Since the last report. it has been a case of cracking on and finishing off a lot of fiddly jobs. The tasks completed have included:

Lifting up and welding into place the top curved-in rave part of the tender body.
Cutting to shape and welding into place the last of the tender top plates at the rear of the coal space.
Fabricating and fitting the rear vertical plate at the back of the coal space.
Fabricating and fitting the top beading rim that runs all around the tender top - a very fiddly job.
Modifying the original ex “Schools” class hand brake pedestal by cutting out a five inch length. machining and fitting a sleeve and joining hack together--a skilled job undertaken by our Chairman in his lunch hours.
Attaching various fittings such as toolboxes, water filler housing, water sieve box (under the tank) and handrails (at the front).
Final cleaning out of the interior, securing the tank to the frames by means of circa 30 stain­less steel bolts and final painting of the interior in high quality, durable bridge specification paint.
Constructing and fitting doors to toolboxes and doors to cover the space between the toolboxes.

The list is by no means exhaustive but acts as a good indication of the extent of jobs tackled. Anyway, I think everyone is very pleased with the end result.

As to what next it currently looks possible that 1638’s locomotive chassis will go into the works, hopefully this year, to allow work to get the motion up. The boiler, the last job, will follow in due course. The work on the chassis might take place after 80151 has been finished, later this year. As ever, it depends on circumstances at the time and other demands on the workshop. There is a strong case for getting on and finishing off “Sir Archibald Sinclair”, where a lot of work has been undertaken over a very long period of time. It may well be possible to work around both locomotives in the workshop - we shall have to see.

Finally, we don’t get too many new additions to the Sunday gang these days so it’s particularly pleasing that Mike Gibbins has joined us. As he is at the younger end of the current gang’s age range. no doubt he will keep the rest of us on our toes.

Steve Pilcher

ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING 2001

This will be held in the classroom in the car park at Sheffield Park on Sunday August 5’, starting at l0am. All members are welcome - this is your chance to air your views and to he updated on the latest ideas etc.

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Schools on duty (64K)

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“STOWE” - AND THE WAY FORWARD RE LOCOMOTIVE OVERHAULS

In the last edition of the Newsletter, we mentioned how there have been on going discussions re what work to carry out next on the Society’s locomotives. At the time of writing, the issues are as follows:

1638
This is an ideal size locomotive for the line - modest axle loading, economical - yet adequate power. Now the tender is finished, the project is about 2/3rds complete. Ray Bellingham is keen to undertake the task of completing and fitting up the motion. This is a significant and highly skilled task at which he is well experienced. The project has been running for over eight years and well over £60,000 has been spent to date. It would send out a “bad message” if we diverted on to something else at this late stage and, also, we would face the risk of having to do some work again if we stall the project now.

928 “Stowe”
Our latest acquisition, the purchase has generated significant interest in the Society - 35 new members, coverage in the press, two big donations to the purchase fund plus over £11,000 from our members and £6,500 from over 200 Bluebell members. We do need to be seen to he making a start on the overhaul of the locomotive or what was the point of buying it? A possibility being considered is for the working gang to make a low cost start now on rebuilding the tender. This will start the ball rolling without having to wait for a slot in the workshop.

847
Previously to the purchase of “Stowe” , 847 was the most popular locomotive in our collection and it still is as regards a significant number of long-standing members. After a lot of time and money had been spent on its restoration, it was a disappointment that it ran for only five years. Nevertheless, in that time, it covered as many miles as some of our other locomotives managed in ten years. As much work as possible has been done prior to complete dismantling. There is not much more scope for further work until the boiler has been removed from the frames and then, like 1638, it needs a clear run through the workshop to complete its overhaul. However, for the foreseeable future, it is possible for either 1638 or 847 to go in, but not both.

The Directors met in late April and the main topic for discussion was the above little quandary. Inevitably it was understood that only one out of 1638 and 847 is likely to go into the workshop in the near future and it was accepted that, unless circumstances change, we aim to get 1638 into the shops next. In addition, although space in the yard will be a bit tight, it was agreed to have the main working gang make a start on overhauling 928’s tender whilst the gang are together and the skills and techniques are still fresh in people’s minds.

This left the immediate future of 847 as the remaining issue to be decided. If we are to start on “Stowe” and with 1638 in a part completed state, it was acknowledged that lifting 847’s boiler out (even if space could be found in the yard) would inevitably lead to having the locomotive in an unattractive partially dismantled state for some time. This would not be good for the locomotive or the working group so, for the time being, the boiler will stay in the frames. Work will continue...

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..to improve 847’s appearance by cleaning muck of the wheels and other parts. Also, cleaning out the inside of the tender will be tackled. In the longer term. it may be possible to get the locomotive away from the ash pit and under cover in order to stabilise its condition. Cover may become available if “Sir Archibald Sinclair” goes into the works.

As you can no doubt imagine, it is not easy making decisions like this but, given that we have had such strong Support in recent times, it will be heartening to be seen making significant progress on two fronts with 1638 and “Stowe”.

Steve Pilcher

FOND MEMORIES OF THE SOUTH WESTERN 4-6-0s - PART 1

Footplate inspectors at the Bluebell Railway generally test potential drivers on the most difficult machine available. For some years, until the end of its boiler ticket, S15 30847 fitted this role perfectly. The machine is heavy and cumbersome to control. Up in the cab the driver cannot see over or round the tender unless he leans out, and if he does this he cannot operate the brake or the regulator! To open the regulator he stands towards the middle of the cab and pushes away from the windows. The engine wheezes mightily before obeying the control and, should the driver then shut the regulator, continues ponderously on its way while the driver dashes to the window or cab cut out to determine where they have got to in the meantime.

To bring the heavy locomotive safely into contact with valuable vintage coaching stock, a driver relies on glimpses of the ground as he observes it “moving” in the gap between cab and tender floors. It is like manoeuvring a battleship down a high street and parking it between a vintage Bentley and a vintage Rolls.

The S15s are classic South Western “chonkers” made more modern by the Maunsell cab, and they are lovely machines. As you will read later in this piece they are dear to my heart for emotional reasons. I also find them to be very fine examples of the non-computer art of pencil driven draughtsmanship! There is Edwardian rectitude in the vertical and horizontal truths, symmetry of curving of cab cut out and tender raves, artistic balance in the forging of the heavy connecting rods, big ends and valve gear. There are very few simple shapes to any of the parts. Look at the offsets and curves in the combination lever, the radius rod, the expansion link, the eccentric rod or the return crank. Look at that great artistic bridle rod, oh my! how did they forge it with steam hammers? And how is steam made to give such a sonorous sound as it bursts from the chimney? For all these reasons I was not dismayed by what I found under the coal hopper in Nine Elms depot on May 20th 1964.

That evening when we booked on at 7.14 pm my fireman, Brian French, was horrified to find a twenty eight year old S15 No.30843 waiting at the coal hopper. We were to run it up to Waterloo and work the 7.54 pm stopping train to Basingstoke. I was delighted to see it in place of the usual Standard 4 or 5. At Waterloo a passenger came up and asked if we would be able to time the train with her. I didn’t make any promises, but when I found that she wouldn’t prime I gave her full regulator as we left the 40 mph speed restriction for the curve at Clapham Junction. With about 25% cut off she sprinted up the rise to Earlsfield while Brian managed the fire very nicely to give us plenty of steam.

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Stowe on duty (48K)

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The exhaust injector had been started at Loco Junction, a couple of miles out of Waterloo, and Brian did not shut it off again until we reached Woking three and a half minutes ahead of schedule. The passenger had timed us and subsequently sent a log to “Railway World”. Despite having very little experience on this class of engine, Brian had succeeded in firing to the long grate so as to get the perfect shape and temperature that enabled him to set up a continuous feed of water, just balancing what I was taking out of the boiler during that chaotic trip.

For chaotic it certainly was. We had been bombarded with swirling dust and water as Brian tried inexpertly to damp the coal. Like the “King Arthurs”, S15s at speed developed a vacuum within the cab as they rushed forward. Dust and small pieces of coal were drawn off the tender to bombard the enginemen with “buckshot” mixed with hot water spraying from the coal slacking hose in the fireman’s hand. Worse still, these long stroke, heavily built two cylinder locomotives were prone to throw themselves back and forth into the tender as they gained velocity. The coal was subjected to a perfect shuffle-hoard effect that moved it inexorably to the front of the tender, over the front of the tender, through and over the shovel plate, off the shovel plate over the fall plate that covers the gap between engine and tender, and across the footplate to fetch up at the boiler backhead.

For the inexperienced it was an intimidating environment.
“Is this all right?” asked a concerned Feltham driver as the S15 we manned all but fell apart around us on a Boat train running down Winchester bank. “Shall I put the brakes on?” “Keep her going,” I shouted. “You’ll lose time if you shut off. This is normal!” Feltham men mostly operated freight at maximum speeds of about 35 mph. This driver was on loan to Nine Elms for an extra Boat train.

Besides being engulfed in coal dust and hot water, the ears and bodies of the heroic crews were pounded as the reverser kicked noisily against the latch and the axleboxes thudded like the hammers of Thor through the footboards. The brake handle vibrated from the running position towards application (an increasing hiss and an almost imperceptible slowing of the train drew the driver’s attention to this). The dampers shook themselves shut (a decline in steam pressure drew the fireman’s attention to this) and the water valve for the injector vibrated shut or too far open (falling water gauge levels or faintly audible changes to the “sing” of the injector beneath the cab steps gave clue to this). Adding to the din, the “bent plate” Maunsell cab, which was not as rigid as the Drummond/Urie type, twanged and vibrated around the ears of the crew as they stood on their toes with their knees slightly bent to preserve their spines from damage.

Of this last effect I would add that my brother once rode a “King Arthur” to Salisbury. While he was holding on for dear life to the handrail during the dash down the hill to Andover, he hastily removed his wristwatch and pocketed it to prevent it twanging off his wrist as the cab roof rose and fell causing the handrail to be drawn in and pushed out in a continuous quiver.

Underfoot the coal sometimes built up to a depth of three or four inches, as the fireman could not shovel it up quickly enough on non-stop stretches. When arriving at a watering point that...

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required us to dismount from the cab, it was necessary to first remove the coal that blocked the inward opening cab doors.

Strangely enough, this was all exhilarating to me after months of running such trains with Standard 5s and 4s. On a Standard locomotive you HAVE to sit down to drive them. The pedestal mounted brake valve was designed for diesel locomotives and made much too much hiss for the actual brake application being made, and it was advisable to check the brake gauge to make sure that any real drop had registered on the train pipe side! When thus seated, rather low down too, it must be said, a 40 mph entry into a station seemed more like 60 mph to men used to standing at the brake valve with their heads some eight feet higher than the platform surface. One top link driver always stood up for the platform approach in order not to be fooled into a slower entry by the low seating position.

It was an exhilarating yet homely environment too. In 1956 I was rostered with Driver Jim Dawson, who taught me everything I know about firing. He had been a fireman on the old F13s and Paddleboxes. These engines had long flat grates that demanded strength and precision from the men who fired them through letterbox like firehole doors. Jim taught me to “read” a firebed and to work on it with tiny additions of coal or dust until it was whipped into white or lemon yellow gases creating oil singeing steam that blued the inner linings and top edges of the chimney.

Clive Groome

DATES FOR YOUR DIARY - TALKS

Steve Pilcher is scheduled to give a couple of talks this coming Autumn. The first is on Wednesday 10th October and is to the Gravesend Railway Enthusiasts Society. This will take place at the United Reformed Church at the junction of Singlewell Road and Kings Drive in Gravesend. Start time is 7.45 pm.

The second talk is to the West Middlesex Railway Society. This will be on Monday 15th October starting at 8.00 pm. The venue is the Southall Community Centre, Merrick Road, Southall. The Community Centre is a large building close to Southall Station.

The organisers of both events are not only happy but also keen for any Maunsell LS members to attend. As these dates are some way off, Steve suggests that interested members should contact him on 020 7481 3390 a day or two before the meeting or meetings they are thinking of attending to confirm that no details have changed.

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MAUNSELL'S TENDERS - PART 1

Maunsell’s only tender locomotive designs for the South Eastern and Chatham Railway were the N Class 2-6-0 and its derivative, the 3-cylinder N1. For these, a neat 6-wheeled tender was produced of 3500 gallon water and 5 ton coal capacities, on a 13ft. wheelbase with 4ft. diameter wheels. It was straight-sided and in this, as well as other respects, showed Midland Railway ancestry, James Clayton, the Chief Locomotive Draughtsman, having joined the Maunsell team from Derby. In all, 16 were built (Nos. 810 to 825- the N1 was 822). This locomotive design was adopted by Woolwich Arsenal for production in the early 1920s and 50 units were purchased by the then new Southern Railway (No. 826 to 875).

The first Maunsell locomotive design for the Southern Railway was the modification of the London and South Western Railway’s Urie N15 Class express passenger 4-6-0, which came to be known popularly as the “King Arthurs”. No new tender design was produced for these, the first 10, the “Eastleigh Arthurs” (Nos. 448 to 457), taking the watercart tenders from Drummond’s very unsuccessful 4-6-0s, which the new engines replaced. The 30 “Scotchmen” (Nos. (Nos. E793 to E806) were given tenders identical to the Ns except that they were fitted for left hand drive. As the Eastern Section buffing gear was at a higher level than the Western, the rear end of the locomotives had to be modified to fit these tenders which precluded any exchanging of tenders with the rest of the Class. Quite apart from the shorter runs on the Brighton line requiring less water capacity, the Central Section turntables were generally smaller than elsewhere, so it was not possible to turn engines with bogie tenders. Even then, the table at New Cross Gate was shorter still, so that all principal services involving London Bridge station remained in the hands of the Brighton Baltics or Atlantic tender engines.

Originally the batch of “Brighton Arthurs” was authorised as 15 express units but, in the event, only 14 were built and the last of the 15, which would have been No. E807 was allotted to the prototype of the long awaited Maunsell design for heavy passenger traffic - No. E850 “Lord Nelson”. For this, a straight-sided (or “Ashford”) variant of the Urie design of bogie tender was produced.

The situation then became very complicated as a result of an extraordinary series of orders over the next decade when batches of locomotives and tenders were deliberately built although it was never intended they should run together. The start of this was due to the fact that 10 more “King Arthurs” (Nos. E808 to E817) had been authorised for the Kent Coast services and these were to be provided with 4000 gallon tenders. The necessity for such capacity was later proved when, after the Brighton electrification, the 3500 gallon “King Arthurs” were transferred to the Eastern Section and were unable to complete the journey from Victoria to Ramsgate without a refill. However, this order was cancelled in favour of 10 more “Nelsons” (Nos. to E860), partly probably because the Faversham-Margate-Ramsgate section would not be available for such heavy locomotives until 1929.

In 1927, there was quite lengthy correspondence in “The Sunday Times” decrying the large size of tenders with which many locomotives were equipped. This may, to some degree, have been...

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..aimed at the LNER Pacifies but, primarily, it was yet another knock at the Southern Railway, so often the butt of press criticism in those days. Incidentally, this was soon after the Great Western had decided that its previous standard 3500 gallon tender was no longer large enough, even with water troughs, and subsequent major locomotives were built with 4000 gallon ones throughout the rest of the Collett regime.

Anyway, it appears that some members of the Southern Railway Board of Directors were sensitive to this newspaper criticism and management came to admit that bogie tenders were necessary only on the Western Section. This batch of “Nelsons” was therefore built along with the original order for 4000 gallon tenders of 6-wheel design. This was of the same wheelbase and straight-sided as the earlier type but both wider and deeper, the less deep frame being solid instead of having cut-outs. It was to become the standard, with minor variations, for all later 2-6-0 and 4-4-0 construction. Only two “Nelsons” actually acquired these tenders, Nos. E852/3, the others going behind 8 of the Eastern Section batch of “King Arthurs”, Nos. to E772. only No. E767 and No. E769escaping initially.

In 1927. Eastleigh turned out two batches of Maunsellised S15 Class mixed traffic 4-6-0s (Nos. E823 to E837). The first 10 were proveided with Urie type bogie tenders but the other five were given straight-sided ones, identical to “Lord Nelson”. These last then went to “Nelsons” Nos. E851, E854 to E857 when they were built, their places being taken by some of those discarded from the “King Arthurs”. The other three ex-“King Arthur” tenders went behind some of the first hatch of S15s, which in turn gave up their Urie tenders to “Nelsons” Nos. E858 to E860. The reason for this and other, later, double exchanges does not appear to have been recorded. All this had happened by early 1929 but at the end of that year. by which time it was thought not to be a good idea to have two “Nelsons” with non-standard sized tenders, as they couldn’t be transferred to Western Section duties if needed there, they had received Urie tenders from the remaining two Eastern Section “King Arthurs”, though there was no direct swap. All very complicated but so far so good!!

Arthur Ll. Lambert

SWAPMEET 2001

The Society has a stand booked at the Bluebell Swapmeet for the weekend of July 21st/22nd. As ever, we would appreciate any donations of railwayana, books etc. which we can sell and thereby raise money for the Society. Please leave something with the working members on a Sunday at Sheffield Park or contact the Treasurer.

ADDITION TO STOCK

Congratulations are due to Society Director Peter Jessop and his wife Barbara on the birth of a son. Simon, who weighed in at 8 lb.9 oz. on March 14th 2001. Will he become a member of the Loco. Department at Sheffield Park some time in the future? Yes, if his Dad has anything to do with it.

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1638 - SEVENTY YEARS YOUNG

One of the final batch often U Class locomotives, 1638, then numbered A638. emerged from Ashford Works and entered traffic in May 1931. The first five of this batch were sent to Battersea Park shed for use on Central Section express services while Nos. A635 to A639 went to Redhill for the Reading line services and Sunday excursions to the Sussex coast.

Following the electrification of the Brighton main line and other changes. in mid 1933 the loco­motive, now numbered 1638. became a Guildford resident along with several other members of the Class. Duties from this depot involved passenger services to Waterloo, Portsmouth, Southampton, Salisbury. Bournemouth, Reading and Redhill.

In April 1943, 1638 was one of six U Class engines transferred to Exmouth Junction in exchange for six of the N Class. It was still there in 1945 hut, ten years later, in mid 1955, the locomotive, now numbered 31638, was at Fratton with five other members of the Class.

Although one of the last to be built, 31638 was not one of the last in service being withdrawn in January 1964 after nearly 33 years of work forthe Southern Railway and BR (Southern Region). Transfer to Barry Docks took place in .June 1964 to be followed by 16 years of rusting repose. Purchased for preservation, the locomotive arrived at Sheffield Park in July 1980 and awaited its turn for restoration. This began in 1993 and is now well advanced. Having been “resting” for 37 of its 70 years. the time for 1638’s return to a working life draws ever closer.

Ian Hawkins

“LORD NELSON”

Good progress has been made with straightening the front buffer beam, overhauling the valve motion (which is largely re-assembled) and on the front bogie (which is from “Schools” Class No. 908). With the onset of better weather, the main trailing axle boxes and wheels will receive attention. On a typical 4-6-0 these parts are in close proximity to the firebox and are frequently subjected to a liberal dosing of ash leading to extra wear and tear. The frames will have to be lifted for this job to be completed.

The projected steaming date for the boiler was June 2001. However, dismantling of the boiler has revealed more problems than originally thought. This means that extra work will be required and extra work means extra cash (and lots of it) will he needed to add to the Heritage Lottery Fund award of £69,700. You can support the return of “Lord Nelson” to the main line by joining the Eastleigh Railway Preservation Society. The annual subscription is only £5-00 (£2-00 for Senior Citizens) and the address to write to is:
Mr Graham Dickaty
113 Captain’s Place
SOUTHAMPTON SO14 3TF

Please remember to enclose a SAE. It all helps.

Opposite page: From the postcard collection of Mike Morant, two of the “Lord Nelson” Class are shown in Southern Railway days. A return to the mainline by ‘Lord Nelson “ is eagerlv awaited by all Southern enthusiasts.

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Nelson

Nelson 2

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NEWS FROM THE NORTH

Now owned by the Essex Locomotive Society, S15 30830 has been placed in store at New Bridge on the North Yorks Moors Railway. Meanwhile work is progressing well with S15 30825 including the machining of a new blastpipe casting. This has been successfully trial fitted.

841 (16K)

In earlier days, the Essex Locomotive Society’s No.841 was photographed by Ray Vistucis entering Pickering Station on the North Yorks Moors Railway on March 25th 1989.

FINALLY

My thanks, as always, to all contributors to this Newsletter for making my job such a (relatively) easy one. My thanks also to Mickle Print Ltd. of Canterbury, Kent, our new printers.

Opposite page: Our Q Class locomotive was used by the Bluebell Railway on a variety of work, during its operational spell from 1983 to 1992. On March 23rd 1985, it was at the north end of Horsted Keynes at the head of what appears to be an engineers train (upper photograph) while (lower) the locomotive was photographed approaching the south end of the station at the head of a passemiger working on March 31st 1986. Both photographs by Ray Vistucis.

Rear cover: Currently to be seen running on the Mid Hants Railway as James the Red Engine, friend of Thomas, U Class 31625 was photograhed on main line duty by Mike Frackiewicz while working the return leg of The Capital Explorer’ through Surbiton on January 30th 1999.

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Q LINK - 541 AT HORSTED KEYNES

541 (32K)

541 (32k)

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1625 (48K)


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