July 2026

During July, work continued on loco 30076.

The side tanks continued to be abraised to remove paint and rust. New steps have been fabricated to provide easier access to the front of the loco and these have now been primed and are ready for fitting. The side tanks’ balance pipe has been removed, in preparation for being trimmed as part of the work to reduce the loco’s loading gauge.

Guides have been welded to the underside side of each tank to make fitting the tanks easier and safer.

The righthand tank and the buffer beams have been treated with rust remover and painted with primer. Repairs to the removed back head cladding is ongoing. The repaired cover of the eight plank wagon has been refitted.

On July 28th, a working party drove down to the Plym Valley Railway to attend to some issues with loco 30075. The driver's side rear buffer was removed because of a suspected broken spring and we had use of the Plym Valley’s  road-railer to remove and fit the replacement, which has been donated by 30076. The wicks on the valve gear have been checked and replaced where necessary and the repaired safety valve refitted. Finally, underneath the loco, four missing metal collars were fitted to the rear axle spring hangers (donated by 30076). We were grateful for the excellent support and advice from the Plym Valley Railway volunteers, who made us very welcome.

On July 29th we held a committee meeting.

The two sander domes, which sit on the top of the boiler, were lifted off by the NDR’s digger, and are now resting on pallets, in our shelter. The work continues!