October 2025

During October, work continued across locomotives 30075 and 30076 and on the eight-plank wagon, with consistent volunteer attendance and good progress made despite increasingly mixed weather.

Early in the month, the wagon floor was completed and corner boards fitted, followed by touch-up painting and lacquer application.

A new canopy tarpaulin was fitted mid-month, with seams sealed and bungee cords secured, and both ends received commemorative plaques, including one for Bill Trite.

The old chassis repair plaque was also refitted before the wagon was moved out of the shelter at month’s end to make way for 30075.

On 30075, October saw several mechanical and structural tasks completed. The distorted firehole deflector plate was removed and reprofiled, strike plates were welded to the smokebox door, and new bolts fitted to the firebox door baffle plate. The redundant blow-down valve plug was resealed, and nuts and bolts on various boiler fittings were tightened. With the firebox door reinstated, 30075 is now nearing readiness for further reassembly under cover.

Work on 30076 was dominated by preparations for its regauging and mechanical overhaul. The two side tanks were unbolted, cleaned, and later lifted clear by excavator at the end of the month. Associated components including the mechanical lubricator, lubrication pipework, and the small injector were removed for cleaning and overhaul. The cylinder cladding was taken off, studs removed from the steam manifold, and paint flaking scraped from the tanks. Items removed were catalogued and stored in the PMV, which itself received new window sealing and an interior tidy ready for parts storage.

Overall, the month closed with 30075 ready to move into the shelter for continued overhaul, 30076 stripped for further mechanical work, and the eight-plank wagon completed with its new cover and commemorative fittings