Following asbestos removal, Railbus 79962 has now arrived at Ingrow, and is currently in the workshop, for assessment.
Our historic 0-6-0WT “BELLEROPHON” is to visit the 2014 Steam Rally at Welland, in Worcestershire, on 24th to 27th July inclusive. The loco will be operating with a brake van on the site’s small standard-gauge railway throughout each day.
This rally is the 50th one on this site and is thus a special occasion and VCT is delighted to be able to support the Ross & Wye Steam Engine Society on this great occasion.
The rally field is at Woodside Farm near Malvern and car parking is available.
This project has seen many hours of work recently. The partitions, which had been installed many years ago, have been removed, in order to make it easier to fix the roof. The roof sags badly and will have to be removed in order to replace the roof supports. It's difficult to see in the photo, but there is a string line above the roof which shows the extent of the sag.
Almost complete, this needs a few finishing touches, such as the communication cord, and wiring up the lights.
The Vintage Carriages Trust has concluded negotiations with the Keighley &Worth Valley Railway to purchase one of the line’s two Waggon und Maschinenbau railbuses, No. 79962. The German-built railbus, which has been out of action for over 25 years, is to be restored to its original appearance as far as possible and will also be fully operational. Following restoration, it is expected to see occasional use at events on the KWVR and will also be available for hire to other railways.
As the vehicle requires dismantling for body repairs, the opportunity is being taken to remove residual asbestos, following which attention will be given to the wheelsets before it is transferred to the VCT workshops for full restoration, which should take approximately 3 to 4 years.
Unlike sister vehicle No. 79964, which received a replacement AEC engine in the 1960s and remains in regular use on the KWVR, No. 79962 is fitted with an original Buessing engine, which proved to be problematic when in BR service. This engine has already been fully overhauled for further use.
VCT Chairman Trevor England said “We are delighted to have been able to conclude negotiations to acquire 79962 and overhaul it to original condition. It will provide an interesting comparison with 79964, which has had a number of modifications in both BR and KWVR service and we look forward to the day when both vehicles will be able to operate together.”
VCT is delighted to announce that our historic 0-6-0WT, BELLEROPHON has been successfully repaired by South Devon Engineering at Buckfastleigh.
The defective Middle Axle has been replaced and a number of other tasks undertaken, including the repair & replacement of the springs, plus work to the axleboxes. The Loco was successfully tested at Buckfastleigh on 21st November and then moved by road back to Foxfield Railway, where it was successfully steam tested on Sunday 24th November. The locomotive is now fully operational and available for use at Foxfield and also hire to other organisations during 2014.
VCT is very grateful to the South Devon Railway for their care and attention to the overhaul of this historic locomotive and are very impressed with the professionalism shown by their staff.
Haydock Foundry 0-6-0WT “BELLEROPHON” has been transferred to the South Devon Railway’s workshops at Buckfastleigh for replacement of all 3 axles.
A routine inspection in 2012 revealed that the wheels were moving on the axles and a subsequent examination showed that the best form of repair would be to replace the old, worn axles with new. The South Devon Railway has successfully tendered for this work to be carried out and thus BELLEROPHON has now been taken into their workshops for preliminary work to begin.
The work is likely to take until early 2014, due to the long lead time for the ordering of the new axles. On completion of the work, BELLEROPHON will hopelly be “run in” at Buckfastleigh before returning home to the Foxfield Railway.
More photos 22 October - the new ashpan (two views) and a new axle after fitting to its wheels.
SIR BERKELEY was at the Embsay Steam Railway for their Gala on Saturday 5th & Sunday 6th October. The J94 failed at Bolton Abbey so SIR B had to haul it and the Vintage Train back to Embsay and did so in some style!! Non-stop all the way and lots of noise from the chimney.
VCT’s Manning-Wardle 0-6-0ST “SIR BERKELEY” continues in service at the Middleton Railway in Leeds. See their website for details.
