Engineering notes

The water tanks were delivered to Bridgnorth by Hughs Transport on Monday 12th November and placed on a well wagon for temporary storage. A brand new sieve box has been manufactured for us by Philip Oldfield Engineering. This component fits to the underside of the right hand tank and traps any debris inside the tank before it is carried through the water pipes to the injectors.

The front support brackets for the water tanks have now been riveted to the main frames of the loco. The recent riveting sessions have also included riveting the brackets for the bearings of the reversing shaft and the brackets supporting the mechanical lubricators, all to the loco’s main frame plates.

Work continues on various components for the pony trucks although there is nothing so far to catch the eye of the more casual observer.

Publicity

The article, ad and appeal leaflet which appeared in Issue 485 of Steam Railway proved to be an excellent investment: at a rough estimate, they have brought in approx. £20,000 and a number of new members, who are cordially welcome to the Trust. Thanks again to the magazine for its generally excellent coverage of the 82045 project. We look forward to working together with Toby Jennings and his colleagues in the future.

Alan Clothier (1928-2018)

Our good friend David Tyreman has informed us of the death of member Alan Clothier at Whitley Bay, aged 90. Alan was an apprentice at Swindon Works in the latter days of the GWR and during the BR years, and was responsible for a number of design features on steam locomotives, notably the fitting of double chimneys to the "King" class and to some "Castles". The connection with the BR Class 3 engines came about through his work in the Design Office at Swindon, where one of his tasks involved finding the optimum angle for the spectacle plate window glasses for the reduction of reflected glare from the fire when working at night.

Some of you may remember Alan from an AGM a few years ago. He was delighted to learn of the project to bring back the BR 3MT tank to the land of the living, and was an enthusiastic supporter. He was a true gentleman, one of the old school, and the world is very much the poorer for his passing.

82XXX in BR Days

Neil Evans (see last month's News) has sent me this photo of 82003, again courtesy of Facebook's Cambrian and Mid-Wales Division (click on the images for a larger version). My first reaction was that it was taken at Machynlleth, but closer examination tells me that this is not the case and Neil thinks the location is Barmouth: it's certainly on the Cambrian to judge from the dark Welsh stone of the station building. The photograph is interesting for a number of reasons: 82003 was one of the very last survivors of the class and wasn't broken up until late 1968 (shame!); it also appears to be wearing black livery and is carrying the earlier BR totem. This indicates that the loco hadn't had a repaint for quite a few years, since the 82XXX didn't start arriving on the Cambrian until 1962/3, and examples outshopped by Swindon had been receiving green livery and the later totem from 1957. It would be interesting to know whether 82003 went for scrap in this condition. Also noticeable is the grab-handle situated just fore of the dome: these were fitted only to those members of the class destined for the WR - 82045 will have one - and would have been a welcome aid to the fireman when he went up aloft to fill up the tanks.

2019 Calendars

Our 2019 calendar is available and may be purchased from Barbara at a cost of £7.50 (includes P+P). The calendar is a pictorial memento of the wheeling of 82045 in April 2018 and we are grateful to our friend and supporter Steve Harris for his coverage of the days events and for allowing us to use his images.

Please send a cheque payable to “The 82045 SLT “ (£7.50 per calendar) and your address to Barbara who will post your order to you.