Last year the Great Western Trust, which runs Didcot's small relics museum, bought a GWR double royal (40 in x 25 in) poster of Dartmouth at Cameo Auctions of Midgham. The lot was described as one poster pasted over another poster, both mounted on board, believed to have been stored in a loft for 70 years. The GWR one was on top.
The trust sent the posters to Armor Paper Conservation who separated them from the board and from each other. They have now returned to the museum at Didcot where they are stored in conservation sleeves (which accounts for the reflections in the photos).
The GWR poster dates from the 1910-1914 period — after 1910 when George V became King, and before 1914 when comparison of the Dart with a German river would not have been a great sales pitch!
The Irish poster pre-dates this by a few years and is most likely to have been displayed on a station in the period after 1906 when the Fishguard - Rosslare route opened and the GWR had a marketing campaign for destinations in the south of Ireland.
The trust intends to frame the GWR poster and exhibit it in the museum during 2010.
3650, now resplendent in GWR green with “shirt-button” logo, was officially launched into traffic over the weekend of 13th &14th June.
3650 has been restored over the last 20 years, and the launch provided the opportunity for those who had been involved to re-acquaint themselves with 3650 and the 3650 group.
For more details of the restoration and the launch see the 3650 website.
The Great Western Society is not responsible for the content of external web sites.
The Great Western Society owns three of the eight Super Saloons introduced by the Great Western Railway to carry passengers from Plymouth to London who had disembarked from the Trans Atlantic liners.
9113 - Prince of Wales, is at present undergoing a full restoration which started with major repairs to the timber framing. The latest sign of progress is the first of the large picture windows being fitted over the May Day bank holiday weekend.
If you would like further information on the Project or feel that you could support the restoration of the Ocean Saloons by making a donation or regular monthly contributions, or by joining the regular working parties, please contact the project leader: Mick Howse at the Great Western Society, Didcot Railway Centre, Didcot, Oxfordshire, OX11 7NJ, England. Tel +44 (0) 1235 817200 or e-mail info@didcotrailwaycentre.org.uk
A painting of Clifton Down station by the artist, Stella Whatley GRA, was presented to the Great Western Society at 12.30 on Sunday 3rd May.
Stella is a member of the Guild of Railway Artists, being one of the first to be elected to full membership on foundation of the Guild in 1979.
More information about the Guild of Railway Artists can be found on their website.
The Great Western Society is not responsible for the content of external web sites.
The 100th anniversary of Radstock North Signalbox was celebrated on Saturday 2nd May.
The celebrations featured a 100th Birthday Cake, and musical accompaniment from the Goring and Streatley Concert band, which includes a member of the signal & telegraph department among their number. There was also a small exhibition showing how the signalbox was rescued and restored.
The occasion was also marked by the opening of King's park, a newly landscaped public area opposite Radstock Box.
Eric King was a long time
supporter of the Bristol Group's signalling project and we were pleased to welcome his widow Joyce King to declare the park open. Joyce also presented a GWR memorandum, given to her late husband in 1931, to the Great Western Trust. Eric, a Radstock resident, had won a scholarship to study at Bristol University and went to Radstock GWR station to enquire about season tickets. The memo shows the rates at the time - 1 month £1.13s.0d (£1.65) and 3 months £4.8s.6d (£4.43).
Radstock North Box, built at the Great Western Railway’s signal works at Reading, replaced an earlier MacKenzie & Holland box, at Radstock on the North Somerset Line from Frome to Bristol, in 1909.
In 1975 the signalbox, which was no longer required for railway operations, was purchased by the Bristol Group of the Great Western Society. With roofing slates and windows still in place it was transported to Didcot by low-loader and transferred to the railway centre by rail. It has subsequently been re-erected, on a new brick base, and now controls the steam trains on the centre’s convincingly reconstructed branch line.
The Great Western Society met representatives from Network Rail during January to press its case to acquire the land currently occupied at Didcot Railway Centre. We hoped this would bring about the long term security of the site. This will allow the gradual development to enhance access to the collection.
At the meeting Network Rail tabled a new proposal which would break the current area occupied into separate lots:
The Society reiterated its desire to acquire the freehold or a long (99 year) lease on the land with the exception of the area occupied by the main demonstration line, in order that it can develop Didcot Railway Centre for future generations to enjoy.
The consultation process with the various railway operating companies is still on going, but we have heard subsequently that possible proposals to increase the capacity in the Didcot Parkway area and between Didcot and Oxford may impact on some parts of the site area currently occupied by the Great Western Society although nothing specific has yet been put forward.
The negotiation process continues. Many people and organisations have come forward to offer their assistance and we are encouraged by the support which has been shown. A member of the public, who is not a member of the Great Western Society, has set up a petition on the Prime Minister’s website and we would like to thank everyone for their support.
Were ever chairs more elegant than these provided for railway passengers? The Great Western Railway’s legendary Ocean Saloon carriages, built in 1932, were the ultimate in luxury travel, and their Queen Anne wing armchairs reflected the furnishings in drawing rooms of great country houses that the clientele could be expected to frequent.
Now after forty years in preservation at Didcot Railway Centre the chairs are looking tired, so 54 are getting a makeover at Asnew Upholstery in Abingdon. The Didcot team have sourced moquette from John Holdsworth of Halifax and have raised funds for the work from sponsors of individual chairs.
Three Ocean Saloons are preserved at Didcot – 9112 Queen Mary, 9113 Prince of Wales and 9118 Princess Elizabeth. 9113 is going through a major overhaul at present.
The Ocean Saloons (also known as Super Saloons) were introduced by the GWR to capture a share of the transatlantic traffic. The thirties were a decade of great ocean liners and intense competition to capture the blue riband for the fastest crossing of the Atlantic. The GWR did not have an ocean liner port, but ships were able to anchor off Plymouth for a short while and unload the time-sensitive mails into small steamers that carried them into the harbour for the train journey to London.
Passengers in a hurry to get to London would also go ashore on the steamers and then be whisked from Plymouth to the capital in four hours in a train of Ocean Saloons. By then the liner would have upped anchor and continued to Cherbourg to land passengers for mainland Europe, before crossing the channel to dock in Southampton a day or two after the passengers who went ashore at Plymouth had arrived in the capital.
The Power Bogie and Boiler for the Steam Railmotor project, which had been on display in the engine shed, have now gone to Llangollen to be united with the rest of the vehicle which is under restoration there.
The boiler was loaded into the Society’s Sleeper wagon, and the power bogie onto a “Salmon” hired from D.B. Shenker (the new name for EWS). After an inspection by the D.B. Loads Inspector, the vehicles made the short trip to Didcot’s West Yard, for transfer by crane to road transport for the journey to North Wales. The trip to Llangollen was without incident, unloading being done on Friday 16 January in the station goods yard.
The bogie and the coach body, which is under restoration, are not in a position at Llangollen where they can normally be viewed, but we are pleased to announce that there will be a further opportunity to inspect progress at a gala event in April. This will be during the Llangollen Railway's ‘Steel, Steam and Stars II’ gala, from 18 to 26 April 2009.
The Boiler and Power Bogie will be on display in the Locomotive Works at Llangollen and the body and underframe (which will by then have been reunited) will be on display at Pentrefelyn Carriage and Wagon Workshop. Members of the project team will be on hand at weekends, to answer questions on the project.
See: http://www.6880gala.co.uk/ for more information about the gala,
and http://www.railmotor93.org for more information about the Steam Railmotor project.
The Great Western Society is not responsible for the content of external web sites.
Roger Orchard has taken up the post of Operations Manager as of Monday 5th January 2009 and is responsible for the day to day operation of the Railway Centre. Roger was successful in the recent interviews held for the post and comes with experience of project management, resource management, health and safety and many heritage railway aspects.
Roger describes himself as “a 54 year old who luckily lives about 3 miles from Didcot”. Asked about his background Roger sums himself up as follows:
“Having spent most of my life somewhere near the main Bournemouth to Waterloo main line I do have a passion for things Southern (not a good start!). My interest in railways started with the usual Triang train set then swayed towards railway preservation which has resulted in 40 years involvement, the majority of which has been with the Swanage Railway. I still have a 16mm garden railway and play drums in a local band, http://www.fourtuned.com. My working life has mainly been in telecommunications with BT but I have recently had 4 years experience of working in Formula 1 as a Facilities and Health and Safety officer. So I promise I won't start painting things Southern and erecting Bulleid signs everywhere. I'm here to carry on the work of the Society and ensure that the Centre's operation and its standing in the preservation world is best in class.”
The Great Western Society is not responsible for the content of external web sites.
Now that 5322 has entered traffic, we are turning our attention to 1363. For more years than we care to remember, we have been wanting to commence restoration of 1363 and work will shortly begin on dismantling the locomotive in preparation.
Withdrawn from Laira in November 1962 and purchased by the Society in 1964, 1363 ran during the 1960s and 1970s at Totnes, Bodmin and Didcot finally being withdrawn from traffic pending a full overhaul at the very end of the 1970s. As such the last mechanical overhaul was in BR days in 1958 when it received a Heavy General at Swindon and so it will be receiving its first full overhaul in preservation. It will be necessary to replace part of the engine main frame as well as the rear drag box and 1363 will also need a new ash pan. The coal bunker was damaged just before withdrawal – indeed this ‘war’ damage almost certainly saved it and will need to be replaced and we know that the saddle tank also needs to be replaced.
Already we have just under £10,000 in the restoration fund, including some donations which had been held in escrow for 1363 for many years, as well as contributions which have been made to the restoration this year as a result of a couple of photographers charters organised by Phil Neale.
We hope you will agree that 1363 has been out of action for far too long and support us with this year’s Christmas Draw which is being devoted to getting its restoration under way. The draw will be held at Didcot at 2.30 pm on Saturday 3rd January.
1363 will be a very useful addition to the working fleet giving Didcot a further small locomotive to work the Branch; when it was operational 1363 was a popular locomotive amongst crews and we look forward to that happening again.
As usual, donations will also be most welcome and we are also providing a Banker’s Order form for those who feel that they may like or be able to provide regular monthly support to this restoration. At this stage we anticipate that the restoration will cost in the region of £60/65,000.
If you'd like to make a regular or one-off donation, to help return 1363 to service please download the donation form (336kb .pdf file).
5322's return to active service in khaki was marked by a ceremony on Remembrance Day, Sunday 9 November - 90 years after the locomotive was on war service in France.
The locomotive was dedicated by Colonel S Cheetham MBE, TD, who outlined the role of the Royal Engineers and the Railway Operating Division during the first world war and later conflicts. Col Cheetham is the Senior Railway Engineer in the Corps of Railway Engineers, providing railway engineer consultancy to the Army and advising the Engineer-in Chief on railway policy.
A local folk singer, Hugh Crabtree, also performed a medley of first world war songs.
The ceremony also marked the completion of a 13 year restoration, which has recently seen 5322 move under its own power for the first time since September 1976. The engine has been restored as far as possible to its original 1917 appearance, when it served with the Railway Operating Division (Royal Engineers) on the Western Front.
In its day 5322 was a typical GWR workhorse. One of a 340 strong fleet, they became the most widely used tender engines on the GWR, and the engine's own history, being shedded everywhere from Chester to Weymouth, is a testament to their usefulness. Today, it's now one of just 2 survivors, and is therefore extremely important in telling the story of every day life on the GWR, while its history with the ROD only increases its significance.
Not having had a full overhaul since the late 1950's, the engine's condition before the most recent restoration began was extremely poor, however we hope that our efforts have managed to breathe some youthful life back into the old thing.
Twenty GWR 2-6-0s were built in 1917 and sent when new to France. This was in response to a call from the army in the summer of 1917 for the British railways to supply a further 160 locomotives to help with transporting supplies from the Channel ports to the front line.
Frank Potter, General Manager of the GWR, reported at the time to his board of directors that these locomotives, "should as far as practicable be of one type, ie 0-8-0, and of high power, and arrangements were therefore made for them to be supplied by as few Companies as possible, these Companies in turn being allocated engines from the stock of other Railway Companies. In the case of the Great Western Railway, we have no engines of the 0-8-0 type, and it was impossible to release any of the 2-8-0 class as they are employed exclusively on the Admiralty coal traffic."
It was therefore decided that the GWR would supply 2-6-0s, which Frank Potter explained: "The Great Western type of 2-6-0 engines is in point of power and efficiency practically equal to other Companies 0-8-0 engines." Nevertheless, the GWR drove a hard bargain, as Frank Potter continued: "The whole of our stock is, however, badly needed for traffic work in this country, and it was, therefore, stipulated that the materials should be supplied by the Government to enable new engines of the class to be built, an output of five per month being aimed at."
A serving officer with the ROD, C E R Sherrington, recalled an encounter with 5322 in France in 1918. He wrote an article about it for the Great Western Echo in 1973:
"That night nearing the level crossing at Pont des Briques, where one turned off for the Mess, an eastbound train was rapidly overtaking me. A glance at my watch led me to hope that it was RCL* 21 running on time from Calais (Riviere Neuve) to St Omer, Hazebrouck and one or more railheads. There was no mistaking the type of locomotive – by the beat of its exhaust – a GWR Mogul, thus confirming that it was, almost certainly, one of the 53s doing such splendid work on those supply trains for the II Army.
She overtook me at the Pont des Briques crossing, with its metal rolling gates, and it was easy to see her number in large white letters on the tender – ROD 5322. Behind her were the customary 44 or so wagons, the supplies for two divisions. The gross load was some 770 tons: the wagons were not vacuum fitted, but, of course, had the French screw couplings.
The Great Western Moguls were admirable locomotives for this work: their predecessors on it, the Beyer Peacock 4-6-4 tanks, which were built for the Netherlands but never got there, were splendid machines but had inadequate brake power, being designed for suburban passenger trains. The LNWR class 27 0-8-0s, though fine pullers, had small diameter wheels for this work, and were more suited to heavier, slower, trains."
* RCL stood for Ravitaillement Calais – Ligne
At the Annual General Meeting in September I mentioned our growing frustration at the lack of progress in negotiations with Network Rail to purchase the site and the fact that we had referred the matter to our local MP who had, some time ago, offered his help if we needed it.
The Great Western Society has held a lease for the site since the 1970s which runs until 2019; however there is a clause enabling Network Rail to give the Society six months notice to quit if it so chooses. The Society’s management has always felt that we should attempt to secure the long term future of Didcot Railway Centre by acquiring the freehold or a long term leasehold.
In 2002 Ian Smith and I opened negotiations with Network Rail to achieve that aim which culminated in a letter from them in May 2007 saying they were prepared to sell the site subject to ORR approval, which would be submitted following confirmation that there would be no knock-on effects in the Didcot area from the rebuilding of Reading station. Having clarified the site would not be required in connection with either the construction of a new diesel depot (Reading was the chosen location) or, subsequently, the Inter City Express project, it was assumed the projected purchase could proceed.
However, we have now received a further letter from Network Rail saying there has been a change of policy and the offer to sell the land is withdrawn. After six years of effort to achieve long-term security for Didcot Railway Centre we appear to have gone full circle rather than progress forwards. For the moment the status quo has not changed; the security of tenure remains as it always has been but therein lies the problem, it has not been improved which is our aim. A new lease has been suggested but with the short notice break clause which frustrates the larger site development plans we wish to undertake. At present we are awaiting a response from our MP.
Richard Croucher
An independent web site, providing a historical context for the ‘County’ project, details of the restoration and all the latest news on the locomotive has recently been launched.
1014 County of Glamorgan Web SiteThe Great Western Society is not responsible for the content of external web sites.
If you would like to help the ‘County’ project, why not Download the County appeal form (Word format).
The restored air raid shelter was re-opened on Wednesday 29 October by Phil Mercer of BBC Oxford. One of the few surviving shelters, the Didcot example was built by the GWR in 1940 and has been transformed into an evocative experience by the railway centre’s education team, helped by a grant from WREN (Waste Recycling Environmental Limited).
With the second world war a subject on the national curriculum, local schools assisted the project that will help to teach the realities of civilian life in wartime. A vintage radio broadcast speeches by Chamberlain and Churchill, and concealed loudspeakers produce the sounds of a bombing raid overhead, while the lights dim as the explosions get louder.
The shelter is built of semi-circular concrete sections, sunk about 2 metres into the ground. Further protection against blast and shrapnel is provided by a layer of earth about a metre thick, topped by stone blocks. It is known as a beehive shelter, because that is what the mound of stones above ground resembles. The shelter is reached by stairs that are curved to protect the doorway. A concrete tube at the opposite end provides an escape route if the stairs are blocked.
Over the years the shelter had become covered with a layer of grass and had a mature tree growing on top of it. During the summer the Didcot civil engineering gang stripped off the vegetation then carefully placed the stones and soil to one side. Once they had uncovered the concrete structure they repaired cracks and covered it with a large pond liner to prevent damage from moisture, then replaced the soil and stones. The shelter's date, 1940, is crudely scratched in the concrete lintel above the door.
The ‘Return To Steam’ tour of Castle Class, No. 5043 ‘Earl of Mount Edgcumbe’ scheduled for 25 October has been rescheduled to run on Saturday 8 November.
The tour will now be double headed with the ‘castle’ being assisted by No. 4965 ‘Rood Ashton Hall’.
The train will run on former Great Western metals, travelling from Birmingham (Snow Hill) to Didcot, via Leamington Spa, Banbury and Oxford.
This will be the ‘castle's’ first long haul train in preservation, since completion of its recent overhaul at Tyseley Locomotive Works. The tour will also provide an opportunity for the ‘Hall’ to repeat its ‘final journey before overhaul’ which visited Didcot on 15 March!
Fares include admission to the Didcot Railway Centre.
The Railtour is being run by Vintage Trains Limited. For more details see the Vintage Trains web site.
The Great Western Society is not responsible for the content of external web sites.
30742 Charters ran another of their 'night-shoots' at Didcot Railway Centre.
Star of the show was newly restored GWR Pannier tank 3650 in the Stephenson Clarke blue livery which it carried in post BR colliery service. The engine had been allowed to get suitably grubby leading up to the event. The locomotive will soon be repainted into GWR green so this was the only opportunity to see the engine in blue on a night shoot. It was also one of the last opportunities to photograph 1363 in BR black, as dismantling for overhaul is imminent. The evening focussed on the shed and coal stage with Panniers 3650 & 3738 joined by 1363, 5051, and 3822.
Great Western Pannier tank No. 3650 passed her insurance boiler examination on Wednesday 23 July and the restoration team then took her for a celebratory run on the branch line.
3650 was built in December 1939 and withdrawn in October 1963, when she was sold to Stephenson Clarke for use at an open-cast coal mine at Gwaun-cae-Gurwen. It appears that the locomotive then worked with the minimum of maintenance and was in dreadful condition when preserved in 1969. However, the Great Western Society believed she was worth buying as it might be the last chance to acquire a pannier tank. When 3738 was later purchased from Barry, this was in far better condition and was therefore restored first. 3650 is the result of 20 years dedicated work by her restoration team to repair the damage of six years in industrial use.
The Stephenson Clarke livery is a temporary one for 3650s running-in period. She will then be painted in GWR green, with a ‘shirt-button’ roundel as originally turned out in 1939. The repaint might take place even before the end of 2008, so industrial locomotive enthusiasts should hurry to Didcot to see an industrial pannier. The 3650 team say that for a small consideration they will make the locomotive dirty to give a more authentic industrial appearance.
The locomotive has since been running on several occasions on a trial basis and, if all continues to go well, is expected to be released into traffic at the August Bank Holiday weekend. It is intended that 3650 will be in steam on all three days of the weekend.
On Friday 4 July, three of the four founder members of the Great Western Society were at Didcot to be interviewed for a 60 minute programme in the BBC4 social history television series Timeshift.
The programme is looking at the last years of steam - from 1948 to the early 1960s, and will examine this era of steam, the emergence of trainspotting, the sense of romanticism and how, despite Beeching and the scrapping of steam trains, all this was kept alive through the preservation movement.
Jon Barlow, Mike Peart and Graham Perry talked about how they became trainspotters in the 1950s and how, as 16-year-old schoolboys in 1961, they decided to preserve a 14xx class steam locomotive. The letter they wrote to Railway Magazine in April 1961, seeking funds, was the start of a movement that became the Great Western Society and of the collection now housed at Didcot Railway Centre.
The fourth founder member, Angus Davis, now lives in New Zealand, and TV licence fee payers might be relieved to know that, unfortunately the BBC4 programme budget was not generous enough to fly him back to the UK for the interview!
The programme TimeShift - Last Days of Steam will be broadcast on BBC Four on Thursday 16 October at 9pm. Thursday evenings have a railway theme on BBC4 at the moment.
The Great Western Trust is pleased to have purchased a Great Western ‘2 foot’ gauge slate wagon, after many years of searching for one, finally giving a ‘large’ item to represent the Great Western’s narrow gauge interests.
The GW ran several narrow gauge lines such as the Corris, the Welshpool and Llanfair and the Vale of Rheidol, and GWR owned wagons of this type also featured on narrow gauge feeders to GWR standard gauge lines.
The wagon concerned has not been finally identified but is thought to be from lot 413, Diagram O.49, ordered January 1903 and numbered 51-100.
It is currently in Devon, but should be brought to Didcot within the next few weeks, although it will need some considerable repairs before it can be put on display. Once on display it will enhance the collection at Didcot where GWR vehicles of 7’ 0 1/4”, 4’8 1/2” and 1’11” will be available for comparison.
An unseasonably late overnight snowfall coinciding with a Steam Day at Didcot Railway Centre provided an unusual opportunity to see steam trains in the snow. This is something that we might expect, though rarely get, on the Santa specials, but did not anticipate in April!
As it was a relatively warm day, if you could get out of the wind and into the sunshine, the snow didn't last long, but for a few short hours we could enjoy what the gentleman from the Met Office described rather predictably as 'a winter wonderland'. We would hazard a guess, however that his 'winter wonderland' didn't have any steam trains in it - ours did!
A steam hauled excursion train from Solihull, hauled by Great Western Railway locomotive No.4965 ‘Rood Aston Hall’, visited Didcot on Saturday 15 March. The run marked what was expected to be the final journey of No.4965 before it's next overhaul.
Once the train, named the ‘4965 Adieu’, arrived at Didcot Parkway the locomotive was detached and came to the Railway Centre where visitors and railtour participants saw it being serviced at the engine shed alongside two of the resident Great Western ‘Hall’ class steam locomotives, No.5900 ‘Hinderton Hall’ and No.6998 ‘Burton Agnes Hall’. It was then turned on the turntable before returning its passengers to Solihull.
No.4965 ‘Rood Aston Hall’ is one of the Great Western Railway ‘Hall’ class, until the end of regular steam train operations a familiar sight in the Didcot area hauling a variety of trains from express passenger services to lowly goods trains. It is now part of the collection of the Birmingham Railway Museum.
The nearly complete power bogie and boiler assembly for the Steam Railmotor Project arrived at Didcot Railway Centre today.
The bogie and boiler were delivered separately by road, and then moved by rail to Didcot Railway Centre, where the two parts were assembled using the 50 ton hoist in the lifting shop.
The assembly will be on public display in the Engine Shed during the summer season when it can be viewed at any time the site is open. This, of course, will be the only opportunity for you to see the boiler and bogie ‘in the raw’ before it is encased in the coach body, so don’t hesitate to come and have a look at this unique sight.
A private night photo shoot was organised by Martin Creese and Phil Neale with the intention of re-creating scenes of Laira shed in the 1950s.
Both 5058 'Earl of Clancarty' and 7909 'Heveningham Hall' made appearances thanks to wooden name and numberplates made by Karl Buckingham. However the real star of the show was saddle tank No. 1363 which had been specially repainted into BR black for the event.
Funds raised by the Photo Shoot will help to pay for the overhaul to full running order of No. 1363 which is due to start later on this year. No. 1363 will remain in BR Black until dismantling for overhaul begins.
Didcot Railway Centre hosted 28 students from St Birinus, Didcot, Didcot Girls School and Faringdon Community College for an Engineering Careers Day on Tuesday 22 January.
The students heard presentations from Network Rail on their Advanced Apprenticeship Scheme, including an insight from a third year apprentice. They learned about opportunities for working as signalling engineers, which included a comparison of modern computerised signalling with the 100 year old mechanical computer within the Railway Centre’s own historic signal boxes.
The opportunities for apprenticeships within the heritage railway sector were explained by a demonstration of the locomotive restoration work taking place at the Railway Centre.
The highlight of the day was a practical demonstration of Thermit welding. This is a special process which uses a chemical reaction to weld two pieces of rail together.
The day was voted a success by the students and organisations represented and is likely to be a regular feature at Didcot Railway Centre in the future.
At precisely 10.14 (County of Glamorgan) on Thursday 10.01 (County of Bucks) the boiler of 8F 48518 was being lifted into a rail wagon at Didcot's West Yard for transfer to the Railway Centre. Once there it will be converted into a GWR No. 15 boiler as a major component in the re-creation of County 1014.
The complete locomotive had been moved by John Antell from Barry to Llangollen on Monday 7 January. The boiler was lifted from the frames on Tuesday and Wednesday. To simplify removal the smokebox, which was described as 'paper thin' anyway, was cut through in front of the tubeplate.
The expansion brackets at the firebox end had rusted solidly to the frames and the boiler had to be rocked to free it. First of all the front of boiler was lifted until the forward end of the expansion brackets came free and wedges were placed in the gap. The front of the boiler was then lowered until the rear end of the expansion brackets were released. In the process large amounts of rust and scale fell out of the gaps between the frames and the lower part of the firebox. The boiler was then lifted back onto John Antell's lorry and arrived in Didcot late on 9 January, for unloading on Thursday.