Month: April 2025

Furness Railway 0-4-0 locomotive No. 20 successfully completed four days in service at the Ribble Steam Railway over Easter. Remarkably, Keith had never before driven FR 20 in service but was given the opportunity on Easter Saturday.

Since then the main focus has been on preparing FR 20 for its forthcoming trip to the Tanfield Railway. Gauge glass rubbers have been renewed on the right hand side following reports of some fizzing when the boiler was full.
More noticeable was the leak in the regulator gland which required another round of packing. Alan is seen reassembling the gland after the repair.

The left hand clack valve was also seen to be passing so, last Friday, the boiler water level was reduced allowing the valve to be dismantled. Some build up of scale was observed along with a small dimple in the lip of the valve, which was letting through unwanted water and steam. The scale was removed and Alan is seen lapping in the valve with grinding paste.

We think that John Dixon got the rough end of the stick in taking on board the retro fitting of FR 20’s spark arrestor. He spent many hours on his knees in the smokebox coaxing metal to fit. Well done, John!

FR 20 is due to depart Preston this Thursday afternoon and is scheduled to be in use at Tanfield for three days over the forthcoming Bank Holiday weekend and again on the Saturday and Sunday of the following weekend.

Work has also continued on Peckett 0-4-0ST Caliban where Ron Crowe and Duncan Sawyer are seen together machining a new piston head.

Progress continues to be made on the ten year overhaul of Great Western Railway 0-6-2T No. 5643. Ed is seen here fitting new stays on the backhead of the firebox.

Two pairs of feet can be seen in the left hand side tank of 5643 as John and Ed get to grips with cleaning the internal metalwork.

With the weather forecast showing rain in the coming days it was quickly decided to apply a top coat of black paint to one side of the side tank.

Meanwhile, with Furness Railway No. 20’s trip to the Tanfield Railway drawing closer, work has been taking place to refit the spark arrestor that was last used many years ago and was brought back on the lorry from Locomotion, Shildon, when FR 20 came home to Preston in 2018. Unfortunately, it has been discovered that some of the bits are missing, so John has been cutting new pieces of steelwork.

Whilst Alan has been making new cleats to fasten the spark arrestor together. Before its trip to the north east FR 20 is scheduled to operate passenger trains at the Ribble Steam Railway over the Easter period.

We are pleased to announce that Furness Railway 0-4-0 locomotive No. 20 will be visiting the Tanfield Railway for the first two weekends in May. FR 20 last visited the Tanfield Railway in September 2008 and it is appropriate that it heads back to the north east in this 200th Anniversary year of the first public railway, the Stockton and Darlington Railway, which opened on the 27th September 1825.
Talking of FR 20, it made its first operational appearance of 2025 this last weekend at the Ribble Steam Railway’s Spring Steam Gala, which featured five locomotives and also the Furness Railway Trust’s Great Eastern Railway royal saloon no. 5 of 1898. This time the Gala offered brake van rides using the ‘Queen Mary’ bogie brake van, which proved to be very popular. Saturday was particularly busy and Phil and Anne Burton staffed the sales stand whilst there was a second-hand book sale in the FRT shed. It was pleasing to see that the winter maintenance on FR 20, which saw the left inside motion dismantled, had been successful, with the locomotive operating smoothly. Alan is seen here at the regulator making sure that all is well.

Elsewhere, work has continued on the overhaul of Great Western Railway 0-6-2T No. 5643. The good weather on Wednesday allowed outdoor work to proceed and we see Sim here applying some filler to the cab roof.