Month: July 2025

The overhaul of Great Western Railway 0-6-2T No. 5643 continues to progress with Chris Rycroft completing the caulking of the remaining new stays.
Work also continues on the side tanks and the boiler bands are being re-painted.

The other main news this week concerns the departure from Preston of Furness Railway No. 20 last Monday to take part in The Greatest Gathering at Derby on the 1 st , 2 nd and 3 rd August.

The photo below shows it at Derby last Wednesday with fellow 1863 built locomotive Prince in the background arriving from the Ffestiniog Railway.
This Wednesday will see the loading of cars to take sales stock down to Derby on Thursday. Let’s hope for good weather there!

Finally, Live Steam have been booked to play at The Greatest Gathering so a rare band practice took place last Tuesday morning following which Tim made a presentation on the new book, Furness Railway Locomotive No. 20 – The Story So Far, to the Kents Bank Station Railway Library. Internet sales have
been ticking along nicely with over 30 books now sold over the internet.

Saturday saw the official launch at Preston of the new book entitled ‘Furness Railway No. 20 – The Story So Far’ with Tim on hand in the Ribble Steam Railway’s shop to sign copies. Anne and Phil Burton were also there to operate the FRT sales stand and make some useful money for the Trust. We can also reveal that there have been more on-line book sales, making Chris Rycroft’s efforts in setting up the sales system all the more worthwhile.

There was glorious weather on Saturday so we are pleased to be able to include this great photo sent to us by Mike Ward of FR 20 crossing the swing bridge.

Great Eastern Railway royal saloon No. 5 of 1898 was also in service with appropriately attired personnel on board.

Not quite so good news from inside the FRT shed was the discovery on GWR No. 5643 of a crack in the internal boiler pipe that carries the regulator rod. Yet another job to sort out, but a very useful spot whilst the tubes are out.

We are pleased to report, however, that the FRT’s literary output has continued apace with the latest edition of ‘The Iron Horse’ expected to go to the printer today.

Finally, another date for your diary is the ‘Our Lives’ programme entitled ‘The World’ Oldest Railway’ filmed at the Tanfield Railway which is scheduled to be shown on BBC 1 at 19.00 hrs tomorrow evening where you will see some familiar faces. It is available on iPlayer now.

Work on re-assembling the motion of Great Western Railway 0-6-2T No. 5643 has begun this last week with the re-fitting of the two rear cylinder covers. It was an awkward job working in the cramped area behind the cylinder block and with very heavy objects that had to be placed precisely onto the studs!

Furness Railway No. 20 was in action this last Saturday when the Ribble Steam Railway was visited by members of the Preston Photographic Society who had arranged a number of models to pose around the train. Yes, and they did ask for steam to be applied (carefully) with the cylinder drain taps on FR 20 open behind the model on the track.

This next Saturday, 12 th July, sees FR 20 back in action hauling trains on the RSR where there will be a formal launch of the new book entitled “Furness Railway No. 20 – The Story So Far.” Tim will be on hand in the RSR shop to sign copies for those purchasing the book. We are pleased to report that the first batch supplied to the shop has almost run out and that the first internet sale has taken place! Grateful thanks go to Chris Rycroft for his IT wizardry in setting up our new website’s online sales. We now hope to expand the number of lines we are able to offer for sale online.

Finally, the visit of FR 20 to The Greatest Gathering at Derby on the 1 st , 2 nd and 3rd August is fast approaching. Allelys have been commissioned to undertake the move and the loco will be picked up from Preston by two low loaders around lunch time on Monday, 21 st July. This should give us time to put the locomotive into sparkling condition after its recent steamings.

The new cylinder liners on Great Western Railway 0-6-2T No. 5643 were finally bored to size week commencing 16 th June.

The piston heads have been taken away to the works of Riley & Son at Bury for them to be turned down to the new size and new piston rings acquired. The work means that a start can be made on re-assembling the inside motion on 5643.

Outside the FRT shed, John, Ed, Jon and Sim have been working on the lengthy and often tedious, not to mention uncomfortable, task of refurbishing the side tanks.

Whose legs are those?

Ade re-organised the side tanks with the fork lift truck last Wednesday.

Sam has squeezed himself into the boiler to check things over and to give the internal surfaces a good clean. And Sam is due congratulations on passing out as a locomotive fireman at the East Lancashire Railway. Well done!

On the literary front, a van arrived at the FRT shed first thing Friday morning from The Amadeus Press at Cleckheaton with 67 boxes of books, entitled ‘Furness Railway No. 20 – The Story So Far’. The book is a sequel to ‘The Great Survivor’ that was published in 1999, the 3,000 copies of which have long since been sold out. With FR 20 due to appear at The Greatest Gathering at Derby at the beginning of August, it was felt time to bring the FR 20 story up to date.

In a first for the Trust, the book is now available on line through the FRT’s web site, https://furnessrailway.co.uk/shop/ , a £2.00 postage charge being applied on top of the book’s price which is £6.00. Copies are also available at the Ribble Steam Railway’s shop, although paid up members will be able to obtain copies from Alison and Tim at Preston at a discounted price of £5.00.
There will be a formal launch of the new book at the Ribble Steam Railway on Saturday, 12 th July when FR 20 is scheduled to be operating the passenger service.