Furness Railway Trust blog

It has been another busy week at Preston with plenty of work to occupy everyone.

Last Wednesday morning saw Ade moving Caliban’s boiler around to the running shed for a washout, using the fire pump and water syphoned from FR 20’s tender. It took a little while this time to get the fire pump to start, but we had assistance from old friends Neil Glover and Jonathan Dixon to help us along.

The boiler had not seen any water for thirty years, so the first blast from the hose jet revealed some very dark brown fluid. However, after plenty of flushing out, the water finally became clear.

Work on dismantling GWR 0-6-2T No. 5643 has continued apace. John Dixon is seen here draining off the last water from the side tanks, which took rather longer than anticipated.

Fred resumed his familiar role of cleaning pipework and other dirty components.

The second work top for the kitchen in Great Eastern Railway Royal Saloon No. 5 has been cut to shape and installed by John Davis (pictured) and Phil Bell. Meanwhile some structural work on the chaise longue has occupied Phil Burton. The toilet compartment has now received attention from Tim’s paintbrushes and is now ready for the lower woodwork to be varnished.

Furness Railway No. 20 took part in the Ribble Steam Railway’s Spring Steam Gala over the weekend along with three other locos from the RSR’s home fleet. FR 20 looked well with the demonstration freight train that was operated at the beginning of each day. Sam and John Dixon have kindly volunteered to work tomorrow to prepare FR 20 for its departure on Wednesday morning to Didcot Railway Centre, with Reid Freight due to arrive at 09.00.

Finally, the FRT’s ‘Austerity’ 0-6-0ST Cumbria successfully underwent its 14 month cold inspection at Embsay and is due for the steam test tomorrow.

There was another move of rolling stock in the FRT shed last Wednesday which saw Caliban temporarily basking in the outside fresh air for the first time in quite a while. Caliban’s boiler is now positioned near the exit to the shed and it is planned to bring it around to the RSR running shed on Wednesday for a washout using FR 20’s tender as a reservoir for the fire pump. Time is of the essence as FR 20 is due to take part in the RSR’s Spring Steam Gala this weekend before leaving Preston next Wednesday for Didcot Railway Centre.

Whilst road 2 of the shed was empty during the shunt operation, the opportunity was taken to clean up the accumulation of dust and other unwanted items that had built up on the track over the past few years.

Work continues to progress well on the overhaul of Great Eastern Railway Royal Saloon No. 5.

The other major task at the moment is of course the dismantling of Great Western Railway 0-6-2T No. 5643 to enable its boiler to be lifted for overhaul. We will keep a photo log of the dismantling process. The observant will notice that the dome cover has been removed along with the clack feed pipes.

Needless to say, whatever comes off the loco usually needs some cleaning. The above photo shows a small pile of components waiting to be cleaned.

Finally, John Dixon has kindly bought us a replacement pump for the parts washer which had previously failed, and John is seen putting the revitalised kit to good use.

Breaking news this week is that Furness Railway No. 20 is now scheduled to pay a visit to the Pontypool and Blaenavon Railway as part of that railway’s 40^th anniversary celebrations, once its steamings at Didcot Railway Centre have concluded. There will be two weekends when FR 20 will haul the scheduled passenger train whilst the loco will also be hauling a coal train over the Spring Bank Holiday weekend.

Back at Preston, 5643 was finally placed in the FRT shed on Wednesday, 8^th March. No time was lost in starting the long job of undertaking the ten-year overhaul on the boiler.

The cab floor was soon removed and Paul Balshaw is seen here cleaning up some of the coal dust that had fallen between the wooden floor planks.

Phil Bell has been in his element since Keith, with his long experience of servicing industrial machines, managed to repair the table saw that had previously been donated to the FRT by the RSR joiners. Phil has been making up wooden mouldings for the kitchen in Great Eastern Railway Royal Saloon No. 5 that is currently being fitted out.

Anne and Phil Burton have continued their work on the chaise longue in the east saloon of the royal coach, despite Anne having recently suffered a broken finger at home. The moquette for the back of the chaise longue has now been fitted, having been buttoned onto the backing material at home by Anne and Phil.

Finally, FR 20 successfully underwent its 14-month steam test examination by the boiler surveyor at Preston last Friday. John Dixon, Matthew and Sam are seen giving the loco a clean and polish whilst Alan kept an eye on the fire.

The main job last Wednesday morning was the planned wash out of 5643’s boiler. Jonathan Dixon, who was a LRS member from many years ago and who has long experience with fire pumps, kindly joined us and managed to start the FRT’s own fire pump first time! Sam again volunteered to be the man on the hose and the job was completed in time for lunch. We are pleased to say that Jonathan has now joined the FRT and we hope to see him and his dog  Max again before too long.

Back in the FRT shed, Alan has been repairing Cumbria’s regulator quadrant, making a new stop for it, which we hope will be more robust than the original.

Work has continued on Great Eastern Railway Royal Saloon No. 5, although Phil Bell has been thwarted by the failure of the table saw which has temporarily prevented him from manufacturing some new wooden mouldings. John Dixon has made strides with the task of inserting a set of window support scissors on one of the doors which, for some reason, were missing.

Finally, you will all be pleased to learn that Ade finally managed to get his hands on some of Alan’s birthday cake! (See last week’s blog if this doesn’t make any sense!)

5643 finally arrived home to Preston on a very damp Thursday morning in anticipation of its 10-year boiler overhaul.

It was  transferred into the RSR running shed where Keith soon set about removing the washout plugs and mudhole doors on Saturday in readiness for a planned washout of the boiler this Wednesday.

Work continued this week on the overhaul of Great Eastern Railway Royal Saloon No. 5. John Davis is seen here staining some new mouldings created by Phil Bell. Meanwhile John Dixon worked on the tricky job of inserting a replacement set of window scissors, which had been found to be missing,  underneath one of the opening door windows.

Last Wednesday saw a concerted effort to tidy the FRT shed in readiness for the forthcoming rearrangement of rolling stock. This necessitated the movement and safe storage of a spare engine for the RR Sentinel diesels. All in all, a very useful exercise.

Sam has been cleaning up components from Caliban’s replacement manifold using the sand blasting booth.

The outcome of his work can be seen on one of the valves.

John Davis spied the opportunity to hang some bird feeders alongside one of the FRT messroom windows. Unfortunately, none of the local tits deigned to make an appearance for the photographer!

Finally, Cake Watch: there were plenty of cakes in the mess room this week as both Keith and Alan celebrated birthdays. There was also a celebratory gathering at Longridge on Sunday with yet another cake. The engine number gives a clue as to Alan’s age.

Ade had to leave before the cake was cut to catch the last bus home. The good news is that Tim took some cake home to bring in on Wednesday. The bad news is that Tim’s trailhound, Della, found the cake in his rucksack where it had been placed ready for Wednesday!! (Don’t worry, Ade, Alison will see you right this Wednesday!)

We are pleased to be able to start this week’s blog with the news that Furness Railway No. 20 will be visiting the Didcot Railway Centre for around five weeks,  with a programme of nine steamings planned starting with four days over Easter. It is due to leave Preston on Wednesday 29^th March, after having taken part in the Ribble Steam Railway gala on the 25^th and 26^th March.

The boiler surveyor visited Preston last Thursday to undertake the 14 month dry examination of FR 20 and Sam is seen working in the smokebox on Saturday when the safety valves were also fitted in anticipation of a steam test in the coming weeks.

The other piece of news is that 5643 is now expected to return to Preston for its 10 year overhaul this Thursday morning, 16^th February, its previously planned return having been postponed by the haulier.

Work has continued at Preston on Great Eastern Railway Royal Saloon No. 5 where we have a first view of the new moquette being fitted to the chaise longue in the east saloon.

A new ceiling has been fitted to the guard’s compartment and the kitchen ceiling has been painted. Phil Bell has been re-fitting woodwork in the kitchen to marry up with the newly installed tiles whilst John Dixon has been re-installing panelling in the royal lavatory compartment. Tim has been scouring the internet to locate suitable sinks and a gas hob that will fit within the tight dimensions of the kitchen.

Finally, talking of kitchen accessories, the FRT’s mess room suffered a near disaster (!)  recently when the PAT testing man condemned the kettle! Fortunately, John Dixon was on hand and kindly rushed off and purchased a new kettle to maintain this vital service to our volunteers, and it is to be hoped that this new piece of equipment will pass scrutiny when the PAT man visits again this Wednesday.

Apologies for the lack of a blog since Christmas caused by post-Christmas
illness. However, that hasn’t stopped the rest of the troops from making good
progress over the last month.

We are pleased to report that our folk group formed of Alan, Tim, Pete and
George got the New Year off to a good start at the Engine Inn, Cark-in-Cartmel
with the audience seemingly having a good time.

Phil Bell and John Davis have been working hard in the kitchen of Great
Eastern Railway royal saloon No. 5 with John seen here fitting new tiles.

Phil and Anne Burton have continued their work on the chaise longue in the
east saloon with Phil pictured here.

The new window straps have arrived and await fitting.

Some new cylinder lubrication pipework has appeared on No. 4979 Wootton
Hall.

Team 5643 have paid two visits to Bury to prepare 5643 for its return home to
Preston, it having successfully completed its last scheduled steaming on the
East Lancashire Railway on the 27th December; the extended ten year boiler
certificate officially expired on the 8th January. The guard irons have been
removed as well as the brick arch and the engine was steamed cleaned last
Thursday.

Caliban’s boiler was subjected to non-destructive testing on Monday, 23rd
January. The initial results were encouraging and we await the final report.

Cumbria had been well used at the Embsay & Bolton Abbey Steam Railway
following its re-tube and subsequent return to traffic at the end of October.

Alan, Ade, Tim and John Dixon visited Embsay yesterday to discuss winter
maintenance. It was agreed that one of the eccentrics needs to be re-metalled
and this will be brought to Preston once it has been dismantled.

Needless to say, the opportunity was also taken to look at Stephen Middleton’’s collection of coaches, including the Great Eastern Railway royal saloon of 1877 built for the then Prince of Wales. It was fascinating to compare this early build coach with our own GER No. 5 which was built in 1898 for the Princess of
Wales!

Finally, we have had to incur some unexpected expenditure in repairing the
entrance door to the FRT shed, which was completed today. Unfortunately
this has resulted in the replacement of the lock, so new keys will need to be
issued.

Well, the last of the RSR’s Santa Specials has run and some of us are now
trying to get over the coughs and colds that we have gathered during the
December operations. We also hope that Anne and Phil Burton will soon
recover from Covid for which they have unfortunately tested positive.

Whilst the Santa Specials have been a distraction from other activities, Matt
Crabtree has continued his work in welding new steel into the top of Wootton
Hall’s tender tank, including the new water filler pipes that can be seen above.

Last Friday evening, 16th December, saw a gathering of FRT members and
guests for a very successful Christmas Dinner at The Ribble Pilot inn, a mile
away alongside Preston Dock. Thanks go to Alison for making all the
arrangements and for reminding us all of what we had ordered!

There will be a further gathering of members at the East Lancashire Railway
next Tuesday, 27th December, to say farewell to 5643’s second stint in service
during its preservation era. Thanks go to our friends at the ELR for the offer of
a private coach behind the loco for the occasion.

If you are looking to work off the effects of the Christmas festivities then
please note that the normal working parties are scheduled to take place on
Wednesday, 28th and Friday, 30th December.

Saturday evening, 31st December, will see Live Steam sing out 2022 and bring
in the New Year at the Engine Inn, Cark-in-Cartmel, assuming that Alan and
Tim have recovered from playing the 872 Christmas songs on the recent Santa
specials….

Finally, we are able to inform you that the next edition of The Iron Horse is
well on its way and should be with you all early in the New Year.

It only remains for us to thank everyone for their fantastic hard work and
support during 2022 and to wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New
Year! We are sure that 2023 will bring much more work and many challenges
as 5643 returns to Preston for overhaul!

Well, it’s certainly turned cold this week and everyone was appreciative of the
air source heat pump working away in the FRT shed. Outside there was falling
snow for the RSR’s Santa Specials which were again fully booked for the
weekend.

Keith has now turned his attention to Wootton Hall’s cab floor which needs
building up from scratch.

The supports for the floor can be seen here.

Phil Bell and John Davis have started to erect the new ceiling in the kitchen
compartment of Great Eastern Railway Royal Saloon No. 5. Phil, John and Tim
went on a shopping expedition on Friday afternoon for some new work tops
for the kitchen. It took until the third kitchen showroom before suitable work
tops could be found that matched Alison’s desired colour scheme and Phil’s
in-built Yorkshireman’s desire for value for money. It was a good job that
Howdens had the right colour scheme on special offer or the search could have
taken forever!

Finally, Anne and Phil Burton have been busy with the sewing machine in
their efforts to refurbish the saloon’s chaise longue.

Here we are, a day late due to Christmas demands on our time, and into the last month of the year!

A key step forward with the restoration of Great Eastern Railway Royal Saloon No. 5 was achieved on Friday when the fabric on the walls of the west end saloon was completed with the remainder of the missing wooden mouldings being made by Phil Bell and then fitted.

The saloon was then cleared of materials and the carpet vacuumed by John Davis – just don’t tell Mrs D. that he has been passed out on the vacuum cleaner!

With Anne and Phil Burton still busy on the chaise longue in the east saloon, Phil Bell and John Davis will now turn their attention to the kitchen area. We show therefore a ‘before’ photo that we will eventually be able to compare with the finished job.

Ed has meanwhile continued his lone work on the woodwork in the guard’s compartment – we let him out for lunch!

Sam has been doing the majority of the dirty work in FR 20 and is seen here busy cleaning the firebox.

Friday saw FR 20 receiving its boiler washout prior to its 14-month boiler inspection. Jon Dixon and Neil Glover travelled down from Lancaster to give us a hand and can be seen here with Sam aiming water down one of the firebox washout plug holes in the cab.

Sam seemed to get rather wet during the process but saw the funny side of it.

Sam has also been working on Caliban, seen here in the process of removing the ring underneath the chimney hole in the old smokebox ready for re-use. And John Dixon has been preparing new sections of metal for Caliban’s cab.

And Keith has been working on the flanges that connect the main steam pipes to Wootton Hall’s smokebox.