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Bluebell Railway Atlantic Group
2007 progress


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Main frames being manouvred - 31 Jan 2007 - Fred Bailey

Early 2007

More photos from Fred Bailey show the progress made by the end of January 2007. The photo on the right shows the main frames being moved, and below clamped together for drilling.

Other photos below show a pair of the main driving wheel castings being moved, the completed brake rigging on the tender, and various fabricated and cast components (including steam brake cylinders and pistons) before, during or after machining.


Frames together for drilling - 31 Jan 2007 - Fred Bailey Driving wheel castings being moved - 31 Jan 2007 - Fred Bailey Driving wheel castings being moved - 31 Jan 2007 - Fred Bailey Tender brake gear - 31 Jan 2007 - Fred Bailey steam brake piston - 31 Jan 2007 - Fred Bailey steam brake cylinder - 31 Jan 2007 - Fred Bailey Machining in progress - 31 Jan 2007 - Fred Bailey Fabrication being machined - 31 Jan 2007 - Fred Bailey Fabrication being machined - 31 Jan 2007 - Fred Bailey

Main frames being milled - 7 Jul 2007 - Fred Bailey

August 2007

Photos from Fred Bailey show work in progress during July 2007. The photo on the right shows Keith Sturt and Tony Funnell milling out the frames.

The other photos below show Keith Sturt and Tony Funnell milling out the frames, Fred Bailey taking a turn at milling the mainframes, two views of the special purpose slotter produced for the project, and the main frames being slotted for the horn guides.

We are at present machining the main horns in the main workshop, and have almost finished the bogie horns. One bogie wheel has been machined, but the others will be done once we have made further progress on the main frames. We are planning to start machining the frame stretchers in the very near future.


Fred machining frames - 7 Jul 2007 Machining frames - 7 Jul 2007 - Fred Bailey Specially produced slotter - 7 Jul 2007 - Fred Bailey Specially produced slotter - 7 Jul 2007 - Fred Bailey The buisness end of the slotter - 7 Jul 2007 - Fred Bailey

September/October 2007

The latest newsletter from the project has just been published - this is sent free of charge to all regular donors to the project. The following report is based on that, together with more recent photos and news from Fred Bailey:
  • Mechanical
    • Mainframes machined and erected - see photos below
    • Main frame stretchers fabricated and machining under way
    • Design work on cylinders proceeding apace
    • Patterns being made for casting the tender water filler and the superheater header (the latter will also be adaptable for casting replacement superheater headers for rebuilt Bulleid pacifics)
  • Wheel Appeal
    • A generous grant of £30,000 from the Buebell Railway Trust means we should be able to finance the assembly of the driving wheels this winter
    • We need to raise another £7,500 - see wheel sponsorship details
  • Open days: Giants of Steam - 20-21 October 2007
    • Atlantic House open
    • Members on hand to answer questions
    • Sales stand
  • Christmas Cards
    • The first of a new series of cards by Matthew Cousins
    • Features 32424 Beachy Head in early British Railways malachite Green at Bournemouth, on a Brighton - Bournemouth return working.
    • Cards cost £1 each, or £9 for 10.
    • Postage £1 any quantity
    • Available by post from Matthew Cousins, 1 Sunnycroft Close, Scaynes Hill, RH17 7PT (Cheques payable to 'Bluebell Railway PLC')
      - or from the sales stand at Sheffield Park
    • Also available with 'Best Wishes'
    • Some of the previous designs remain available, at the same price
  • 50th Anniversary of Beachy Head's last run
    • April 2008
    • Details available in 2008 as to how we will mark this event
  • Sales
    • Our thanks to Mike Wells and his team for their continued good work on the sales stand. Come and see him at 'Giants of Steam'
    • Buy an Atlantic Mug (in blue, black or green)
    • Good books, model railway items and railwayana always needed for the sales stand. No magazines please - items can be left at Atlantic house when open - staff usually working there on Weds, Thurs and Sundays.

Would you like to sponsor a specific part of the locomotive? The latest component list is now available, from which you can choose a wide variety of important parts of the locomotive. You can use the combined Sponsorship and GiftAid form available as a pdf to donate the cost of a specific item.

Main frame stiffeners being rivited - Sept 2007 - Fred Bailey Main frame lowered from trestles to the floor - Oct 2007 - Fred Bailey

Main frame stiffeners being rivited (left) and the main frames being lowered from trestles to the floor (right).
(Click on photos for enlargements - photos courtesy Fred Bailey)

Both frames upright on floor - supported by gantry cranes - Oct 2007 - Fred Bailey First frame lifted onto frame stands - Oct 2007 - Fred Bailey

Both frames upright on the floor, supported by the pair of gantry cranes (left) and the first frame lifted onto the frame stands (right).

Both frames on stands with temporary stretchers loosely in place - Oct 2007 - Fred Bailey Both frames on stands with stretchers tightened - Oct 2007 - Fred Bailey

Both frames on stands with temporary stretchers loosely in place (left) and with the stretchers tightened (right).

Frames on stands viewed from the rear - Oct 2007 - Fred Bailey Some of the machined frame stretchers ready for fitting - Oct 2007 - Fred Bailey

The frames erected - viewed from the back of the loco (left) and some of the machined frame stretchers ready for fitting (right).


Gusset plates being riveted - Dec 2007 - David Jones

December 2007

This photo from David Jones shows current progress on the loco, with one of the gusset plates being riveted into position at the rear of the main frames.

Other current news is that work is now set to start on the assembly of the wheelsets, with the full £45,000 required now available. Steel for the crank pins is being obtained. The castings have gone to Rileys for machining, and the tyres will be sourced from South Africa.

The inch-thick steel tubes which will form the heart of the fabricated cylinders have been purchased.

The project open days in October were very successful, with many supporters able to see current progress at first hand, and money continuing to come in - but of course more is always needed.

The erection of the frames back in October has generated a lot of coverage in the railway press, and much favourable reaction and interest in the project.


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More recent news updates

  • 2008 - Components for the cylinders and valve chest delivered - frames riveted - forged billets for connecting and coupling rods delivered.
  • 2009 - First motion parts water-jet cut from forged blanks - bogie frames assembled.
  • 2010 - Cylinders and valve chests fabricated, air brake cylinders completed, bogie and trailing wheelsets completed.
  • 2011 - Coupling rods and axleboxes delivered, reverser mechanism completed, crossheads cast.
  • 2012 - Valve and cylinder liners fitted - lifting and reversing arms and axlebox crowns delivered - castings for mudhole doors, regulator and whistle valves, reversing shaft clutch, blast-pipe cap, crosshead slippers, 'J' pipe and eight eccentric halves received - Bogie and trailing axle now support the frames - Valve chest and cylinders fitted to frames, covers fitted, and pressure tested.
  • 2013 - Cylinders, valves, slidebars and crossheads completed - driving wheels completed - valve gear components delivered - lifting frames constructed.
  • 2014 - Weigh (reversing) shaft and air-clutch fitted, axleboxes metalled, machined and fitted, wheel rotators constructed, eccentric rods, valve and reversing gear, pipework for brakes and steam heat completed, locomotive wheeled, cylinders clad and crossheads fitted.
  • 2015 - Rolling Chassis completed with all motion erected. Running plates and splashers completed, along with cab sides and front.
  • 2016 - Connecting and coupling rods fitted, valves set. Superheater header delivered. Revision of boiler internal pipework completed. Cab roof riveted together and fitted. Mud-hole patches welded into boiler. Flue tubes (with screw ends welded on) delivered.
  • 2017 - Major progress on the boiler overhaul, and with the safety valves.
  • 2018 - Boiler tubes fitted, tender made mobile, complex parts of the boiler cladding made.
  • Most recent news.

Older news updates

Project Funding

A fund raising appeal for the cash required to complete the project was launched in 2000, and a combination of gifts made via the Bluebell Railway Trust, and standing orders set up to provide a steady income to the project have now made over a third of the total available. Whilst this has provided funding for the present work, more is going to be needed to complete the project, and the best way in which you can help is by setting up a small, regular, standing order to the Bluebell Railway Trust under Gift Aid, since this enables the Trust to reclaim the basic rate tax you have paid, and (if you are a higher rate tax-payer) enables you to reclaim some tax as well.

A combined Donation, GiftAid and Standing Order form is available as a pdf document.

For further details contact David Jones.

A donation is made to this project when you buy Historical Transport Film videos from Beulah.

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