Saturday Gang Report January-April 2017

Introduction:

Hello once again from the Saturday Gang!  If you’re anything like me, you’ll find that the first four months of 2017 have absolutely flown by! Spring has snuck up on us, and at the time of writing, the Kent & East Sussex is about to enjoy its popular ‘1940s weekend.’

But that doesn’t mean we’ve been idle in the Locomotive Department.  As always, much progress has been made with each of the locos in our care. Let’s have a look at what’s been going on:

Locomotives:

Hunslet Austerity Class 0-6-0PT 25 ‘Northiam’-  Some truly visible progress recently! 25’s boiler cladding has been repainted and reattached, as have the cab sheets. The cylinder covers, steam pipe and blast pipe have also been cleaned and reinserted. Most noticeably however, the boiler and frames have been reunited for the first time in eight years. Our long-running project is finally starting to resemble a locomotive again!

LB&SCR A1X Class 0-6-0T 32678 ‘Knowle’-  Routine maintenance has been done on our crowd-pleasing terrier. Some old boiler tubes were removed in March.

NSB 21C Class 2-6-0 376 ‘Norwegian’- Remains in service. Minor running maintenance was done during this period, such as washouts and running tests on the air brakes.

 

WD USA Class 0-6-0T 30065 ‘Maunsell’- This loco has left service for the foreseeable future. We set about stripping it down in the first two months of the year. A faithful workhorse for the last decade, ‘Maunsell’ will surely be missed.

 

WD USA Class 0-6-0T DS238 ‘Wainwright’-  Newly repainted cladding has been added to this loco’s boiler.

Manning Wardle O Class 0-6-0T 14 ‘Charwelton’- No new information.

SE&CR P Class 0-6-0T 753-  Out of service. The boiler was given some oil in February to protect it from the elements.

GWR 1600 Class 0-6-0PT 1638- Remains in service. This loco has undergone frequent washouts, including being used for a demonstration of the process in January.  Our favourite pannier tank has also received a new gasket courtesy of our gang. Additionally, a buffer platform from fellow Great Western loco 6619 has been removed with the intent of adapting it for use on this loco.

Videos:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cockASRW4TY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XY3lZ4NtHMs

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mB1M3lhtF1c

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=06Og7novVGs

Conclusion:

Well that essentially covers the first part of this year. As always, our Facebook page and YouTube channel are just below. Do feel free to subscribe and drop us a like if you haven’t already. All being well our next update should be in September. Until then, all the best wishes from the Saturday Gang!

https://www.facebook.com/The-Kent-and-East-Sussex-Railways-Saturday-Gang-346493445395124/?ref=aymt_homepage_panel

https://www.youtube.com/user/SaturdayGangVideos