Hunslet 4-6- 0T number 1215 – progress report.

By Martyn Ashworth – Project manager – 31 st May 2016

Restoration of the ROD Hunslet 4-6-0 number 1215 tank is accelerating now as we head towards completion, steaming and launch, so here is a quick update and summary of where we are with it and of the critical path for completion of the restoration work.

See History of the Hunslet Loco # 1215 for more info HERE!

The loco 1215 has proved to be an interesting restoration project – there has been a high degree of conservation work required because of her originality, her history and her iconic status serving behind the allied trenches in WW1. Many of her components are stamped 1215, or 303 (her WD number) or even 37400, the original Hunslet batch order number from May 1916. 1215 will have to work for her living once she is operational again and she will have to be reliable in service, so this has meant that some quite drastic engineering work has had to be carried out some times and many old parts have had to be replaced with new ones because the old parts are worn out or cracked.

ALL the old parts have been retained and nothing is ever thrown away.

When 1215 came to our workshop it was relatively complete – the boiler had been removed from the frames and the Trustees had started to remove the very badly damaged cast iron block from between the frames at the front – this is essentially the smokebox saddle but it is actually much more besides and of all the items on 1215 that were badly damaged this was by far the worst. It is to the great credit of CIW of Coalville that they were able to recover this block for us and placing the heavily repaired casting back between the frames was one of the first milestones of the restoration finally achieved – but with many more to go.

We had a break from 1215 between about Christmas 2013 until August 2014 when we were all working flat out to complete work on our previous project – the restoration (rebuilding?) of Hudswell Clarke 0-6- 0WT “G” class number 1238 of 1916 for the Moseley railway Trust, so in all we have been at it for about four years now on 1215 which seems to be about right for this magnitude of job. Please bear in mind that this is only one or sometimes two days a week – we are all volunteers and although most of the team members are retired, many of us are not and a day job has to also be juggled with the commitment to restore these old locos.

I always work using a “Critical path” for any project and 1215 is no different, so our progress is mapped out and the next stages are always being planned for. I mark-off the key stages or “milestones” when they are met and it is always good to see the ticked off list of these growing – when they are all ticked-off it means we have finished and we can bring in the next project!

1. Re-wheel the chassis – DONE

2. Overhaul the bogie – DONE

3. Take delivery of new boiler – DONE

4. Complete work on pistons and valves –

5. Complete work on the springs – DONE

6. Complete work on the brakes – DONE

7. Complete work on the couplers –

8. Make up all new pipe runs –

9. Fit repaired bunker to loco – DONE

10. Fit repaired water tanks to loco – DONE

11. Hydraulic boiler out of frames – DONE

12. Steam test boiler out of frames –

13. Fit tested boiler to frames, inc ashpan and cladding –

14. Fit cab top to loco –

15. Complete all detail work on the loco, inc painting –

16. Steam test loco and trail runs

As of the end of May 2016 the volunteer team have put in the grand total of 10163 man hours working on this loco – this does not include all the time that Ian Hughes, myself and others spend doing all the administration and drawings etc for the project. So far we have put in 2470 hours in 2016.The AVERAGE team turn out every Tuesday is now 12 people with 5 people on a Thursday, so we are a very productive team!

For the technically minded some of the work still outstanding on 1215 is as follows;

• Complete fitting the new air and vacuum brake systems
• Complete the sanding gear – make and fit feed pipes from top sanding dome
• Brass cab windows acquired – these need new safety glasses fitting
• Drill the new cab front for the window hinges and pivots
• Machine up one new ROSCOE Lubricator from castings
• Machine up two new FURNESS lubricators from castings
• Machine up two rear cylinder drain taps from castings
• Fit the cylinder end and valve chest covers
• Fit new cylinder cladding covers
• Machine new main steam pipes – lower halves made of cored phosphor bronze with upper halves made of copper
• Make a new ash pan and fit it to the boiler
• Fit new expansion links, die blocks and pins
• Couplings now fully over hauled – these can be fitted once the pipe work is all in place between the frames
• New crinolines made and fitted to the boiler – new cladding sheets now being cut to shape and fitted
• New clack boxes on order – LH one is on the boiler. RH one is due at the workshop shortly
• Fit two injectors to the loco and make up new pipe runs to these
• Fit cab top back on loco and new cab front and cross bracket
• Fit the already clad boiler to the frames and pipe it up. Drill holes in the smokebox saddle and bolt the boiler down
• Fit chimney and dome top cover
• Paint the entire loco!

All of this costs money of course and we have been extremely lucky in that we have been supported by various grant making bodies over the last four years. We have also been greatly assisted by the Trustees and the many supporters of WOLT who have given generously to the project and to one patron in particular, who also helped us with the 1238 project with considerable financial assistance. This well known heritage railway benefactor has twice helped us with match funding us so for every pound we raised he matched us.

If anyone reading these notes has been thinking about helping the 1215 project with a donation, now is definitely the time to do so – the loco 1215 needs YOU!

The volunteer workshop team are absolutely determined to see through the restoration of this loco to full working order once more – now the new boiler has arrived on site the clock is ticking and we will be counting down to the steam test.

There is still much to do, but we have all of this work in hand and it WILL happen.

To find out more, visit the website of the War Office Locomotive Trust (WOLT) – www.warofficehunslet.org.uk

Contact details for Ian Hughes are: hughesi.460@btopenworld.co.uk and his phone number is 01887 822757 – (please leave a message – Ian will ring you back).

We urgently need extra funding now in order to see the job through to completion. WOLT is a registered charity and as such it is registered for gift aid. Gift Aid forms are available from the WOLT website or via Ian’s contact details above – this can further increase the value of a donation to the Trust by up to a further 25% and it comes from HMRC.

Thank You,

Martyn.