Boscastle Locomotive Limited
December 2023
Following the locos display at Quorn and subsequent return, we decided to bite the bullet and tidy the work area and then the container, which hadn’t been sorted since the chaos left by the theft in 2022. This has rid us of a great deal of accumulated material that was no longer required and allowed us to re-organise our stored parts and equipment into some sort of meaningful order.
The return of tender brake pins from case hardening has meant we are able to start fitting the tender brake gear, with the brake hangers and crossbeams now attached. These took an amount of adjusting to get them to move freely and we have now started the process with the brake linkage. Our tender chassis is a Merchant Navy type fitted with clasp brakes as per the loco, so is twice as complicated as most other tenders!
New parts continue to be produced, with two brass gauge frame lamp housings for the loco having been assembled from a kit of parts we’ve had for some time. New tender sump clamp components have been made to replace stolen originals and a start has been made on machining some new whistle handles. The new injector control spindles and adjusted control rods, have all been painted and are ready to fit when required.
The impact of the theft is now starting to seriously hamper progress, for instance much of the remaining overhauled tender brake components can’t now be fitted, until associated replacement parts are manufactured. Much of this depends on a successful conclusion to the ongoing insurance claim.
Images on this page are copyright A.J.Morgan