North Eastern Locomotive Preservation Group

A cold snowy day at Grosmont with only one volunteer and the duty shed fitter in the main running shed. Only James and Colin Pearcy completed the trek to Deviation shed. Roy Marshall, Trevor Wilford and Dave Donegan attempted the journey but were unable to make it due to poor driving conditions. Nigel Hall did not even set off. With the shed opened the fire was lit as soon as possible!

The first job was to fit four brass plates that I had recently had made to indicate open and closed valve positions. Holes were drilled and tapped M4 into the tender tank top.

A chain/S hook was then fitted to each crew locker to prevent them opening during travel.

I then ventured into the tender tank again to refit the bolts to the water valve handle supports which had been removed last Saturday. It was so cold inside the tank that the small amount of water inside had frozen!

Two brass boxes were removed from behind the smokebox for repair and for brass engraved plates to be fitted; I have taken them with me to do. Copper feed pipes were removed and boxes cleaned ready for transit.

At 14:30 we decided to call it a day and locked the shed up ready for departure. With frequent snow showers throughout the day we were unsure about the driving conditions on the way home. The journey out of Grosmont was fine until we reached Birk Brow road bank when conditions could only be described as dangerous!

Ian Pearson didn’t make it to his NYMR talk at Pickering due to poor road conditions.

The J27 was in steam yesterday, testing the replacement vacuum ejector which was fitted on Tuesday after being brought from Hopetown by Nigel Hall. It turns out that this is actually the original J27 one which was 'borrowed' by the J72 while the J27 overhaul was under way. The steam test was successful, and the J27 will be working the Santas from Grosmont as planned this weekend. The faulty (J72) ejector has a small crack or hole inside the small ejector Venturi - Barney has a photo of the defect showing water spurting across the inside! Steve Andrews may have a look at it and give his verdict on whether or not it can be repaired, but Piglet's view, in a conversation I had with him today, was that it will be a very challenging repair to carry out because of the defect's location.

The J27 has returned to the NYMR after its holiday on the Wensleydale Railway.

Cloudy and dank at New Bridge (at least under the loco and tender).

Les and I joined Chris Cubitt, Paul and Steve (sorry don't know surnames) with Peter Smeaton the younger (on the 08).

The hauliers unloaded the loco about lunchtime using a technique that Les and I hadn't seen before - the brake van was buffered up (very gently) to the loco on the low loader and coupled, before the diesel shunter drew it away.

After a bit of shunting to get wagons out of the way, the loco and tender were positioned over the pit and the drawbar pins dropped in. All the pipe work was joined up, everything was split-pinned and then, using the big spanner (we left it on top of the tender rear) it only needed two of us the tighten the nut and get the cotter pin in! Then we fitted the brake linkage. Some brake adjustment is planned tomorrow, when in steam. A bit more firtling to sort out the guard irons and that was it.

The NYMR lads had filled the tank and the boiler and lit a warming fire ready for the run to Grosmont tomorrow.

The J27 will be returning to the NYMR next week from the Wensleydale Railway. The tender is due to arrive at New Bridge, Pickering on Tuesday and the engine itself on Wednesday. They will then need to be connected up, in a reverse of the operation last month for its departure.

Once connected up, it is intended that a warming fire will be lit, preparatory to its move back up to Grosmont on the back of a convenient service train. It will then have a 28 day washout and full check over, before returning to service, hopefully towards the end of the week beginning 10 September.

In the meantime, the J27 suffered a second broken engine driving spring on Tuesday (see photos). It therefore missed service yesterday while the spring was changed, but was back in operation today.

Arrangements have therefore been made for the two broken engine springs to be collected from Leeming Bar today so they can be despatched to Owens Springs with the minimum of delay for refurbishment/replacement.

Piglet visited last Thursday with the Channel 5 documentary film crew, so watch out for that when it is broadcast, probably early next year, and the Yorkshire Vet filming people were due to be filming the J27 at Finghorn today, so watch out for that as well - the new series has just started, also on Channel 5.

After changing the broken engine spring on Thursday, the J27 was back in service on Friday 10th August.

The J27 has arrived  on Wensleydale Railway and is now hauling the steam service onthe 10.45 and 14.45 departures from Leeming Bar on the Green timetable throughout August on Tuesdays through to Saturdays.

The J27 has been a regular performer on the NYMR since it came back into service on 17 May, and has covered over an estimated 2,000 miles. However, with the approach of the peak season Gold timetable, during which it will see little use, with the agreement of the NYMR it has been decided to accept a hire request from the Wensleydale Railway for the end of July/August.

The locomotive has now come out of traffic on the NYMR for a washout and will then move to Leeming Bar next week for its summer holidays. Its first train on the Wensleydale Railway is scheduled for 31 July, running the last two trips on the Purple timetable. It will then form the 10.45 and 14.45 departures from Leeming Bar on the Green timetable throughout August on Tuesdays through to Saturdays. The locomotive will work one final day on August Bank Holiday Monday on the Green timetable before returning to the NYMR later that week.

Operation is subject to the usual caveats on locomotive availability, but, in particular, that of footplate and support crew. These are being provided by the Group as part of the hire agreement, and I am particularly grateful to Richard Pearson for organising all this, and to Terry Newman, James Pearcy and Fred Ramshaw for their help and assistance.

If you are in the area, please do take the opportunity to visit and travel, to support both the Wensleydale Railway and the Group.

Looking absolutely splendid, the Group’s J27 65894 hauled a special ‘thank you’ train on a Grosmont - Pickering return working on Thursday 21st June for volunteers, Patron contributors and the organizations who’s grant contributions had supported the 12-year overhaul at a cost of some £450,000.

The event was enjoyed by some 90 passengers with driver Terry Newman and fireman Jonathan Bradley in charge of 65894 for the day. The J27 smokebox was adorned with a blue star to acknowledge the consumption of Newkie Brown by those who saved her in 1966 / 67. Back in 1967 the J27 was similarly dressed hauling the last Silksworth branch train at the very end of North East steam.

She was certainly a star on the day and to send her off from Grosmont, Chris Lawson, the NELPG Chairman wet the front buffer beam of 65894 Newcastle Brown Ale prior to departure. At Pickering a traditional ‘group’ shot captured many of those who travelled. Grateful thanks are expressed to the NYMR for planning and enabling the charter and we look forward to the J27 establishing a regular pattern of working on the line.

Have heard from Paul Middleton today that the J27 is on washout this week. It's 8 days early but he advises that when boilers are fresh off overhaul they tend to be full of cutting compounds and swarf etc. It should be available again by the end of the week.

Good reports from drivers on the J27 saying how good it is. It is now pulling the five coach teak (and the Class 26 on the 1230 yesterday) and whilst they feel it is more than capable of more, we have generally restricted it to five. Roy Marshall also delivered the new storm sheet to the locomotive yesterday, but found he had overestimated the length and has taken it away for some adjustment, hopefully to return next week.