North Eastern Locomotive Preservation Group

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.

Today the J27 has entered traffic on the 16.30 departure from Grosmont, very appropriatly with Neal Woods as Driver, Terry Newman as Inspector, and Richard Worrell as Fireman. This is 3 months 1 day from its arrival at Grosmont MPD - a credit to all who completed the reassembly and commissioning. It is only 5 days short of 25th May, the anniversary of the date in 2006 when the J27 arrived at Hopetown for its last steaming 12 years ago.

The loco performed well.

So, at long last the North Yorkshire Moors Railway locomotive schedule for today reads:

The J27 is likely to be in traffic for a few days on the diagram below:

Well, you do a report based on the latest plan and then, within hours you find that we have moved on to the next one! Today, the J27 has been to Pickering on the teak set with 80136 on the back.

The day started as expected, and Ian Pearson and Jon Bradley had a couple of light engine trips up towards Goathland with Neil Smedley and Les Harper - Steve Johnson also joined them for the first of those. The teak set then arrived at Grosmont with 80136 at 1205, the J27 backed on, and took the 1230 departure out to Pickering (see photos). It then came back on the rear of the train to Grosmont and up to the shed for disposal. It is now sitting on the wheeldrop road at the back of Deviation Shed. It will not be operating tomorrow, as an opportunity is required to sort out all the little jobs that have emerged form the last few days running. It is not clear at the moment whether it will be operating on Saturday, but it is booked to be working on Sunday with Terry Newman in charge. Then, subject to the usual caveats, it is still planned to have it in service on Monday, and subsequently, on the reduced formation teak set.

At that point, if it is then in service, these reports will cease, as its availability should appear on the NYMR website showing the locomotives in service each day. I will though report on any significant developments as and when they might occur.