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Published: Monday, 25 March 2019 15:13

News and updates on the restoration of No. 3 Bodiam in time for her 150th Birthday in 2022

Click here for full details of the Terrier 150 programme

Annual membership of The Terrier Trust is now available - Join us and keep our two Victorian locomotives on track.

MAY 2022

31 May - No 70 worked a press preview train from Tenterden Town to Wittersham Road and return ahead of her public launch on Thursday 2 June. Photo courtesy of Graham Hukins.

25 and 26-5-22 After a gargantuan effort by the volunteer painting team led by Matt Green and Richard Ston, No 70 emerged from the carriage and wagon shed at Tenterden on Wednesday 25 May and undertook light engine test runs to Wittersham that afternoon and to Northiam on Thursday 26. Later on 26 May, a loaded test run was undertaken from Tenterden to Northiam and return.  The locomotive is scheduled to return to puiblic service on Thursday 2 June at the K&ESR's "Best of British" weekend.  See https://kesr.org.uk/poplar-terrier-150/ for tickets for the inaugural run.

Photos courtesy of Dan Dickson

13 and 14-5-22 On arrival at the K&ESR on 13 May, the locomotive was towed from Wittersham Road to Rolvenden and was test steamed on Saturday 14, cautiously making her first moves under her own steam since January 2017. Photos courtesy of Jake Lewis

12-5-22 After arrival at Sheringham, the locomotive was loaded ready for the road journey back to the K&ESR the following day. Photos courtesy of Graham Hukins.

12-5-22 The locomotive had a successful boiler inspection in the morning and was towed at 5mph from Weybourne to Sheringham after the NNR's public trains had finished for the day - Photos courtesy of Steve Squires

10-5-22 Work by North Norfolk Railway Engineering nearing completion.  The old chimney has been refitted temporarily for the in frames steam test on the boiler. Photo courtesy of Steve Allen.

APRIL 2022

The boiler has been reunited with the frames and the tanks refitted. Photos courtesy of Steve Allen.

MARCH 2022

Work on No. 70 has continued steadily over the winter at the North Norfolk Railway Engineering's Weybourne Works.  The frames and motion apart from the coupling rods have now been overhauled and tested in readiness for the refitting of the boiler.  New coupling rods (which connect the wheels together on the outside of the locomotive) are being manufactured and are due to be delivered to Norfolk shortly.

The boiler has been readied for examination and successfully passed a hydraulic test on 10 March and an out-of frames steam test on 17 March. A new chimney is being manufactured at Rolvenden.

With the final reassembly of the locomotive now imminent, volunteers Matt Green, Richard Stone and Robin White spent a week at Weybourne to commence the painting of the locomotive, concentrating on the parts that will be difficult to reach one the engine is back in one piece. Many thanks to the the trio, who worked long hours and made great progress, with parts of No. 70 now sporting the distinctive "Improved Engine Green" colour she carried when built in 1872 - a colour not seen on the locomotive for well over a century!

Matt Green starts the application of the Imrpoved Engine Green livery No 70 will carry when she returns to service. Photo Robin White

Richard Stone in action during "painting week". Photo Matt Green

Parts painted in the striking historic livery ready for reassambly. Photo Matt Green

Paiting concentrated on the "hard to reach" areas meaning the tanks currently carry colours the engine frst wore in the 1870s and 1960s. Photo Matt Green

No 70s boiler successfully passed its out of frames steam test on 17 March. Photo Keith Ashford

SEPTEMBER 2021

Reporting on No 3's overhaul in the Autumn edition of Joint Line - the journal of the Midland & Great Northern Railway Society (the supporting charity of the NNR), NNR Chief Mechanical Enginner Keith ashford writes . . .

Work has progressed steadily, with the engine being rewheeled and completion of truing up the steam chest valve faces, which was a time consuming and laborious task. The replacement bronze slide valve castings have been machined, hand scraped and blued to match the steam chest valve faces and refitted. The new split big ends bearings have been machined and are in the process of being hand scraped to suit their respective crank axle big end crankpin journals. The boiler has been shot blasted and painted heat resistant silver and is due to enter the boiler shop shortly for remedial repairs to start.

SEPTEMBER 2021

Covid restrictions have until recently precluded visits to see progress on the overhaul of No. 3 at the North Norfolk Railway but the team at Weybourne has been ploughing on with the work with just minor delays due to lockdowns.

Trust Chairman Tom White visited the line in early September and saw the chassis with the brand new frame stretcher in place.  The inside motion has been reassembled apart from the connecting rods. New big end bearings have been machined and the small ends are part machined and await finishing during the refitting process. The new slide valves were  just visible between the cylinders. Beside the chassis were the connecting rods and the partly cleaned copper piping that awaits final cleaning and refitting in due course. Testing has revealed cracks in the coupling rods and new ones are required.

The boiler is in the grit blasting bay in the yard to and has been grit blasted and painted. The boiler (made by Israel Newton in 1998) is in good condition and will soon go into the boiler shop for building up 3 small areas of wasting on the bottom of the outer firebox and retubing. The bottom of the smokebox needs a small amount of metal to be replaced and the chimney has at least one hole and needs to be replaced.

SEPTEMBER 2020

The new frame stretcher almost ready for fitting. Photo David Brenchley

No 3 in the Weybourne workshops of NNR Engineering. Photo David Brenchley

10 JULY 2020

Work has resumed on No. 3's overhaul at NNR Engineering. A cracked frame stretcher has been removed and loose rivets at the front of the frame where the cylinder casting is mounted have been burnt out.

Photos © NNR Engineering/Keith Ashford

15 MAY 2020

Bodiam to return in Improved Engine Green as No 70 Poplar - FULL STORY HERE

29 JANUARY 2020

The engineering report from NNR Engineering has now been received.  The good news is that No. 3 is in pretty good condition and no "nasty surprises" were uncovered during the dismantling.  K&ESR and TTT are finalising next steps but returning the loco to service for her 150th in 2022 is eminently doable providing fundraising keeps up with the expenditure on the overhaul.  Please donate online - modest monthly contributions can be set up via the donations portal and these are really helpful in managing cashflow as the work progresses.

14 NOVEMBER 2019

Terrier Trust Trustee, David Nibloe, and Adrian Landi, senior loco fitter at K&ESR, visited the North Norfolk Railway on 14 November to see progress and discuss next steps.  With the strip down complete, No. 3 is in remarkably good condition, with no surprises.  A final spec for the work to be carried out is now being prepared.  Funding is still required to keep pace with the work so if you haven't yet donated, please do via the link above - there are options to make affordable monthly contributions.

Photos © David Nibloe 14-11-19

27 SEPTEMBER 2019

The removal of the tubes at NNR marks the completion of the dismantling of No. 3.  Full assessment of her condition is underway and the report awaited

Photos © Michael Fuller 27-9-19

6 AUGUST 2019

No.3 rubbing shoulders with some larger cousins at Weybourne including Standard 4 76084 and GER Y14 No 564.

In the workshop, the restoration of "Hastings" a Hunslet of 1888 vintage continues. "Hastings" and "Bodiam" were stablemates at the K&ESR for around two decades from 1963. Could they be reunited and in steam for No.3's 150th in 2022?

Photos © Mike Hart 6-8-19

12 JULY 2019

Work continues apace at Weybourne with the frames separated from the wheels.

Photos © Michael Fuller 12-7-19

3 JULY 2019

No. 3's boiler has been transferred to boiler accommodation bogies

Photos © Mike Hart 3-7-19

1 JULY 2019

A significant step in the restoration project occured when the team at the North Norfolk Railway lifted the boiler from the frames to allow access for further assessment.

We are grateful Michael Fuller for the following series of photos showing the lift.

Photos © Michael Fuller 1-7-19

22 MAY 2019

More progress at Weybourne as the tanks are removed.

Photos © Michael Fuller 22-5-19

08 MAY 2019

Dismantling is underway in earnest at the NNR Weybourne works.

The firebox backhead with most fittings removed.  It is interesting that NNR are labelling the parts the parts as they are removed as No. 3 was never a Southern Railway engine so didn't actually cary that number in service © Michael Fuller 8-5-19

12 APRIL 2019

No 3 after unloading at Sheringham awaits the final leg of her journey - transfer by rail to Weybourne © Steve Allen

10 APRIL 2019

No. 3 set off from Wittersham Road Station en-route to the North Norfolk Railway's workshops at Weybourne - the first step in her overhaul in time for her 150th birthday in 2022.

See full details of the Terrier 150 programme and how you can help.

Loading at Wittersham Road © Graham Hukins

Heading through Tenterden High Street © Graham Hukins

SUMMER 2018

 Sporting BR livery as 32670, No. 3 waits inside the rolling stock storage shed at Rolvenden - summer 2018  © Bradley Bottomley