Despite leaving Barry scrap yard in 1982, virtually no restoration work was carried out on the locomotive which had quietly continued to rust and deteriorate during its fifteen year stay on the North York Moors Railway.
Following its purchase by Southern Locomotives, the locomotive was moved from Grosmont to Sellindge and took up position alongside sister locomotive, 34028, Eddystone.
The first part of any restoration is to dismantle the locomotive. The first stage in dismantling is the removal of the boiler, the largest and heaviest component. A small team spent a weekend removing the countless rusty nuts, bolts and other fittings that either hold the boiler in place or are attached to it. A crane was used to lift the boiler from the frames. The crane was also used to lift the front of the frames so that the front bogie could be removed.
The next stage was to dismantle the front bogie and to prevent further deterioration of the boiler by removing the tubes and needle-gunning and painting it.
Sidmouth after removal of the boiler and the front bogie and rear trailing truck
Sidmouth at Sellindge (May 1999)
The front bogie and trailing truck have been removed and the front bogie has been dismantled. All the remaining motion, brake gear and sanding gear has been removed.
The chassis has been jacked up so that work can begin on the difficult task of freeing the driving wheel axle boxes prior to dropping the wheelsets. Bulleid Pacifics used steel axleboxes unlike most locomotives which used brass or bronze for these components. There is nothing inherently wrong with steel axleboxes, it's just that following thirty years of neglect they tend to rust and seize in the horn guides.
The Trailing Truck after Removal (May 1999)
Removal of a Valve (May 1999)
A crane was hired to do some more heavy lifting and on 17th July the frames were lifted from the wheels. The frames will be grit blasted to remove the rust and will then be painted. Other major parts such as the boiler and the pony and trailing trucks will also be grit blasted and painted.
The boiler being painted
The frames ready for cleaning and painting
The pony and trailing trucks are prepared for grit blasting. (July 1999)
The boilers from Sidmouth and Holland America Line
The wheels after grit blasting and painting
Progress has been slow during this period mainly due to the limited workforce working on other restoration projects. However, a large sum of money has been spent on manufacturing the motion parts and purchasing non-ferrous fittings.
In late 2006 the bogie and trailing truck were taken to Herston Works for complete overhaul, with the frames of the locomotive following in the Spring of 2007 to Swanage. Stored at present on a wagon, Sidmouth’s frames will enter the Works once Manston has been completed in the Winter of 2007/8.
During 2006, Sidmouth’s driving wheels were swapped with Eddystone’s following problems with the latter’s tyres, whilst on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway. Sidmouth will therefore re-enter service with brand new tyres on all wheelsets.
Her boiler needs work which will probably cost approximately £150,000 – unfortunately the years of exposure to the elements were not enhanced by the fact that the cladding on top of the firebox was never removed properly. As we will probably have the responsibility of overhauling 257 Squadron’s boiler, Sidmouth’s will have to go to outside contractors.
We have however accumulated a vast amount of new parts for 34010 with the generous income we have received through our share capital scheme, but more funds will need to be raised once Sidmouth’s restoration recommences in 2008.
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