General News

We will have our stand at the Open Day at Diamond Group’s Works, Butterthwaite Lane S35 9WA on this coming Saturday, 11th April.  The Clan, B17 and many other groups will be there.  We would love to see as many of you as possible there to discuss progress, review photographs and future plans.  IOt will…

In anticipation of refitting the front end running plates and smokebox next week, it was off the Kirkby in Ashfield this afternoon to count nuts and bolts to check we have sufficient for the job.  There was also the matter of repairing the tent before the promised gales, fitting new webbing hold-down straps in place…

Having assembled the frames, it’s time to give them a bity of protection.  During a persistently damp winter condensation in the tent has been a continual problem.  Sheets over the frames have been the only protection we could provide, but with better weather paint can be safely applied. Keyte Smith’s apprentice Dan and work experience…

We achieved our objective of completing the permanent frame assembly on 4th February.  This is quicker than we dared hope when we launched our Frame Assembly appeal in July 2024.  In a busy day we installed 199 Huckbolts, at a rate of roughly one every two minutes.  Huckbolts are a very secure fastener type, never…

After a Scottish break including a trip on the Jacobite from Fort William to Mallaig and back and a very wet (Scotch Mist?) cruise on the paddle steamer Waverley, it’s been time to get back to our locomotive. Yesterday I had a meeting with Alasdair Hibberd, son of our late chairman Paul Hibberd. We caught…

The order for our cast steel hornblocks shown below has been placed with Trefoil of Sheffield.  Manufacture will be in three stages: making the patterns for the moulds, casting the metal and machining the castings to produce the finished items. Total weight will be about half a ton, and delivery will probably be late January…

Today being a glorious autumn day, our frame assembly was moved out into the open air, giving us more room to work.  The plan was to align the front frame plates to the main frame assembly and attach the various brackets and angles etc ready for fastening permanently another day.  We were making good progress…

The Greatest Gathering is all finished now.  After the hard work preparing the displays, it only took an hour or two for all bar the biggest items to be taken down and removed.  It has been a great three days, talking to the visitors and explaining the significance of the George in terms of its…

The Greatest Gathering at Alstom’s Derby plant, once known as Derby Carriage and Wagon Works, is getting very close. Jamie Keyte and daughter Ella delivered our smokebox and front end plinth and our LNWR toolbox today, and dressed it with a flag and bunting to mark Prince George’s recent 12th birthday.  More is to come…

Credit: X/@KensingtonRoyal Today is the Twelfth Birthday of His Royal Highness Prince George. Our Trustees wish him a very happy birthday. Our supporters will know the story, that as the first of the Class was named after King George soon after his accession to the throne, the Trust was honoured with permission for our locomotive’s…