News About the Project
Our Christmas Newsletter has been emailed out this week with the latest news on production of our frame parts, and a video of the plan for the first stage frame assembly process. We expect to see some large pieces of metal delivered over the first weeks of 2025, and to make a start on frame assembly. This despite our suppliers being affected by pre-Christmas bugs, affecting people at one and machines (computer controlled of course) at another.
It’s been a big year for us, with important components ordered, next year we plan is at least as big with commencement of frame assembly.
If you would like to read our newsletter, follow this link HERE
If you would like to view our video of Frame Assembly please follow this link VIDEO
(don’t forget to turn the speakers on and use the control buttons to play it)
We wish all our followers a very happy Christmas and look forward to more great progress in the New Year
[/av_textblock]Dragbox manufacture is in progress at TCL Seal of Sheffield. The profile cut plates are shown to the left. They are heavier than they look,
probably about ¾ ton or more. On the lower right is the welded-up “H” section on its side. This takes the pivot pin for the drawbar and transmits the load to the rest of the dragbox and then into the frame plates. It will now be drilled for the pivot pin and for bolts in each side plate to secure the large Vee bracket that supports the brake linkage bell crank.Once that intermediate machining stage is complete the dragbox will be welded up. Due to the heavy sections and large welds, there is a risk of shrinkage forces distorting the welded assembly. Heating the assembly in a controlled furnace (“stress relieving”) will control this.
Final machining will skim the two sides of the assembly and 30 bolt holes will be drilled in each side to complete the manufacture.
Great news from Boro Foundry – our SG iron Frame Stretcher and Motion Plate have been cast. The pictures above show the production stages: at top are the polystyrene patterns for the frame stretcher (left) and motion plate (right) which are used to form the correct shape of cavity in the mould of foundry sand. Of course the sand isn’t off the beach, it’s formulated to bind together to hold its shape and withstand the heat of molten iron. Sadly, once it’s in the mould it has to be burnt out, the patterns are single use only. The two castings were poured at the same time, from the same melt. The lower left picture shows the castings after fettling, which is the removal of all the risers etc necessary for the casting process. At the bottom of the Stretcher there is extra metal which is cut off for chemical analysis and mechanical testing. A test piece is machined and tested to destruction, to check its yield point, ultimate strength and ductility. Yes, the tests do show it meets the specification requirements, as strong as mild steel and nearly as ductile. The bottom right pictures show the two castings awaiting machining.
We have ordered the welded steel dragbox from TCL Seal of Sheffield and the plates for that will be cut any time soon.
The final major part for frame assembly is the machining of our front frame plates and the order has been placed with Goodman Metal Works of Nottingham.
In the press we are in Steam Railway magazine and in Railway Magazine article on new builds, we get about 1½ pages.
We are making Progress!
Last night, Friday 11th October, I had the pleasure of meeting about 30 of the local Great Central Supporters at Quorn near Loughborough. It was to present a talk on ‘Prince George’ and spread the word about our progress. They were a good audience, and it was good to talk to them. They were all committed to our railway heritage and we we wish them every success with their bold project to re-unite the north and south ends of the line.
They were kind enough to make a donation to our funds, and best of all they supplied tea and biscuits at the break, alongside good conversation.
Terry McMenamin
PS Anyone within reasonable distance of our Trustees wishing to book a talk on the project please email secretary@newprincegeorgesteam.org.uk
At Long Last the Cab Footsteps are fitted
This job has has been delayed by the need to have approval of our risk assessment and method statement, not helped by the initial draft being submitted during the holiday season. To be fair, each one weighs 40kg and the swept-back design makes it rather unstable, so it did need careful handling. Safe handling was ensured by bolting a fairly large MDF sheet to the underside of the bottom step, using screw holes provided for fastening anti-slip linings. The lower end of the step complete with attached board was lifted onto a wheeled board, then raised to the vertical by lifting the upper end. This was all accomplished without machinery and without once lifting the whole 40kg, thus safeguarding our engineer Terry McMenamin and willing assistant Dave Costello. Clamped down, the step was wheeled into position, and with a bit of jiggery-pokery to align the holes the bolts could be fitted. Once secure, the board was removed and the bolts tightened.
Once everything was secure the tools and other kit were tidied up, a dust sheet laid down and the red oxide paint on the steps rubbed down. Our engineer took the opportunity to show the skills gained as in achieving his NVQ 0 in painting (Editor: his instructors took pity on him after his fifth attempt) to apply a coat of black gloss paint. Despite the unskilled painting, the steps add a certain amount of balance to the cabside, another small step towards the build of the only Pre-World War 1 express locomotive for the main line.
Meanwhile manufacture of the motion plate and frame stretcher is under way at Boro foundry, and we expect to be reviewing costs for the Dragbox and Front Frame Plate machining at our Trustee meeting on Wednesday next. These are all much bigger steps towards our goal of seeing No. 2013 Prince George in action on the main line.
Please consider becoming a member to support us, starting at only £5/month, see the Donate page.
Waiting continues in respect of Crewe Heritage Centre’s approval for our visit to fit the cab footsteps, and for our drawing checker to return from holiday to pass off our frame stretcher and motion plate drawing so that we can activate the order for the latter. Hopefully they will both be cleared shortly.
Our dragbox is now in final draft, ready for review before submission for approval. The dragbox is a vital structural member, and as such interfaces with many other parts and functions. Lifting came up early on as Crewe used massive forged hooks to hook on the bottom edge of the buffer beam outside the frames and the equivalent on the dragbox. These forgings have no doubt long been melted down, but were hazardous in any case. I remember being warned to resist the urge to hasten out of Belt 3 pit in Crewe erecting shop after wheeling a locomotive while the crane lowered the hooks, which would crash into one another, perfectly timed to wallop the head of an unwary apprentice! Two holes for safety chains in the rear ‘buffer beam’ are made suitable for 30 ton lifting shackles.More difficult was squeezing in the steam brake cylinder and brake operating crank, which needed quite an effort, but necessary as the LNWR arrangement had significant weaknesses. We are confident that that is good thanks to the stress analysis of various different load cases, from track twist to traction and braking forces by David Burrage. One image of this analysis is shown on the left, demonstrating how it is affected by a simulated collision force of 1000kN (100 tons) – at the drawbar. This is the same force that BR standard coach couplings can withstand without failure, so we have to demonstrate that our locomotive can withstand at least the same. Yes it can!
That leaves some of the proverbial known unknowns, such as pipe (and no doubt electrical cable) routing. Crewe got into a mess with its vacuum brake and steam heating pipes in particular. The two inch vacuum pipe was routed through swept bends and elbow fittings along and down through internal cab plating and the corner brackets before crossing from side to side under the rear of the dragbox. The steam heat pipe was nearly as bad. E. S. Cox complained about the cost of fixing leaks in the vacuum pipes of the Claughtons, but then neglected the simple and cheap works modification that would have fixed the problem. That modification would have been to replicate the arrangement of most narrow firebox locomotives and run all the pipes down the firebox back plate between the frames then backwards under the dragbox, which is what we propose to do. As can be seen in the CAD image on the right, there is room to route pipes this way. However, we still don’t know what pipes will go where under the dragbox, so rows of bolt holes are to be provided all round so that pipe brackets can easily be bolted up.Expect some more news soon, and our autumn newsletter.
We attended the Severn Valley Railway at Kidderminster on 27th July, and contributed to the LNWR Heritage Group’s event in the Old Nursery to launch our Frame assembly Appeal.
There have been multiple delays hindering progress lately. Fitting of our cab footsteps awaits agreement on a risk assessment/method statement as required by Crewe Heritage Centre. That’s fair enough, as the CHC is responsible for safety on there site, and they need re-assurance that we can manage the job safely. We hope to get it done before the end of the month.
Our order for the motion plate and frame stretcher has been delayed by the need to specify acceptance standards. Sadly, this is an own goal, we should have sorted it out earlier. A proposal has now been made, which should enable us to finalise the issues with our supplier and the Approvals body. Expect good news this month or early next month.
Our dragbox design is now well on the way, we just need to check the various holes that the LNWR one had in the original, try and work out what they were for and decide which ones to include on the new one.
Our search for a new home continues. If you should know of a possible home for us please get in touch.Challenges come our way, we deal with them!
It’s been a busy day today. First was a trip from near Derby to Old Dalby in Leicestershire. Someone just entered the destination in the sat nav and followed it, to Old Station Road, which suggested a station on the former Midland line from Melton Mowbray to Nottingham, Alas, it was a tiny lane with a few cottages, my destination was 20 minutes back, I had passed close to it. Some mothers do ‘ave ’em! Rob of Metal World was ready for me, with the cab footsteps. Nicely contoured welding mimics the shape of the original castings. Their swept back shape makes for a very big back plate. We soon had them in the back of my car, with a line round them to hold them against sudden braking, but they would still be lethal in a collision.It was then over to Crewe, arriving at about 1pm. Gordon Heddon, their chairman, appeared and soon recruited willing hands to help unload the steps, and put them under the loco pending a return visit to fit them and give them a lick of paint. There was a new information board to put on the back of the locomotive so visitors see it as they enter the building. The original idea was to put it on the buffer beam, but that is close to the wall so wouldn’t be so prominent. Sara Povey’s framed picture of No 1777 Widgeon was added, with a sheet explaining its history and the supply of leaflets was replenished.
The information board is not too clear in the picture, so if you want to view it as a pdf use this link: https://app.box.com/s/dcoxi4q2sf4w8nrm69qc73z67hp804mk . You will need to view just one part at a time.
It was then off to Derby to meeting with Alistair Leach of Ricardo. A few outstanding points regarding the motion plate and frame stretcher documentation were cleared up, so we hope to order these in the coming week.
On Saturday we will be at Kidderminster SVR, and giving a talk in the Old Nursery at 3pm. Please come if you can, but rest assured there will be a report early next week
All of us at the Trust wish His Royal Highness Prince George of Wales Happy eleventh Birthday on Monday 22nd July. He is growing up to be a fine young man. We will try and build our locomotive to keep pace with him.
We recommend the August Issue of Steam Days magazine, which has eleven pages by two of our Trustees about the George the Fifth and the Trust’s project to build Prince George. It’s got lots of information and pictures, the editorial team have done a really good job of presenting our draft. We are proud to be associated with Steam Days Magazine.
We are pleased to invite you to Kidderminster to the LNWR Society’s Open Day on Saturday 27th July. The Trust will be there and will be delivering a talk in the old nursery in the afternoon, at about 2.30pm. We will be launching our Frame Assembly Appeal on that day, and giving an update on current and planned orders. The old nursery is beside the lane to the Severn Valley Railway Car Park, on the opposite side to the station buildings. There will of course be trains operating on the SVR, and their will be lots of exhibits there including a magnificent Gauge 1 model railway taking centre stage in the station concourse.
This coming Saturday, 6th July there is a gathering of Crewe products. LNWR Coal Tank No. 1054, built in 1888 steams up at 10am, ready for a ceremonial handover from the National Railway Museum to the Bahamas Locomotive Society to take place at 12 noon. This wonderful old locomotive will surely be looked after very well by the BLS, who have had effective custody for many years now.
Also at Crewe will be Black Five 44871, built at Crewe in 1945, 57 years after the Coal Tank. She will be in steam, off the Heritage Centre at about 10 to take the North Wales Coast Express leaving Crewe at 10.26 for Llandudno. The return working is at Crewe at 17.38, and 44871 will be stabled overnight at the Heritage Centre before heading back to her base on Sunday.
The viewing platform on the Crewe North power box will be a good spot to see 44871 and her train.
The Trust will be at the Centre on Saturday ready to show off our locomotive.
Finally, an apology. The Occasional Musings page and its Flip book about the LNWR Centre Frames were posted on the website but inaccessible, the link didn’t work. Operator Error! It has now been fixed.
It has been very busy recently. We have one quote for manufacture of the motion plate and frame stretcher, and await another. Ricardo is reviewing our relevant acceptance submissions and their response will shape all future ones. We have started stress analysis on the dragbox. Unfortunately it has been necessary to redesign it as the original casting would require a very expensive pattern to be made, and both the underslung steam brake cylinder and the later vacuum brake cylinder would be difficult to justify. Our design is based on the LMS and later BR arrangement of steam brake cylinder. Our Volunteer stress man is starting his simulation after various trials and tribulations. We now know to send our files as .x_t format, whatever that is.
A new page of Occasional Musings has been added to the website, with a flip book giving a brief history of the LNWR Centre Frames. Let us know what you think of it, if you like it we will add others from time to time.
We have also been dealing with a publisher regarding a forthcoming article and launch. Mum’s the word for now, we will have more nearer the time. If you can make it to the LNWR Society’s Kidderminster open day on 27th July you can attend our presentation in the afternoon, and will hear all about it and have your chance to talk with our Trustees and raise any questions you may have.
As well as all the work we make some time for recreation. It’s been the evening of the Golden Valley Light Railway’s annual open house for railway colleagues and families. This narrow gauge railway is adjacent to the Midland Railway Centre. It’s been good the meet former colleagues and to see the younger generation enjoy close contact with railway history. Thank you for a great evening out, GVLR | Golden Valley Light Railway a 2ft narrow gauge railway
It’s been a busy time with planned and unplanned tasks coming up. On the locomotive building side, we have placed and order for the cab footsteps, and the CAD designs for the cast Motion Plate and Frame Stretcher along with the necessary Engineering Change documentation are in draft form. These are out for checking by Martin Shepherd and with our Approvals Contractor Ricardo. They have also gone out to potential contractors for costing. Thanks to the generosity of our members the finances are strong enough to make this purchase.
Following close behind is the dragbox. This is a little bit more of a challenge as the LNWR one was a very complex iron casting. The cost of a pattern would be prohibitively expensive for a one-off. After trying several different options we now favour a welded fabrication using heavy steel plate. It is much simpler in design and allows the use of the LMS/BR standard steam brake layout in place of the idiosyncratic LNWR arrangement using one cylinder to work engine and tender brakes. Gaining approval for that on today’s main line might be a challenge too far! Unfortunately changing the design in means that we have to demonstrate compliance with standards. Load cases for drawbar pull, brake operation, loco lifting, track twist etc are being developed ready for stress simulation.
Alongside the engineering work, we’ve had our monthly Trustee meeting, worked on a couple of press articles, formally adopted our Quality Manual and two Technical Reports on the LNWR’s controversial centre frames and on fasteners. A much-abridged Flip-book version of the centre frames report will be on the website once we’ve mastered the technology.
We are busy, and making real progress. The usual request: if you will the end in the form of the only pre-World War I express loco for the Main Line, please consider contributing to it, either by volunteering or giving. To those already doing so, thank you very much for helping to fill this big gap in the ranks of preserved steam.
We are on the Up!
The latest project news is all in our newsletter just published this evening. It will be issued quarterly, and we will use the same system to advertise events. If you would like to receive future newsletters and notifications (limited to a few occasions per year) please use this link and enter your details: https://dashboard.mailerlite.com/forms/896102/122654030676624815/share
Read, enjoy, let us know what you think of it and if you would like to offer something for future issues please email it, or even use snail-mail.
It’s been a busy time. Drawings for the cab footsteps have been checked and approved, and are now with our contractor. Preparation for the next step forward is underway, with the motion plate and frame stretcher CAD models and drawings being prepared for checking, along with preparation of the Engineering Change justification which records what we have done and why, and is a key element of our approval submission to Ricardo. A document on fasteners for our project has been out for review to two knowledgeable engineers, one a former railway colleague Alan James and Dave Burrage, a retired JCB engineer and owner of a live steam “Mickey Mouse” class 2. We have had lively debates about nuts and bolts etc!
Our programme to increase engagement with our supporters takes another step forward this weekend an email Newsletter to be sent out over the weekend. It is the first of a regular quarterly issue. It has taken a lot of time and effort to set up, and to learn how to use it. All that is past now, so it should be relatively easy to prepare the next edition.
Tomorrow it’s off to see about getting a contemporary gouache painting of George No. 1777 Widgeon framed for display on our locomotive at Crewe.
Do try and get to Crewe to see our locomotive if you possibly can, check Crewe Heritage Centre’s website for opening times first.
We are going to see some real progress in the coming months.
Our locomotive moved back into the Crewe Heritage Centre Hall Hall yesterday (Tuesday 26th March) and will be open to Public Viewing from Friday 29th March . The Heritage Centre will be open on Saturdays, Sundays and Bank Holidays till the end of October.
See Crewe Heritage Centre | A Great Day Out For All The Family (crewehc.co.uk) for details of events and opening times.
Come and see our locomotive, the only pre-First World War express locomotive intended for main line use.
If you can possibly afford it, please contribute via the Donate Online Button on the Home Page.
Our AGM almost two weeks ago now. We had a fruitful meeting, and it was good to involve members in the affairs of the Trust. Perhaps next year we will have more members and if we can, on-line participation. After the completion of the very formal official business we had an informal open meeting with a brief introduction on our plans for the immediate future. Our understanding is that our locomotive will be on display in the Hall from Easter, but that we may not be able to remain in the Heritage Centre for 2025. The Centre itself has got very big changes in prospect, so there is some uncertainty. However we would be wise to try and find an alternative low-cost site. Somewhere close to Crewe Works would be ideal!
Our construction plans are focussed on permanent assembly of the frames. Taking advantage of recent generous donations, we are considering changing our immediate focus to purchase of the motion plate and frame stretcher. These are castings, and there will be a fairly long lead time for the three stage manufacture: pattern-making, casting and machining. During the summer we plan a fund-raising drive to coincide with a major article in the Heritage press. The hope is that we can exhibit our locomotive during 2025 as we accumulate the rather expensive materials necessary. At the end of the 2025 season it is hoped we can dismantle our locomotive and build the permanent frame assembly.
Manufacture has not been entirely forgotten, today I have collected our cab handrails from ACE Stainless Fabrications. They have welded the top plate and bottom boss to the tubular rail, and as you can see the weld quality is superb. One would never know that the rail wasn’t machined from solid bar incorporating the big bottom boss.
CAB UPPER HANDRAILS
BOSS WELDED TO TUBE FLANGE WELDING AT TOP OF HANDRAIL
We expect to order the cab footsteps very shortly, and then to seek quotes for the cast frame members mentioned.
It’s a busy time, and we have to generate all the paperwork for approvals for our planned purchases.
Wishing all our members and supporters a happy Easter, enjoy the Easter egg and if at all possible make a donation to help our big push for frame assembly.
It’s March, and time to give Prince George a wash and brush up for display for the the 2024 season at Crewe Heritage Centre. Well, perhaps some gloss paint to make for a more attractive display. Paint was bought for the job last year but time ran out and Prince George had to be shown at Crewe with just a single coat of black primer, a contrast to the smartly painted and lined left side splasher and lower cab side. Today (2nd March 2024) Ken Wood of the LNWR Society, a noted painter of heritage vehicles, painted the inside of the upper cab and the outer facers of the cab side, valance and the front buffer beam. Unskilled support was provided by our Engineer.
Conditions in the unheated hall were hardly the best for painting due to the cold weather (There was a quite nasty sleet storm that morning) but Ken did a great job. Thank you Ken!
Just this one day required a lot of preparatory work, with two days at Crewe to put the platform in place, plus time for purchasing material as well as many hours in the Engineer’s man-cave working up the raw timbers into a kit of parts for the platform and the safety rails around it.
The cover in the second picture is to protect our frame plates from the weather while Prince George is outside for the next 2-3 weeks, This is unfortunately necessary because the Hall is booked for two events this month. No doubt the wash and brush-up will be required once Prince George goes back in the Hall. It’s not a huge job, volunteers please!
Terry McMenamin
Engineer
By the weekend all our members should have received their notification of the AGM on 16th March either by post or email. Two will be posted today after email delivery failed. Please note that membership is defined as those who give regularly or equivalent lump sums.
If you are a donor and haven’t received your papers, please get in touch and we will make sure to send them to you.
If you are not a donor but want to get involved, please go to the buttons at the foot of the Home page. According to the rules members should receive notification of the AGM no later than this coming Saturday, 24th February. If you want to vote, apply now!
Our intention is that getting the membership involved will increase involvement in the project and provide the future leadership.
Looking forward to seeing as many of you as possible at Crewe on 16th March.
Terry McMenamin
Acting secretary
After the long drag of the winter, we need to get No. 2013 spruced up and ready for the second season’s display at Crewe Heritage Centre. First the locomotive needs to be made fit for a short sojourn outside as there is a weekend exhibition occupying the whole of the Hall. One vulnerability to our spring weather was the miscellaneous standard bolts we used at the rear end of the frames. The bolts have to be high tensile countersunk ones to clear the back flange of the wheels, and withstand the loading. Unfortunately these are not stock items, and were not available in time for the loco’s delivery to Crewe. Whatever standard bolts were to hand were used, with large washers covering the countersink of the bolt hole. This left a cavity under each bolt head which would be liable to moisture ingress and corrosion. With the expensive proper bolts now on hand, they have now been snugly fitted to eliminate that risk. There are 22 holes per side, so not a 5-minute job!
The photo is taken from inside the frames at the rear end, showing the temporary structure with the left side main frame bolted behind it. Part of the temporary dolly wheel can be seen under the frame, and the rectangular beam from the centre of the picture to the bottom mid-right carries the weight of the loco on a pivoted axle enabling it to steer. It would be lovely to order the actual dragbox to replace the temporary structure – all donations gratefully received (it will cost £15-20k)!
To enable painting of the cab we need to make sure our volunteers are safe. One element of this is the platform in the cab shown below, made as economically as possible with timber from a reclamation yard. It needs some kick boards and waist-height safety bars before use. We need to beg, borrow or steal a tower platform to paint the outside of the cab. Failing that we will hire one! The left hand side of the loco is partly finish painted and lined, this just needs a wash and shine job.
Come and visit our loco during the exhibition season starting at Easter, or better still become a member and come to our AGM which will be announced shortly and which will include an tour of the locomotive with the opportunity to speak to the team.
Christmas is almost on us, and while things have been relatively quiet on construction there has been much activity in building the Trust’s systems. Our Box.com archive and document management system is being set up and much of our documentation is now stored there. Setting up the new system is time-consuming as it forces consideration of how best to organise it. We have yet to set up the automation of things like purchase order and payment authorisation.
As if that wasn’t enough of an IT challenge our CAD design is being migrated to a new computer, which inevitably throws up a few challenges.
We would welcome any help with our IT, please contact us if you can assist.
Our Chairman Derek Buckles has been busy with membership matters to be contacting supporters directly.
The New Year will see big changes with more supporter involvement – watch this space.
Wishing all our supporters a Very Happy Christmas
Terry McMenamin
The day of our Open Meeting, Saturday 11th November was blessed with some nice warm sunshine after a chilly start. Sadly, the M6 had one of its bad days with a one-hour delay. Nevertheless a select group assembled in the ground floor room of the old Crewe North Box. After the usual technical hitches connecting laptop and large screen, the presentation got underway. We had a very good discussion, touching on frames, cylinders, bearings, the boiler and many other parts of the locomotive.
Afterwards we toured the locomotive with further discussions. Even our LNWR tool box got a bit of attention, on its first day of duty as our small parts and tool store.
It was good to see the Coal Tank back in the Hall, only a few hundred yards from where it would have been built.
This coming Saturday is the day of the LNWR Society luncheon, which we will be attending.
In a short while we expect to announce our plans for some further work to be carried out on the locomotive.
Christmas is coming, please don’t forget to include a gift for Prince George in your shopping list.
Terry McMenamin
Tool Box partly cleaned
Our open meeting is this coming Saturday, 11th November at 2pm in Crewe Heritage Centre’s former Crewe North signal box. The gate will be shut, please open it to drive in and close it behind you. There are facilities to make hot drinks, and possibly if Heritage Centre Volunteers turn up, the maybe a small snack like a toastie. However the Centre is not otherwise open to the public; so that might not be possible. We owe thanks to the Heritage Centre for permission to use the facility.
Our LNWR tool box will be arriving on Saturday to use as our store for small items. It’s got lots of battle wounds from its long life, and unfortunately I painted it in fading light which combined with my lack of painting skills resulted in curtains. At least it’s cleaned up now, it was a mess as you can see on the left. At least it’s now clean. as the photograph below.
I’m looking forward to meeting supporters (and any friends who might like to come) on Saturday, answering your questions and having a good discussion about all things about the George the Fifth, also to show you round the locomotive. We have some new information about the class relating to George Hughes’s period as CME, which will be part of the presentation.
Hoping to see as many as possible of you on Saturday,.
Terry McMenamin Engineer
Tool box as repainted
Our Open Meeting at Crewe is coming up fast, please come and join us if you possibly can. It’s on 11th November at 2pm in the old Crewe North signal box in the Crewe Heritage Centre. There will be a talk with Questions and Answers after, then a walk round the locomotive in the Main Hall.
Our LNWR tool box will be delivered that day having been stripped of the old flaking paint and painted with fresh black gloss paint. With a sturdy lock on it it will serve as our tool and small materials store for now.
We hope to start setting up our new online Trust document centre in the next few days. We will be using BOX.com, so we can keep all our records in one place and use its automated routines for authorisation of orders, payments and such like. It will help us manage the Trust’s business and to be able to demonstrate to the Approvals body that we have followed the rules. If you think it’s boring stuff, well yes it’s true but necessary.
Now I had better get back to that tool box and give it a coat of undercoat!
Hoping to see you at Crewe
Terry McMenamin
Engineer
We will be delighted to welcome our supporters and friends at our open meeting at 2 pm on Saturday 11th November at Crewe Heritage Centre. There will be a presentation and question and answer session in the LNWR Society’s room on the ground floor of Crewe North old signal box, followed by an inspection of the locomotive in the Main Hall. The meeting will finish by 4.30 pm at the latest.
This is an opportunity to meet the team and put your questions to them. We would be delighted to welcome any new volunteers, and look forward to meet our friends and supporters.
Thanks to our friends at Crewe Heritage Centre and the LNWR Society for use of their facilities.
Getting there
Address
Crewe Heritage Centre, Vernon Way, Crewe, CW1 2DB
What3Words: tracks.basket.sits
By Train
- The Heritage Centre is about 15 minutes walk from the station.
- Leave the station via the Nantwich Road exit and turn left towards the Royal Hotel.
- Cross at the pedestrian crossing and continue past the Royal Hotel until you get to the ‘Cheshire Inn’ public house.
- Turn right and walk down Mill Street and Continue past Costa Coffee and Lidl.
- Once under the railway bridge turn right at the roundabout and continue along Vernon Way until you see the entrance to the big Tesco. Follow the sign into the Heritage Centre behind Tesco.
- By Car
- From M6 junction 16 with A500 if coming from East or South. Take A500 west as far as the first roundabout , take the third exit to B5472 signed for Weston, Crewe Hall and Enterprise Park, At the next roundabout turn left onto Weston Road signed for Crewe Centre. At the next roundabout take the second exit to A532 Town Centre. Pass alongside Crewe station on the left, at the roundabout take the third exit to Macon Way, signed Crewe Town Centre. At the next mini-roundabout take the first exit left onto Earle Street, then second exit from the roundabout soon after, finally at the next roundabout turn left to pass alongside the big Tesco to the Heritage centre at the far end.
- From M6 junction17 coming from the North take the A534 to Crewe Green. After about 5 miles take the fourth exit of the big Crewe Green roundabout on to Hungerford Road. After about ¾ mile at the roundabout carry straight on to Earle Street A532, and at the two immediately following roundabouts keep on Earle Street A532, then immediately left alongside the Big Tesco to the Heritage Centre
- From the Nantwich and West, use A500 Shavington Bypass to RB3 roundabout. Take the first exit to Jack Mills Way and stay on this for 1¼ miles. At the cross-road with Nantwich Road carry straight on into Mill Street A5019. At the roundabout take the second exit to Vernon Way A 5019/A532. You will shortly come to the Tesco roundabout, where you take the third exit and keep on to the Heritage Centre at the end.
By way of a diversion, our engineer joined the Crewe Dinner Association for a beautiful Sunday afternoon out on the 1903 tug Daniel Adamson from Acton Bridge to Sutton Weaver. Due to lack of parking at these places we went to the Anderton Boat Lift for a bus to Acton Bridge. Arriving early gave me the chance to tour the boat lift, a massive piece of engineering. It was built in 1875 to link the Trent & Mersey canal with the River Weaver. Boats are raised and lowered in two caissons. It’s very interesting and worth an afternoon out in itself. On to Acton Bridge and the Danny Adamson, for a lovely gentle cruise in wonderfully warm October sunshine along the scenic River Weaver as far as Sutton Weaver near Frodsham.
What, you may ask, has this to do with the George? Perhaps only a little: firstly the commissioning owner of the Daniel Adamson was the Shropshire Union Railways & Canal Company, which just happened to be owned by the LNWR. She was originally named the Ralph Brocklebank to honour an LNWR director. She was renamed for new owners the Manchester Ship Canal Co. The second connection is through the Crewe Dinner Association. Originally this was for Crewe premium apprentices to enjoy a formal dinner with the senior management. Our engineer attended some 1960s dinners in London’s Cafe Royal, with such grand personalities as Sir William Stanier and Lord Nelson of Stafford, of English Electric fame, as guests of honour. Things have changed, but then it was about 60 years ago.
The pictures show the Anderton Boat Lift and the final approach to Sutton Weaver, with the overbridge of the LNWR Chester-Warrington line ahead.
Now it’s time to get back to cleaning 100 years of paint off our LNWR toolbox before repainting it for use as our tool box at Crewe!
George and Terry at Crewe!
A great day was had by all with very many people coming to chat and showing great interest. Most were impressed by the SIZE of our loco!
We made many new contacts and hope some will support us either with donations or by offering their skills. WE ARE PARTICULARLY LOOKING FOR AN ‘IT’ PERSON TO HELP US WITH BOTH OUR WEBSITE AND OUR FACEBOOK PAGE – COULD THIS BE YOU?
The big day at Crewe is drawing near, with a forecast of good weather for Saturday. Our team will be in attendance with identification badges ready to welcome the opportunity to talk to our supporters. It should be a great day out, and please excuse us if we take a few minutes out to admire the live steam passenger-carrying models, and maybe even take a ride on one.
Hoping to see as many of you as possible during the day, do please come and introduce yourself to us.
Regards
Terry McMenaminContributed by Stephen Keay, a friend of the Trust
Locomotive lovers and family fun fanatics alike won’t want to miss out on visiting
the Crewe Heritage Centre this summer!
Throughout the summer holidays, it can become difficult to find activities that will be informative, fun, and cost-efficient for families of all shapes and sizes. For those with a keen interest in locomotives, railways, and the history of Crewe, there’s only one place to take the entire family.
Upon arrival you’ll be greeted by Charlie the Eagle,
legendary mascot of Crewe Heritage Centre.
The Crewe Heritage Centre has been an archive of local history since its opening by H.M. Queen Elizabeth II in 1987. The present-day Heritage Centre boasts an impressive list of attractions perfect for a family outing.
Those visiting the centre can expect to see the following attractions; the Exhibition hall with numerous displays, the Harry Watson railway art collection, children’s play centre, steam locomotives, the American HO Gauge layout, 7¼” gauge miniature railway, 5″ gauge railway, signal boxes, special events and exhibits on loan from the National Railway Museum.
Can you guess the smells in the wooden containers? It’s harder than it sounds… and smells!
While visiting, dive deeper into the history of the LNWR and look towards the future with the help of the LNWR George the Fifth Steam Locomotive Trust and their current Prince George Locomotive building project. Breathing new life into an ageing industry, the once-extinct George V Locomotive class is reborn and is currently on display at Crewe Heritage Centre this summer.
The construction of No. 2013 Prince George is an ongoing process with a dedicated team of knowledgeable and passionate volunteers working together to create a truly special locomotive. A locomotive fit for a Prince, the George the Fifth Locomotive has been signed off by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, allowing the use of Prince George’s name to make an incredible endeavour even grander.
The Sturdy & Stylish Smokebox
While on display at Crewe Heritage Centre, the LNWR community welcomes the general public to take up the opportunity to witness the Prince George Locomotive in its current work-in-progress state. For those interested in engaging with the project and becoming friends of the trust, the LNWR George the Fifth Trust is always looking for new members and ways to gather more donations to complete the project.
The Left Side of Prince George with Name and Number Plates
The left side of the locomotive, complete with Prince George name plate approved by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.
In addition to exhibiting the Prince George Locomotive, the Crewe Heritage Centre has many other exciting child-friendly features to experience, such as engineer cosplay, life-size chess games, face painting by Cosmic Faerie, and even free Thomas the Tank Engine books! It’s also worth noting that visitors will receive free admission if they attend the Crewe Heritage Centre on Wednesdays throughout Operation Summer between 10:00 am and 15:00!
Cosmic Faerie Face Painting – Triceratops Recommended!
For further information on the events and exhibits on display at Crewe Heritage Centre, please, follow the links below:
Crewe Heritage Centre: https://www.crewehc.co.uk/
LNWR George the Fifth Steam Locomotive Trust: https://newprincegeorgesteam.org.uk/
LNWR Society: lnwrs.org.uk
Cosmic Faerie: http://www.cosmicfaerie.com/
Yesterday our locomotive Prince George was joined by the LNWR Coal Tank for at the Crewe Heritage Centre. It’s a long time since two Crewe locomotives were last seen together. Sadly, the Coal Tank has a date at Blaenavon on the weekend of 9th & 10th of September, so it will not be at Crewe for the gala and Steam Up.
We have to admit though that it will be a big event for the Coal Tank to revisit its old area of work, so we hope the team at Blaenavon have a really good weekend.After the frantic activity of getting our exhibit ready for display at Crewe we have been taking stock of our situation and preparing for our next steps. As ever, finance is a major consideration; outgoings connected with preparation for the exhibition including rental, transport, approvals, the unavoidable VAT as well as the actual metalwork are about £30,000. A big thank you to all our donors and supporters who made it possible to get this far.
We recognise a need to get out and about more, and made a start at the LNWRS open day at Kidderminster Severn Valley Railway on 29th July. A small but enthusiastic audience attended our presentation, and we hope to do more such events.
One big event we will be attending is the Gala Day at Crewe Heritage Centre on 9th September. We be on hand to speak with visitors during the day, and will be holding a couple of open sessions in the old Crewe North signal box. Of course, being children at heart we might well take a ride or too on the live steam railways there as part of the LNWR Society’s annual ‘Steam Up’ event which is being held at the Heritage Centre that day.
At that event we intend to unveil two sponsorship campaigns, one at under £100 per subscription, and and a bigger one for the permanent frame assembly, a big ticket item indeed.
We look forward to seeing more progress over the coming year.
Terry McMenamin
We plan to attend the LNWR Society’s event at Kidderminster’s SVR station on Saturday. The Society’s event is being held in the Nursery (on the right of the road to the SVR car park, opposite the station buildings). It will open at 10.00am and close at 4.30pm. One room of the building will show LNWR-related material: photographs, plans, books, models and trade stands, the other room will feature a programme of talks. These schedule for talks is:
- 10.15-11.45: Modelling LNWR Buildings and Structures – Tim Birch
- 12.00-12.40: The George the Fifth Project – Terry McMenamin – Your chance to hear about the project and have your say
- 13.00-2.30pm: Webb’s 4-Cylinder Compounds – Peter Davis
- 2.45-4.15pm: LNWR Influences Still Remaining in the Early 1950s – Ken Wood
As well as the LNWRS event, the magnificent Barrett Engineering Gauge 1 track will occupy the main concourse, and will hopefully be open to any visitors with compatible models to run on it.
It should be a really good day out, specially if combined with a trip on the SVR.
For those perhaps further north who find it too far, don’t forget the ‘Forging History: 180 years of Crewe Works’ exhibition at Crewe Heritage Centre, open at weekends from 10.00am till 3.30. There are lots of exhibits, with the LNWR Society stand and model railways in the former Crewe North signal box, a passenger-carrying miniature railway, and in the main Hall a Crewe Works themed area with our locomotive as the centre-piece. Visitors can go right up to it, it’s not fenced off, so you can examine it really closely.
The Hall also has a seating area to rest weary feet, and material for children – can they find every the Thomas the Tank Engine?
Come and enjoy the fun!
Terry McMenamin
Engineer
On Wednesday 28th June we were at Keyte-Smith’s Kirkby-in-Ashfield works to see Prince George winched on to a low loader for the two-hour run to Crewe. Our driver was very conscientious about making all secure. One last measurement was needed: the height of the chimney, which came in at just under 16 feet, so not a problem on main roads.
Once all was secure, it was time for Jamie and partner Paul to say goodbye their creation.
Our driver commented that some of the driving around him left a bit to be desired as drivers were admiring his load rather than the road around them!
Ready to unload
A 4-wheel steer JCB towed our loco off the trailer and into position. It was more than a little difficult to manoeuvre but eventually Prince George was in position.
Please support us & the Crewe Heritage Centre by visiting the exhibition over the next 3 months. See https://www.crewhc.co.uk for opening times and directions.
Finally, what we aim to build: ‘George the Fifth’ class No. 2013 ‘Prince George’. From an official LNWR photograph of No. 2663 ‘King George the Fifth’. Stephen Arrandale kindly colourised and photoshopped the original for us.Please come to see Prince George at Crewe
Terry McMenamin
1st July 2023
The latest photos of work at the Keyte Smith Locomotive Works. It’s been another busy day, and tomorrow the chimney will be fitted and other minor work will be carried out. We need to agree timings for transport and we look forward to seeing No. 2013 Prince George arriving at Crewe where she belongs. She will be on public display at Crewe Heritage Centre from 1st July to the end of September.
Thanks to you, our supporters for making this possible.
Terry McMenamin
26th June 2023
Another day of sterling work by Jamie and Paul in the Kirkby-in-Ashfield Erecting Shop sees something like a locomotive taking shape. The left view shows the running plate fitted up after some modifications required for the change from a display unit, and the smokebox fitted. No chimney yet, it’s too high for the door. The temporary steering axle can be seen at the lower right, turned at right angles for convenience.
The photo on the right shows the assembly after fitting the lower cab panel. This cab panel, running plate and splasher were fully painted and lined out for the naming ceremony on Prince George’s first birthday.
We hope to make it to Crewe just in time for the Press day at the Heritage Centre.
Terry McMenamin
Engineer
24th June 2023
Frames and Running Plates Assembled
Having taken delivery of the splasher brackets and the frame outriggers, plus the vital nuts and bolts to hold it all together, we have been able to carry on with assembly of our loco. The photograph shows the left side running plates looking on the rear outrigger. Over the next few days we will be fitting the splasher, lower cab panels and smokebox, and finally the cab top. Our contractor Keyte Smith ltd are doing a magnificent job for us, overcoming the problems that always arise with late deliveries or errors.
Today or tomorrow we will set the date for the low loader to take our loco to Crewe Heritage Centre. Visit the exhibition if you possibly can, it is free to enter and will be open at weekends from 1st July through to the end of September.
Mention of free entry reminds me: our contractors’ work for this exhibition is not free of charge, far from it! We’ve spent heavily for this exhibition and ask that if you can afford even the smallest donation, or increase in an existing donation, please give via the link on this website.
Thank you for all your support, which is what makes this all possible.
Terry McMenamin
Engineer
22nd June 2023
Main Frames 1
A HISTORIC DAY FOR THE ‘GEORGE THE FIFTH’
Thursday 20th April 2023 was a historic day for our locomotive. For the first time in 108 years two new George the Fifth main frame plates were set up. These had been delivered drilled and machined by Boro Foundry the previous Monday. A quick survey revealed that the front edge of the plates would foul the running plate, and we had to trim off a very thin slice. Consideration of the bare metal of the machined edges and holes suggested a quick trip to buy some spray primer. Two cans turned out to be different colours, but never mind, we just needed protection. By about 4pm we were ready to move the plates to our erecting shop (the open air in Keyte Smith’s yard!) and the fork lift gently lifted each plate to vertical and placed it in position behind our front end plinth. Laying down the frames is traditionally the creation of a locomotive. With the plates lined up we put some temporary bolts in the joints, and admired our creation. It certainly looked big, obviously not as big as some new builds, but magnificent just the same. After taking a few photographs, we covered the assembly with sheets. A bottle of something for the Keyte Smith team was well earned!
Keyte Smith are now welding up steelwork for the axle beams for our fork truck wheels. One axle will be a steering one with turntable and Vee towbar. A temporary structure will support the frame on the rear axle, again manufactured by Keyte Smith.
We have ordered the two splasher support brackets that bolt to the outside of the frame plates and support the front corners of the cab as well as the splasher. Two outriggers are needed to support the cab rear corners, and these are with the trade for prices.
Over the next couple of months we will be building up our exhibit comprising the smokebox and front end including the buffer beam on its existing plinth, the main frame plates and running plates, the existing lined left splasher and the cab. The left side of the cab is fully lined out, and with our number and nameplates should make an impressive display.
With our wheeled structure loading on to a low-loader and final location at an exhibition site will be relatively easy and avoid the need for heavy lifting equipment.
We now have a number of work packages that can be progressed from late this year onwards as funds permit: dragbox, frame stretcher, motion plate, and four hornblocks. Our front frame plates can then be completed, and finally the permanent assembly of the frames can begin.
Our promised open day for donors to view the cab has been delayed; the cab will not be assembled until the supporting corner brackets arrive, which may be in June. We will do our best to organise a viewing before the locomotive leaves for its summer exhibition. We apologise for the delay, but when the open day comes there will be much more than just the cab to be seen, so it should be worth the wait.
Behind the scenes we have been busy: we now have a much better understanding of the Acceptance process, and must pay tribute to the Main Line Steam Builders’ Group. It is a great forum for sharing experience and expertise, and particular thanks to Graham Nicholas of the P2 Team, formerly of RSSB, who has shared template documents to help with the approvals process.
We are now seeing great progress, and as ever we are ready to welcome new team members to build the team and accelerate the progress.
Terry McMenamin
I wish you all a very Happy Christmas and a prosperous New Year. We are moving forward with frame drilling and finalising designe for the motion plate and dragbox – signs of great things for us in 2023!
As chairman of the George the Fifth Trust I am keen to build up a rapport with our supporters. We have just ordered the right hand lower cab side panel from Keyte Smith, and will shortly contract for assembly of the full cab structure on to the existing fully painted and lined left hand cab side and splasher. As always, finance is essential. Mindful that many of you will be struggling, we emphasise that we do not expect you to incur hardship to donate. However, if you can donate, either on your own behalf or for a family member or friend, please consider making a Christmas donation of £50 towards this assembly. Donors will be invited an event to view the cab and splasher assembly complete with name and number plates in its Midlands store, where there will be a getting-to-know-you session. This will probably take place early in the New Year.
We are very conscious that many of our existing donors have already given equivalent amounts, and deserve similar opportunities. Numbers have to be limited, so a second event will be planned later.
Very shortly we will be seeking tenders for drilling the main frame plates. Our engineer Terry McMenamin is currently trying to resolve issues with frame attachments that would not be acceptable today, but then it is 112 years since the first loco was built!
This is all part of our build-up to the exhibition at Crewe Heritage Centre in June 2023 to celebrate 180th anniversary of the building of Crewe’s first locomotive, Tamerlane, completed in October 1843. We hope to display our cab, splasher, running plates all mounted on the main frames, with the front end lined up to match. For more details see https://newprincegeorgesteam.org.uk/news/ There will be many other attractions, including live steam models of several gauges. We thank Ken Wood and Crewe Heritage Centre chairman Gordon Heddon for the opportunity to exhibit there. Make a note for your diary!
We now have a presence on social media, and are working to broaden our fund-raising efforts.
We are deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Her Majesty The Queen. For over seventy years she has dedicated her life to service for her country and the Commonwealth, and has been a figurehead of national unity and stability at a time of great change throughout our world.
We join the nation in their grief and offer the Royal Family our heartfelt condolences.
Prince George can be very proud of his great grandmother.
The Trust was honoured at the LNWR Society’s open day at Kidderminster on 30th July to present its analysis of progress following changes arising from its late chairman Paul Hibberd’s illness and death, and its plans for the coming year. Unfortunately there has unavoidably been a lack of progress and of communication due to these events. The new chairman, Derek Buckles, puts a strong emphasis on teamwork, and we are recruiting new members to build a team appropriate to a £
Our long-term supporter and contractor Jamie Keyte is to provide estimates for the right hand side lower cab side panel, splasher and running plate. This will enable us to assemble the cab and splashers as a mobile display unit on our low-platform trailer. We should include a ‘footplate’ with steps and rails to encourage interaction with the public. 3million project in a tightly regulated industry.
Some organisational changes are needed following the observations made by Ricardo in their audit of the Trust. These observations are very helpful as they guide us towards building a locomotive for main line operation. We particularly need team members with appropriate skills in engineering, quality management and assurance management. If you are thinking of helping us please contact our engineer Terry McMenamin:
TMcMenamin@LNWR@GeorgtheFifth.onmicrosoft.com or phone 07985 003281
Turning to the physical part of the project, we have had a steady flow of parts delivered over the years, including a fully lined out left hand splasher with lower cab side panel; smokebox complete with chimney, handrail, running plates, front buffer beam and piano front mounted on a display plinth; a dome cover and a cab top with all rails etc for joining to the lower cab panels. Retrospective quality assurance is needed on all these parts, and we intend to do this in parallel with ordering new material.
While Jamie is busy manufacturing, our engineer Terry McMenamin will be designing frame components, in particular the motion plate, dragbox and the brackets supporting the splashers. He is currently going through the LNWR main frame drawing to try and identify the purpose of every hole, and noting any features unacceptable today. This is so that we can commission the drilling and machining of our existing main frame plates. Because of the size of the plates, an equally big machine will be required, with costs accordingly. It will be the most expensive single item to date.
While identifying all existing frame plate holes, we will have to make provision for extra ones that we can’t necessarily define at present. Probably the most significant is provision for electric cables; we need at least axlebox monitoring; “black box” recorder; TPWS and ERTMS. We can define a provisional trunking route, with holes for suitable brackets, but there will inevitably be a need to provide additional holes as the project develops. However, we want to keep this to an absolute minimum as in-situ drilling is always going to be more time-consuming and less accurate.
Once the frame plates are drilled and we have at least the motion plate and dragbox, there will be a trial assembly of main frames with running plate, splashers and cab. We can connect the running plates with those of our front end assembly, so we have for the first time an assembly the full length of the loco.
Our ambition for next June is to exhibit this full length assembly as illustrated below at the Crewe Heritage Centre’s celebration of the 180th anniversary of the first locomotive built at Crewe Works, Tamerlane, completed in October 1843. This is a really appropriate place to show our locomotive, as close as we could possibly get to where the Georges were built. An exciting programme of events and displays is being worked up, promising a wonderful month of celebrations, well worth the big effort involved in getting our display together. Everything we display will be a step on the way to the eventual locomotive, taking us well forward towards an operational locomotive.
As ever, nothing is possible without funding, and the present best guess is that we need £75k to get our locomotive to the exhibition. This is a big increase compared to our historically low rate of fund-raising. We will be exploring all ways of raising money; recognising donors’ efforts at different levels, sponsorship, grants and so on. In our next monthly newsletter we will have more to say. Meanwhile, can you, our bedrock supporters, please review your donations, respecting your own basic financial needs of course, to see if you can increase your rate of giving. Every little helps. I can not help but think of the unfortunate gentleman who left the Trust a significant portion of his tiny estate. He had a dream which he never lived to see, but he gave what he could towards that dream.
Finally, the Trust would like to thank its many allies for their help. The LNWR Society helps in a variety of ways, making its drawings archive freely available. Ken Wood and Ted Talbot have been particularly helpful; Ken negotiated our invitation to Crewe Heritage Centre. Jamie Keyte of Keyte-Smith Ltd. has been ever helpful, in design, manufacturing and storage of parts. Other new builds have been helpful, John Hinds of the Clan project has been very helpful in sharing experience and access to drawings that might be helpful. We have found much help around the heritage engineering world, and this is much appreciated.
Trust News
Events leading up to and after the death of our past Chairman, Paul Hibberd, have caused an inevitable pause in progress. We are working with Paul’s family on a tribute to his efforts on the Trust’s behalf, and this will appear in due course.
We are now getting established with a strengthened team of Trustees, and we have updated both the Charities Commission and Companies House with the details. Other actions we have yet to complete, not least getting control of our bank account. Our online data repository has been recovered, and we are getting to grips with its contents.
It is hoped that by autumn we will be able to restart procurement of material for our locomotive. As ever, this will be expensive and will be dependent on our discovery of the funds available. Trigger warning: an appeal for donations is likely! On the plus side, the Trustees hope to introduce a form of recognition of donors, as other new builds do.
We are hopeful that next summer we can exhibit our locomotive at a very suitable site for an LNWR locomotive.
at the LNWR Society open day at Kidderminster on 30th July, our chairman Derek Buckles and Engineer Terry McMenamin gave a presentation and answered questions on the project. We should be able to provide more details of our plans shortly. It is always an enjoyable day, thanks to the efforts of the organiser Ted Talbot. An added bonus is the chance of taking a ride on the SVR, which will be operating on the day.
Volunteer Appeal
Our team needs building up to have the skills, strength and resilience to design and build a new ‘George’ for Main Line and Heritage operation. We can benefit from any willing volunteers, but we specially need ones to:-
- Produce the documentation for the Trust’s Quality Management system to ISO 9001, covering planning, design, procurement and assurance and other areas. Implement the system, training our team. Periodically carry out internal audits.
- Implement Assurance processes: review of LNWR drawings against those for new manufacture; identification of key dimensions and characteristics; produce pro forma inspection sheets; list required contractor documentation for finished items and compile evidence folder to support the Approvals process.
- An experienced engineer to assist our present engineer. Access to Solidworks CAD would be an advantage. Understanding of Risk Analysis and RSSB standards would be helpful, but we can help with guidance on these.
These activities are vital if we are to obtain approval for main line running. While these are volunteer jobs, we do need evidence of qualification to carry out these tasks if we are to meet the requirements of the Certification bodies. If you are working towards qualification in any of these areas, succeeding in volunteer work for the Trust could help as evidence to support your future career, and we would be happy to provide that evidence.
If you think you can help, please contact our engineer Terry McMenamin by email to mcmenaminterry@yahoo.co.uk or by phone on 07985 003281.
Paul Hibberd, our chairman, sadly passed away at the beginning of this year.
Below please find his obituary prepared by his wife Gill:
Paul was born on 19th May 1945 in Portsmouth, where he grew up as an only child. At school he was very intelligent and his talents were recognized quite early on when he was used to help tutor other children and get them through their eleven-plus! He went on to grammar school and then to Oxford, where he acquired an MA in history. Changing tack somewhat he then went on to obtain an MSc in economics and statistics at Keele University.
Two interests dominated his childhood, one was cricket and the other was steam trains – which he went to see and travelled on at every possible opportunity.
He did briefly play cricket for his college at Oxford and continued to enjoy cricket, particularly test matches, for the rest of his life. However, steam and all its ramifications was his primary focus.
Curiosity was a dominant feature of Paul. So was fearlessness. He travelled extensively. At university he won a scholarship which sent him on a lecture tour in the States. At a time when it was very difficult, he travelled in eastern Europe, on one occasion talking himself into Bulgaria when he did not have the required visa. In 1976, immediately after our marriage, we went to live and work in Vanuatu in the south west Pacific (then called New Hebrides). On the way we visited a lot of exotic locations as we did on the way home. When we had finished having our family, travels began again both in eastern Europe and more widely. We visited India, South Africa and Cuba. We also had a flat in Spain which he had bought before he married me.
Paul had always thought that his wife would be somebody who he met on his travels. This proved to be true as he met me in France in 1974 though I wasn’t the foreigner he expected. We married in 1976. Paul disliked intensely being an only child so one thing he wanted in a wife was a willingness to have “lots of children”. We had 6 so I think his ambitions in this direction were met. Paul was a very gentle and kind father, qualities which he also exhibited with others who knew him well and many people have mentioned his gentleness and kindness in the letters which I have received.
Paul’s curiosity extended to engineering, particularly in the world of steam. He loved anything which explored the possibilities of steam power in modern times, feeling that there was much more which could be achieved. He was full of ideas but he certainly wasn’t going to be the one up to his elbows in grease. His last venture into the practical resulted in his woodwork joint falling to pieces in the last second of his carpentry exam.
His first venture in actively supporting preservation activities came in his support for and assistance with pushing forward the building of a replica George V steam locomotive. Neither he nor Bruce, with whom he began this project, will see it through to the end, but I am sure that others will continue the good work that they started.
Paul eventually qualified as a Trusts and Estates Lawyer, a job which he continued part time until he was forced to stop. His knowledge of law, especially relating to charities, meant that he was much in demand and one of the biggest tasks which we have had to do is sorting out all the paperwork and making sure it all goes to the appropriate people.
- Greetings FriendsIt is with regret that we must share that our chairman and co-founder of the trust, Paul Hibberd, is unfortunately no longer able to serve due to poor health.The remaining trustees will be meeting in the coming weeks to discuss how the project moves forward.We would like to take this opportunity to thank Paul for his unwavering dedication to the trust.We will of course provide a further update as soon as possible. Thank you for you patience at this challenging time.
We’re delighted to share that Prince George has been featured by TimeOut! You can read the full article at the link below:
TimeOut: A steam engine named after Prince George is fundraising for its completion
Today is Women In Science Day.
February 11 is the ‘International Day of Women and Girls in Science’.
We could say STEAM to us means STEM plus.
S Science
T Technology (including IT)
E Engineering
A Art
M Mathematics (and maybe marketing as well if that is a science).
We can say that as a charity we believe in diversity, that we think we have done quite well on BAME, providing work experience to somebody of Asian ethnicity and having somebody with us of African ethnicity for the sandwich year of his mechanical engineering degree.
Our project has also been used in the school context for learning how to produce CAD drawings and a model of the valve gear has been used to teach simulation. We have also done quite well in terms of age, giving a sixteen year old real responsibility.Our weak area is involving the fifty percent of the population that is female. We have a great range of opportunities that could lead into careers in engineering or elsewhere in science and would be delighted to help….we would be delighted to help. Please contact Paul in the first instance at: paulhibberd@gmail.com
Fed up with covid lockdown and the cold -try a little escapism, support the George!.
Visit: https://www.easyfundraising.org.uk/causes/lnwrgeorgevtrust
First site of our new cab and upper cabsides at our private North Nottinghamshire base in afternoon daylight last Thursday.
Frames arriving at our private North Nottinghamshire site this morning.
