Category Archives: Monthly updates

Spring Engineering Update

Spring Engineering Update

 

Boiler
Inside GSNs firebox (Rob Edwards)

Work continues on the boiler with the last of the remaining boiler tube  stubs being removed last month. A big thank you goes out to the sterling work by our volunteers (including Paul G, David O, Geoff A & Jack G) who completed this strenuous task. Work has started on removing rust from the inside of the firebox, descaling the inside of the boiler, and generally cleaning the inside of the boiler and firebox ahead of a planned inspection. It may seem that one paragraph seems like little progress on the boiler, but this work is very labour intensive, and with only a small band of volunteers takes time for the fruit of their labours to become apparent.

Crank Axle

The FEA on the original Crank Axle design shows failure as per the failure on 35020 in 1953.

An interesting fact that has come to light recently is clear evidence that the original design for the Merchant Navy had a balanced crank axle. This was mentioned briefly in the Crewkerne report, in going through drawings of the chain- driven valve gear, one early drawing clearly shows a balanced crank axle. There are no other drawings showing this, it is understood that an unbalanced design was introduced to reduce the weight of the locomotive, but it’s interesting to think what could have been, with a balanced crank axle, Crewkerne may never have happened, which was a key driver in the rebuilding process.

FEA of the balanced crank axle design as fitted to 35011 in 1954 with grade A4T steel showing no failure.

Progress on designing the crank axle continues, we have now converted the original drawing into an electronic CAD file. The next step with the axle will be to design the chain-driver sprocket, for which no drawing exists of one that would fit the balanced crank, and to start conversations with a forger & manufacturer to develop forging & manufacturing drawings.

 A question of balance

As progress continues with design work for the new crank axle, our thoughts are turning to the balancing design. As members will be aware, one of the changes that was obvious on a rebuilt Merchant Navy were the external balance weights on all 3 axles. Our plan is to remove the weight added in 1958 on the leading & trailing axles and rebalance the wheels with weight in the pockets again, if possible. We still need to decide on the shape & material of the coupling rods, which will impact on the amount of balancing needed on these axles, but aesthetically we want to restore that classic Bulleid appearance with no visible balancing. The central driving axle is another question. Originally the crank webs & inside connecting rod were balanced on the wheel rim, with a large plate on the rear face of the wheels and lead in the pockets. The question that arises is what would have been done to that lead when the balanced design was fitted to 35011 before rebuilding? At first inspection, one would think a significant amount of that lead would have simply been removed. However, it’s slightly more complicated than that. All steam 7 locomotives have an amount of balancing on their wheels, to counteract the rotating masses of the coupling and/or connecting rods, as well as, where necessary, the valve gear. Some locomotives, especially 2-cylinder designs, attempt to partially balance the reciprocating (backwards & forwards) masses, to reduce the front-end oscillation that occurs. This balancing can only be perfectly conducted for a given speed, so the engineer has to decide what speed to balance at, and the percentage of reciprocating masses balanced is usually limited to reduce the hammer-blow on the track from these additional rotating masses. Bulleid reasoned that for a 3-cylinder locomotive the reciprocating masses were to a certain extent self-balanced within the mechanics of the machine, as the longitudinal motion of one cylinder is always partially opposed by the other two, and so didn’t add any additional mass to balance the reciprocating forces. For stability purposes, rotating imbalances on one wheel were balanced on the other, so the left-hand balance weight balances the right-hand motion (and viceversa). By studying & understanding the designs for the original & rebuilt locomotives, we’ve managed to determine how to rebalance the driving axle; it will likely have slightly greater mass (approximately 1062 lbs vs. 942 lbs) on it than on the original design, but it will be at a different location (175° vs 140° from the crank); compared to the rebuilt design the location is similar, but the mass is reduced by around 6%. Geometrically, it can be seen how this works out in the drawing of the original design, by balancing the crank webs with counterweights, we have removed the line labelled middle (GH, the righthand side of the polygon), the closure line is then from A to G & is slightly longer than the line AH, at a shallower angle. The leading & trailing wheels from a mechanical perspective won’t need rebalancing, though from an aesthetic perspective we will plan to do this. We also plan to fit the plain rods that were fitted in 1956, as they have greater tensile strength and are less prone to bending. The next step with the balancing is finer detail; we need to determine the disposition of lead in the pockets to achieve the desired counterbalance. For the leading & trailing wheels, this is little more than a tweak to the original design. The central wheel needs some more design to determine the centre of gravity of the lead pockets and the balance weight plate, it is anticipated this will be completed in the coming weeks.

Frames update

A key event in the process of unrebuilding 35011 occurred at the November working weekend when, with the very welcome assistance of the Swindon & Cricklade Railway, and after many, many weekends of effort, the 5 large brackets that held the external valve gear & screw reverser were lifted off the frames. As we are planning to construct Bulleid’s chain drive valve gear (& fit a steam reverser) these brackets are now surplus to requirements. They are in excellent condition, so we are offering them for sale to any interested parties. By removing these, we made it easier to access other areas of the frame, and quickly removed the last of the brake blocks & arms from the leading & trailing axles. The plan now is to continue 10 removing all the parts hanging off the frames; later in 2022 we should then be able to lift the frames, releasing the leading bogie, leading axle & trailing axle. The leading bogie will then be assessed and prepared for professional restoration to mainline condition, whilst the driving wheels will be sent to South Devon Railway Engineering for rebalancing & profiling.

The newly removed components from GSN

In order to help fund the work on the frames the Society has started a Funding the Frames appeal that will be essential for the successful restoration of GSN back into her original condition. Not only do we need to clean and review the condition of the frames as they exist today, any corroded sections of the framework, the rear platform and dragbox will cut out and replaced. We also need to reverse some of the areas that were changed during rebuilding to allow a new middle cylinder to be installed and reinstate Bulleid’s unique patented chain driven valve gear.

This a general fund with no minimum / maximum donation or number of contribution limits, all monies donated to the Fundiung the Frames appeal will be specifically ring fenced for the frames. If you are able to contribute to this project in any way however great or small, we thank you for your support.  You can find out more here

University projects

We now have a further university project looking at the Internal Aerodynamics of a Merchant Navy. Building on lessons learnt last year, as well as better understanding of the test data that is available on both the original smokebox as well as the rebuilt design, they have made excellent progress simulating 3 baseline designs before moving onto some potential design improvements. The new designs they are looking at include some variations on the original exhaust design as well as variations on a Lempor exhaust, in both cases to understand the impact of nozzle size, angle & target upon the smokebox draught. Based on this work, we may run a final study in academic year 2022/3 to polish off the design as well as to understand how it impacts on the external aerodynamics of the locomotive.

Visit to Great Central & some tender parts

Students on Boscastle

As part of the student project this year, I arranged a visit to Loughborough sheds with the students, to have a crawl around Rebuilt Light Pacific 34039 Boscastle. It was a very useful visit, giving the students a good insight into what they’re simulating, and why, and was also a helpful reminder as to how much pipe work and other gubbins there is on a complete locomotive. Whilst there, in chatting with their Chief Engineer, we were offered some left over parts from their tender for a very reasonable sum, including two front footsteps, two rear footsteps, two rear ladders, one tender tank filler and lid, three Vacuum Reservoir tanks with holding down straps and hardwood timber supports, one Vacuum Reservoir tank cover, one Vacuum Reservoir tank cover, 5 tender doors and two curved front corner pieces. These are all original parts from a 2nd series tender, which became spare when the tender tank was scrapped; the vacuum reservoirs are the wrong type for a Light Pacific, the footsteps & ladders were going to be reused but were inadvertently reordered as part of the manufacture of the tank. Whilst we are years from constructing our tender, and still need to flesh out our ideas for it, it is nice to be able to have some genuine parts that can one day be fitted to our machine.

We have also recently managed to purchase two electrical lamps for the locomotive, so we now have 6 lamps. The purchase of one was sponsored by one of our directors, but if you would like to sponsor the other, please do get in touch with us.

Other Engineering Progress

We have made a start on two other big engineering areas in the last few months. Firstly, members of the Engineering Sub-Committee have started creating an online Engineering Bill of Materials (EBoM). As members of the Bulleid Pacific Locomotives Association, we have access to the extensive collection of over 3000 drawings in their catalogue, but the way they are catalogued is not very easy for understanding the relationship between the drawings, nor for knowing what drawings we are missing. By producing the EBoM, in time we will be able to have a clear record of how many of each part we need, the drawings for them, records of when we order parts & how, records of manufacture where appropriate, etc. Those projects that have constructed (or are constructing) locomotives from scratch, such as 60163, 2007, 72010 have gone through a similar 13 process. By starting this, we are laying the foundations for our original Merchant Navy and starting to put the documentation in place we will need to be accepted for mainline running.

The second significant progress is in the subject of assurance, the process by which we demonstrate the locomotive meets the standards necessary for mainline running. After meetings with numerous potential assurance partners, and independent advice from others in the industry, we have appointed Ricardo Rail to be our assurance partner. They will give us the support to understand & produce the evidence we need to restore General Steam Navigation to original design conditions whilst meeting mainline standards, and document that process. They work with numerous similar projects and are a good fit for our project.

Finally, we are becoming involved in a forum of new-build steam locomotives, to look at ways of pooling knowledge and cost-saving between us. Whilst that title may bring howls of protest from some quarters, we have things we can learn from these groups in the assurance process. Where we are manufacturing components from scratch, we will need to demonstrate that the finished component doesn’t bring additional risk to the design compared to the original. Where we are restoring, we will need to demonstrate that our restoration has returned the components to a condition where it doesn’t bring additional risk to the locomotive.

As always, any members who would be interested in being involved with the engineering of our project, please do get in touch. I need some support on the engineering of this project, especially at the moment with weld design, so if you have any experience in this area, please do get in touch. We also need some additional support archiving drawings online into the EBoM, this is an opportunity to study some of the original drawings of a Bulleid pacific. Similarly, if you have any question or comment on the Engineering report or the engineering in general, please do email our CME (steve.rapley@35011gsn.co.uk)

The momentum being generated by our engineering team means 2022 is going to be a very important year for the project with some big goals in mind. To achieve this we will need your help, you are able to support us in many ways if you are not already a Society member you can sign up for membership for currently only £15 per year here, or donate to the Society here or even better become a shareholder here.

As always thank you for your continued support.

Chairmans Chairman Message

CHAIRMANS CHRISTMAS MESESAGE

As 2021 draws to a close all of us at General Steam Navigation would like to wish all our members, supporters and your families a wonderful Christmas time. We hope 2022 brings you and GSN, health, wealth and happiness. During the last year we have really started to make progress with the restoration of 35011 to her 1950’s condition and we are sure with your continued support this will further accelerate throughout 2022. If you are not already a member please seriously consider joining this amazing project. Details on the Web Site here.

In case you haven’t seen it, please watch this fantastic video presented by Andrew Collett which looks at the various engineering achievements of the past few months. We also will be doing a question and answer session at the start of 2022 so please do send us any questions you might have.

My final personal wish to you all is that you may never be too grown up to search the skies on Christmas Eve. You never know you might just see a red flash or hear bells ringing and Angels singing.

Gerry Leyman

Chairman

General Steam Navigation Locomotive Restoration Society

October 2021 Update

October 2021 Update

 

On Monday 11th October, General Steam Navigation and our volunteers were featured in the first episode of the new behind the scenes documentary series looking at Hornby. Broadcasted on Yesterday ‘Hornby a Model World’ is a 10-part series following Hornby as it opens its doors to show the lengths its team of designers and engineers go to in scaling down locomotives, cars, aircraft and more to produce replica models as near perfect as possible. The first episode revolved around the development of the new Hornby Dublo General Steam Navigation and featured the Society’s efforts to restore our locomotive. The filming of the real General Steam Navigation on site at Blunsdon took place at the end of 2020 and focused on the stripping down of the frames and Trailing Truck. You can view the full episode on UKTV player here.

The Trailing Truck has left Blunsdon and has arrived at the North Norfolk Railway where it will be restored by a specialist engineering team. Located at Weybourne Engineering works, North Norfolk Railway Engineering presented a strong bid for the work, with a high level of engineering detail, that respects the historical merit of the unique in preservation fabricated Merchant Navy trailing truck. The speed of the work is dependent on how quickly the Society can raise the funds. We do hope you consider supporting the work by joining our Trailing Truck Transformers Funding group, donating to the project or by purchasing shares in the engine.  Thank you.

Issue 16 of our membership magazine ‘The Packet’ is at the printers and will be posted out to our members in the coming weeks. The 28-page issue features a detailed update from the engineering team looking at the trailing truck, frames, boiler and crank axle. Also featured are is the latest news from our finance, membership and fundraising teams. The highly successful coach trip and N gauge models are also discussed along with the minutes from the AGM. Membership in the General Steam Navigation Locomotive Restoration Society costs £15 a year with members receiving the Packet 3 times a year, access to the locomotive and the ability to get involved with the Society. For more information please visit our dedicated membership page here.

Following on from the success of our first two Limited Edition model wagons in 00 gauge we are pleased announce a new model this time in N gauge. Once again these models have been jointly produced in cooperation with the Medway Queen Preservation Society. They are in stock now and already selling well.

The new models have been produced by Dapol Ltd. and are based on there N Gauge Gun Powder Vans with the lettering “General Steam Navigation, No. 11, Blunsdon and Gillingham Pier.” They are available in either red or blue and are priced at £11.90 each excluding post and packing.

To purchase one or more these wagons go to our online shop where you also purchase our other merchandise such as mugs, pint glasses, pens and pin badges etc.

The 35011 Twenty Twenty Club winners have been drawn for September .

Congratulations go to:
1st Prize – David Taylor ,
2nd Prize – Denise Sexton,
3rd Prize – Derek  Preece

The Twenty Twenty Club is a great way to help raise funds for the locomotive and at the same time have a little bit of fun. We still have the last few places remaining find out how to join here.

As always thank you for your continued support.

 

June 2021 Update

June 2021 Update

 

Progress continues with removing the castings on the frames that were used to support the Walschaerts valve gear.  A number of bolts from the larger frame castings were cleaned up and removed, unfortunately all the remaining bolts have been tack welded by BR and will required to be ground or burnt off.
The brake cylinders between the frames were freed and removed, and the front brake cross arm and brake support were dropped onto the floor under the loco. This has to be removed as it gets in the way of removing the two large front brackets which also need to come off. The two front brake arms and blocks on the frames were also freed up, but three nuts on one side require the split pins removing before we can get them off.
Also removed was the front left hand side bogie splasher, which has been marked up and stored. The plan with the frames is to get all the larger castings ready for removal, then at a working weekend later in the year draw the chassis forward and use a small crane to lift them off safely.

Work continues with converting the BPLA drawings of the frames & valve gear into CAD to allow us to have replacement parts manufactured. This is a lengthy process, but one that is vital for our goal of re-engineering the existing frames to a condition where they can accommodate the original chain-driven valve gear and replacing the middle cylinder. In time we will also have the drawings of the smokebox and air-smoothed casing transferred to CAD for the same reason. At this point the CAD of the replacement frame stretchers has been completed, a significant milestone for this project, as it allows us to look towards costing and manufacturing these vital new parts. Whilst 35011’s frames have the existing stretchers, these would need detaching to replace the middle cylinder, and they were heavily altered during the rebuilding process and would need significant alteration to accommodate the Bulleid chain-driven valve gear and oil-bath, so the decision has been taken to replace them. You can donate to our work on the frames by contributing to our ‘Putting funds into the frames’ appeal.

Following the boiler lift last October, the remains of the tubes have nearly all been removed. At the working weekend on the 10/11th April the mud door was removed to enable the removal of all the built up debris and rust, whilst 50 of the remaining small tube ends were also removed, leaving just a few to clear now. The focus in the forthcoming working weekends will be to complete the small tube end removal, removing rust from inside the firebox and general cleaning of the boiler and firebox prior to a planned inspection later this year.

The Trailing Truck Transformers funding group continues to be our primary fundraising campaign with its objective of funding the restoration of GSNs trailing truck. The Society is pleased with the initial number of members who have signed up for ‘Lots’ but are under no illusions that its still along way from being funded. We are offering a maximum of 30 members the opportunity to purchase a ‘Lot’ for £500. Members are welcome to purchase as many ‘Lots’ as they wish up to the maximum target amount.

Members of the Fund Group would receive a number of benefits including:

  • Certificate of membership of the ‘Trailing Truck Transformers’
  • Name engraved on a suitable brass plaque attached to the refurbished Trailing Truck
  • Regular updates on the refurbishment of the Trailing Truck
  • An invitation to a VIP day at the Swindon and Cricklade Railway to see the completed Trailing Truck once it is returned to the railway.

For details on how to become a Trailing Truck Transformer click here.

We understand that £500 is a lot of money and for people who wish to support the trailing truck but are unable to join the Trailing Truck Transformers club you can help us by donating to our Wheel Set appeal on our JustGiving page here.

Bossman Games

Earlier in the year Bossman Games kindly sponsored the cost of a new regulator handle for General Steam Navigation. Now Bossman Games, purveyors of quality add-ons for Train Simulator, have released a new addition to enable you to get behind the regulator of an Original condition Merchant Navy locomotive. The pack which feature all 30 members of the class, authentic liveries with 3 build variations, 3 different tender types and much much more will keep players entertained for hours. You can purchase the add on from their website here.

Smoke & Steam.
Looking for something new to read?
Have a look at this brand new publication Smoke & Steam. Join us across some of the most famous – and not so famous –routes, featuring locomotive legends. with in-depth articles, explaining some of the most important moments of Britain’s railway history from a variety of eras and regions, accompanied by rare or never-before printed photography.  35011 General Steam Navigation is the topic of an article written by one of our Trustees. Order you paper copy here  or to download the digital copy click here .

Exclusive Weekend break to Preserved railways lines

Join the Travel Club on this exclusive weekend break to raise funds for the General Steam Navigation Locomotive project and Swindon & Cricklade Railway.
Your day begins with a journey from Cricklade to the East Lancashire Railway before continuing to our hotel for 3 nights the Best Western Guide Post Hotel on a half board basis. We include excursions to the Bolton & Embsay, North Yorkshire Moors Railways & East Lancashire Railway + National Railway Museum (York)
Joining points for this coach will be Devizes, Melksham, Chippenham and Blunsdon on the Swindon & Cricklade Railway.

 

The Society has been paid £49.68 through EasyFundraising. Thanks to everyone who helped to raise these funds. If you’re not supporting 35011 General Steam Navigation, please sign up now. It takes 2 minutes & 4,300+ shops will donate to us for free every time you shop with them! You can sign up using the link here. By signing up to EasyFundraising you’ll be able to help restore GSN without any costs or hassle to you.

 

Annual General Meeting
As mentioned last month the fifth Annual General Meeting of the Society will be held on Saturday 31st July 2021 at Blunsdon railway station on the Swindon and Cricklade Railway at 1pm. Following the cancelation of last years physical AGM due to Covid 19 and the need to switch to a proxy event the Society are confident that this year’s event will go ahead, although this is still depend on Governmental guidance.  The AGM will be the first that most of you will have had the chance to get to see the engine following her boiler lift last Autumn and to view the work that has continued since that time. It is planned that once the society AGM has been completed the CIC’s will take place with the shareholders. Shareholders will be contacted separately in this matter. We would appreciate those considering attending the AGM to contact the Society so that we can gauge the likely numbers of attendees to help ensure a Covid safe event for everyone.

The 35011 Twenty Twenty Club winners have been drawn for May.

Congratulations go to:
May 2021- 1st Prize – Andrew Collett,
2nd Prize – Chris Mileman,
3rd Prize – David Oborn

The Twenty Twenty Club is a great way to help raise funds for the locomotive and at the same time have a little bit of fun. We still have the last few places remaining find out how to join here.

As always thank you for your continued support.

May 2021 Update

May 2021 Update

 

The fifth Annual General Meeting of the Society will be held on Saturday 31st July 2021 at Blunsdon railway station on the Swindon and Cricklade Railway at 1pm. Following the cancelation of last years physical AGM due to Covid 19 and the need to switch to a proxy event the Society are confident that this year’s event will go ahead, although this is still depend on Governmental guidance.  The AGM will be the first that most of you will have had the chance to get to see the engine following her boiler lift last Autumn and to view the work that has continued since that time. It is planned that once the society AGM has been completed the CIC’s will take place with the shareholders. Shareholders will be contacted separately in this matter. We would appreciate those considering attending the AGM to contact the Society so that we can gauge the likely numbers of attendees to help ensure a Covid safe event for everyone.

Issue 15 of the Packet is at the printers and due to be sent out to our members by the end of the month. The 28 page issue features a huge update from the engineering team looking at the trailing truck, frames, boiler and crank axle. The issue has the latest news on our AGM, membership, podcast, fundraising coach trip, our 00 gauge wagons, more 35011 performance logs and an article looking at the early days of the GSNLRS. 2021 is shaping up to be a very important year for the project with some big goals in mind. You can help support us in many ways if you are not already a Society member: you can sign up for membership for currently only £15 per year here, or donate to the Society here or even better become a shareholder here.

The Society have recently received a donation of several scaffolding boards to help our volunteers to work safely on the locomotive. Allen and Foxworthy Ltd based in Swindon are Her Majesty The Queen’s scaffolding contractor with a royal warrant. The Society would like to thank Allen and Foxworthy for their support.

Work on the engine at Swindon has resumed with efforts focusing on the boiler and the trailing truck. A full update will be featured in the Packet. The weekend did see two of our newest recruits Jack and Geoff continued cleaning the boiler and inner firebox. If you’d like to get involved no matter what skills you have we can use your help. Please contact our volunteer liaison officer Mr Andrew Collett at andrew.collett@35011gsn.co.uk.

The Trailing Truck Transformers funding group continues to be our primary fundraising campaign with its objective of funding the restoration of GSNs trailing truck. The Society is pleased with the initial number of members who have signed up for ‘Lots’ but are under no illusions that its still along way from being funded. We are offering a maximum of 30 members the opportunity to purchase a ‘Lot’ for £500. Members are welcome to purchase as many ‘Lots’ as they wish up to the maximum target amount.

Members of the Fund Group would receive a number of benefits including:

  • Certificate of membership of the ‘Trailing Truck Transformers’
  • Name engraved on a suitable brass plaque attached to the refurbished Trailing Truck
  • Regular updates on the refurbishment of the Trailing Truck
  • An invitation to a VIP day at the Swindon and Cricklade Railway to see the completed Trailing Truck once it is returned to the railway.

For details on how to become a Trailing Truck Transformer click here.

We understand that £500 is a lot of money and for people who wish to support the trailing truck but are unable to join the Trailing Truck Transformers club you can help us by donating to our Wheel Set appeal on our JustGiving page here.

The 35011 Twenty Twenty Club winners have been drawn for March and April.

Congratulations go to:

April 2021- 1st Prize – Steve Rapley, 2nd Prize – Andrew Stokes , 3rd Prize – Simon Strachan

March 2021- 1st Prize – Paul Millard, 2nd Prize – Simon Strachan, 3rd Prize – John Anthony Jackson

The Twenty Twenty Club is a great way to help raise funds for the locomotive and at the same time have a little bit of fun. We still have the last few places remaining find out how to join here.

As always thank you for your continued support.

March 2021 Update

March 2021 Update

 

The membership fees for 2020/21 have risen slightly, to £15 for single members and £25 for joint  membership (two members, same address and receiving just one Packet). This as a result of ever increasing costs and brings us in line with fellow projects of our size. Following several requests, the Board have agreed to offer Life Memberships. The costs of these are shown below;

Under 60 Over 60 Under 60 Over 60
Single £500 £300 Joint £800 £500

If you’re interested in a life membership or have any membership queries please contact our Membership Secretary at C.mileman@35011GSN.co.uk

As mentioned separately earlier this month The General Steam Navigation Locomotive Restoration Society feature in the latest Railway Mania podcast, episode 17. The 90-minute podcast features three of the Society Trustees,  Andrew Collett, Steve Rapley (CME) and Graham Muspratt with Corwin Bainbridge discussing our project to restore General Steam Navigation back to original condition complete with Bulleid’s chain driven valve gear and air smoothed casing. The podcast has received some incredible feedback and is highly recommended that everyone interested in the project do take a listen.

 

Our brand new Limited Edition 00 Gauge Conflat wagons, with two different colour container options, produced in cooperation with the Medway Queen Preservation Society, are now available to purchase via our online shop here.

The Society has added to two articles sent by Alan Peake to our website.  His father, Bill, was MD of New Medway Steam Packet Company which had been taken over by the GSN Shipping Line before the last war.  The first tells the story of Bill’s life associated with Company and the second is a talk given by Bill to the London and Home Counties branch of the Paddle Steamer Preservation Society in 1961 about living with the ‘Paddlers’. If there is any interest amongst the membership (or others known to the group, perhaps) in purchasing photos of the Shipping Company’s ships, Alan has many that he can supply and has kindly offered the proceeds to our Society’s funds.  Please contact Alan directly via email here for further details. You can find Alan Peake’s articles in our Memories and Recollections section here.

Crested Eagle (pictured right with the Royal Eagle on the left on the buoys off Tower Pier on 19th May 1934)

The Society has started sharing  #OnThisDay posts marking significate anniversaries in General Steam Navigations history. February featured two historical dates with her naming ceremony at Waterloo in 1945 on the 20th and her return to service in 1955 following modifications resulting from the Crewkerne incident on the 19th. These posts have proved popular and the Society will continue to post them over the coming months when such anniversaries appear.

Work has continued on the CAD modelling thanks to the hard work of James Pearce and James Conway. We are concentring on the bogie in preparation for restoring it later on the year subject to funding and the completion of the trailing truck.

The Trailing Truck Transformers funding group continues to be our primary fundraising campaign with its objective of funding the restoration of GSNs trailing truck. The Society is pleased with the initial number of members who have signed up for blocks but are under no illusions that its still along way from being funded. We are offering a maximum of 30 members the opportunity to purchase a ‘Lot’ for £500. Members are welcome to purchase as many ‘Lots’ as they wish up to the maximum target amount.

Members of the Fund Group would receive a number of benefits including:

  • Certificate of membership of the ‘Trailing Truck Transformers’
  • Name engraved on a suitable brass plaque attached to the refurbished Trailing Truck
  • Regular updates on the refurbishment of the Trailing Truck
  • An invitation to a VIP day at the Swindon and Cricklade Railway to see the completed Trailing Truck once it is returned to the railway.

For details on how to become a Trailing Truck Transformer click here.

We understand that £500 is a lot of money and for people who wish to support the trailing truck but are unable to join the Trailing Truck Transformers club you can help us by donating to our Wheel Set appeal on our JustGiving page here.

The 35011 Twenty Twenty Club winners have been drawn for February.

Congratulations go to:

1st Prize – Allan Bott, 2nd Prize – Paul Millard, 3rd Prize – David Taylor

The Twenty Twenty Club is a great way to help raise funds for the locomotive and at the same time have a little bit of fun. We still have the last few places remaining find out how to join here.

2021 is shaping up to be a very important year for the project with some big goals in mind. You can help support us in many ways if you are not already a Society member you can sign up for membership for currently only £15 per year here, or donate to the Society here or even better become a shareholder here.

As always thank you for your continued support.

February 2021 Update

February 2021 Update

Whilst Covid19 has been affecting both our financial and engineering efforts, the Society is delighted to report that new parts continue to be constructed. Recently the front bogie spring beams were delivered by Ashbrook Engineering Ltd; the Society is extremely grateful to Mr Alan Dixon who sponsored their construction. Along with the efforts of Mr Tony Simmonds who is machining the spring hangers for the Society, work on the bogie is progressing at a good pace.

Work continues with converting the BPLA drawings of the frames & valve gear into CAD to allow us to have replacement parts manufactured. This is a lengthy process, but one that is vital for our goal of reengineering the existing frames to a condition where they can accommodate the original chain-driven valve gear and replacing the middle cylinder. In time we will also have the drawings of the smokebox and air-smoothed casing transferred to CAD for the same reason.

The Trailing Truck Transformers funding group continues to be our primary fundraising campaign with its objective of funding the restoration of GSNs trailing truck. The Society is pleased with the initial number of members who have signed up for blocks but are under no illusions that its still along way from being funded. We are offering a maximum of 30 members the opportunity to purchase a ‘Lot’ for £500. Members are welcome to purchase as many ‘Lots’ as they wish up to the maximum target amount.

Members of the Fund Group would receive a number of benefits including:

  • Certificate of membership of the ‘Trailing Truck Transformers’
  • Name engraved on a suitable brass plaque attached to the refurbished Trailing Truck
  • Regular updates on the refurbishment of the Trailing Truck
  • An invitation to a VIP day at the Swindon and Cricklade Railway to see the completed Trailing Truck once it is returned to the railway.

For details on how to become a Trailing Truck Transformer click here.

We understand that £500 is a lot of money and for people who wish to support the trailing truck but are unable to join the Trailing Truck Transformers club you can help us by donating to our Wheel Set appeal on our JustGiving page here.

Alternatively you can make a donation however large or small into our newly launched Putting Funds into the Frames campaign here…

The 35011 Twenty Twenty Club winners have been drawn for January.

Congratulations go to:

1st Prize – David Oborn, 2nd Prize – Simon Shutt, 3rd Prize Allan Bott

The Twenty Twenty Club is a great way to help raise funds for the locomotive and at the same time have a little bit of fun. We still have the last few places remaining find out how to join here.

2021 is shaping up to be a very important year for the project with some big goals in mind. You can help support us in many ways if you are not already a Society member you can sign up for membership for currently only £12 per year here, or donate to the Society here or even better become a shareholder here.

Finally some of our trustees will be making a guest appearance on the “Railwaymania” podcast and will be answering questions from members and the general public.  If you have any questions you’d like answering please send them to us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or through our website and we’ll ensure as are answered on the podcast as possible.

As always thank you for your continued support.

January 2021 Update

Work on the 35011 project has continued despite the latest national lockdown putting a halt to all working parties on the engine. Members will soon be receiving on their doorsteps or inboxes the latest Issue 14 of our membership magazine ‘The Packet’
This issue is over 25% larger than the previous issue with lots of exciting news from the engineering, fundraising, PR and membership teams. If you’re not a member and would like to receive a copy and be among the first to know you join our Society for just £12 by clicking here.

At our final working weekend of 2020 we were filmed & interviewed by a TV crew for a program to be aired in late 2021 which will be great publicity for our project. We have more volunteers waiting to join our working parties once social distancing becomes a thing of the past which will speed up the rate of restoration. At this moment in time GSN is a dormant creature, waiting for its time to live again and with your help we can do just that. No matter what skills you have we can use your help. Please contact our volunteer liaison officer Mr Andrew Collett at andrew.collett@35011gsn.co.uk if you fancy getting your hands dirty.

At the start of the month Hornby announced that a new model of General Steam Navigation will be joining the Hornby Dublo range. The model will be limited to 500 models and feature a diecast boiler. The locomotive is wearing the BR Brunswick green livery and looks brilliant. You can find out more on the  Hornby website here.

The 35011 Twenty Twenty Club winners have been drawn for November and December.

Congratulations go to:

December 2020 – 1st Prize –  Chris Mileman, 2nd Prize – David Oborn, 3rd Prize – Andrew Collett

November 2020 – 1st Prize – Chris Mileman, 2nd Prize – Steve Raply, 3rd Prize – Simon Strachan

The Twenty Twenty Club is a great way to help raise funds for the locomotive and at the same time have a little bit of fun. We still have the last few places remaining find out how to join here.

2021 is shaping up to be a very important year for the project with some big goals in mind. You can help support us in many ways if you are not already a Society member you can sign up for membership for only £12 per year here, or donate to the Society here or even better join us as a shareholder here.

As always thank you for your continued support.

November Update

Work on the locomotive  progressed at a great rate prior to the start of the latest government lockdown. The weekend before the lockdown saw the project pass another important landmark with the removal of the final tube from the boiler that contained 40 large diameter tube and approx. 100 small diameter tubes. Once the current Covid restrictions have been relaxed our volunteers will carry on with their efforts to prepare the boiler for inspection and NDTs in early 2021.

The trailing truck was also the focus of the efforts of our volunteers in October. The trailing truck is being cleaned up and assessed prior to restoration next year. We are currently seeking donations towards the cost of the transportation and overhauling of the trailing truck axle and the front bogie axles. You can donate to the appeal on our justgiving page here, any funds would be extremely appreciated.

Ian Ferguson one of our skilled volunteers has completed the machining of the shut off valves that attach to the main steam manifold. The amount of skilled put into them is impressive and we are extremely grateful for all his hard work.

The Society has been paid £49.92 through EasyFundraising. Thanks to everyone who helped to raise these funds. If you’re not supporting 35011 General Steam Navigation, please sign up now. It takes 2 minutes & 4,300+ shops will donate to us for free every time you shop with them! You can sign up using the link here. With Christmas and Black Friday coming up by signing up to EasyFundraising you’ll be able to help restore GSN without any costs or hassle to you.

The winners of our first 35011 Twenty Twenty Club have been drawn for October.

Congratulations go to:

1st Prize – Dereck Preece

2nd Prize – Simon Strachan

3rd Prize – David Oborn

We still have the last few places remaing find out how to join here

You can help support us in many ways if you are not already a Society member you can sign up for membership for only £12 per year here, or donate to the Society here or even better join us as a shareholder here.

As always thank you for your continued support.

Summer Engineering Update

Summer engineering update

In June a few select volunteers restarted  stripping down work on GSN. Numbers are being strictly limited to begin with to comply with social distancing so it may be a little while before we can welcome new members to our working parties. Thank you to those that have recently sent in their volunteer forms to join the ranks of our working members, we will welcome you to Blunsdon as soon as we are able.

Most of the work focused on getting our container set up which included the installation of the container lights and electrical sockets, at the request of the railway painting the outside green and various other small tasks. Work did progress on the locomotive with the removal of the springs that attach to the centre driving wheels. A preliminary visual inspection suggests they are good condition considering their age.

The removal of the lower piston and cover

Although we await the installation of a permanent electrical feed, we have a temporary connection to our newly installed consumer unit to give us both lighting and a ring main in the container. We have included RCD protected sockets for external tool use, sockets by the desk including USB charging points and sockets for the kindly donated microwave oven, fridge and kettle!

The stripping down also saw the right hand side piston and cover being removed. These have now been put into storage and will their condition will be assessed.

Removing some of the more stubborn bolts

The Society is happy to report that it was able to purchase some new components for the locomotive in the form of a Speedo drive, cut off indicator quadrant & part of the steam turbo generator. The components were from an enthusiast’s collection who offered them to the Society for an incredibly reasonable price.

Work in July was mostly focused around preparing for the boiler lift with some of the more troublesome boiler mounts being removed. The front boiler mounts proved especially resistant to being removed but after some head scratching a plan was devised and carried out that saw the mounts being separated.

 

Front end casing complete with lamps and disks

The main engineering highlight for this issue was the new front end casing which was successfully test fitted in July. The casing was originally built to be a surprise for our members at the cancelled AGM earlier in the year. The casing was built by the team at Leaky Finders who did another fantastic job for us.

Front end view of the casing

The two outside pieces are slightly bigger then they were originally built, we felt it was a sensible decision to make them bigger then we need to allow us trim them down during their final fitting and make a perfect joint to the rest of the casing. For the same reason none of the fitting holes were drilled, this meant we had to use some wooden props to display the pieces on the locomotive. The most complex part of the casing manufacture was the lamp irons which required machining to get the side profiles right before beginning to be bent into their into the final shape.

Boiler lift

CanPacs boiler lift inside Eastleigh works

The “Sponsor an inch or more” campaign that was masterminded by  Graham Muspratt was a huge success with the Society raising just under £2,000. The Society would like to thank Graham and all those who donated to the appeal. Getting the funding in place so quickly has made the planning for the boiler lift far simpler. At the time of publication a date has been agreed for the lift prior to the rearranged AGM although for health and safety reasons the Society will not be publishing the exact date.

With the relaxation of lockdown rules our volunteers have been hard at work preparing for the boiler lift. Our aim is to get all the remaining small boiler tubes cut and removed from the boiler before the day of the lift. The majority of the securing bolts have been removed with the remaining ones being left in for safety reasons. Our volunteers will remove all the final securing bolts the day before the lift.

Preparing the trailing truck for removal

The Society have been debating the possibility of removing both the trailing truck and front bogie whilst the crane is on site for the boiler lift. The agreed plan is to attempt to remove the trailing truck but we’ll leave the front bogie in place.  There are several reasons for this decision with the main factor being the Society is not in a position where we can make the locomotive immobile. The weight of the front end of the locomotive would require us to pack behind the bufferbeam in order to prevent the possibility GSN pivoting on her front drive axle. If GSN had a crank axle in place along side the rear drive wheel would have created a counter weight to balance the locomotive without either the bogie or trailing truck needing to be in place. The safest option we are taking is to remove the trailing truck and leave the bogie in place as this will allow us to push the locomotive back under cover once the lifts have been completed.

All the generous people who donated to the appeal will be entered into a free draw to win a number of prizes, including: a star prize of a Graham Farish N Gauge Merchant Navy Pacific locomotive, a years free membership to the GSNLR society, GSN merchandise and other prizes.

The raffle will be drawn at random at pivotal points during the boiler lift such as: The moment the first inch has been lifted, point of maximum lift, being clear of the chassis and then lowered to its new location. If you have donated and not contacted us to confirm your raffle entry with us please do at the earliest opportunity in order to ensure you don’t miss out.

How you can help us.

With so much engineering progress being made with the restoration of 21c11 / 35011 back to original condition complete with air smoothed casing and chain drive valve gear you can help us in several different ways:

Membership

The General Steam Navigation Locomotive Restoration Society Membership costs £12 for the year click here for more details on how to join us.

Shareholding

The General Steam Navigation C.I.C. offers our supporters the opportunity to purchase shares in the locomotive. To find out more about becoming a shareholder and the levels of benefits click here.

Volunteering

No matter what skills you have we can use your help. Please contact our volunteer liaison officer Mr Andrew Collett at andrew.collett@35011gsn.co.uk.  If you are considering a donation to the project or buying some shares today is the perfect time to do it.

The project is heading into some very exciting times and any financial contributions would be greatly appreciated.

As always thank you for your continued support.