2012 News

Preservation News (2012)

MARCH 2012 UPDATE
D1516 was united with its new bogies on 3rd March following further attention to its underside including welding repairs to the drag boxes. Once the reconnecting of the bogies claws, TM cables and brake pipes has been completed attention will shift to stripping all useable parts from the old bogies. Some further pictures are on the 47417 Gallery page.

FEBRUARY 2012 UPDATE
First website update of the year, but the Project team has not been idle over the winter. Our volunteers seem to have spent a good portion of the last few months shunting 47 bogies from pillar to post around the site, from top plane, to C Bay, to the diesel shed, the museum and then the workshop! Other than that, work has concentrated mainly on preparing the bogies ex-47761 for use under D1516, and the latter machine was finally lifted on Saturday 11th February 2012. The bogies which have been underneath D1516 since we purchased it were not the ones that it was withdrawn with, a swap taking place after withdrawal presumably because 47417's bogies and/or traction motor(s) were required for another machine. Following the lift it was discovered that a number of small parts were missing from the underside of D1516 which would have been removed when it donated its bogies, including insulator boxes and also some small wooden blocks which hold the traction cables in place where they attach to the loco. Fortunately, spares donor 47761 was still on site and has been able to supply the missing parts.

Photos of the lifting operation are on the 47417 Gallery page.

We have also been completing the engine room repaint inside D1516.

47401 has spent the period in 'winterised' condition but all being well should be running during 2012, its 50th anniversary year and may be taking part in one or more events to commemorate that milestone. As 2011 proved to be a poor year for the Project, having suffered from spares thefts, the enforced closure of our shop at Swanwick, and a much increased financial burden associated with our residence at Butterley, it is hoped that 2012 will bring better fortune to our two 'Generators'.

CLASS 47 DATA FILE - PART 6
As mentioned in the final report of 2011, this book has finally been published and is selling well. The team has moved on to work on Part 9A which features Eastern Region 47/3s D1782-D1806.