Photo: Richard Holland 1990
That's right, Thirty Thousand Pounds!
If you wish to take part by making a donation, you can donate by using your card and ringing 0845-680-1758 (before 9pm please) or alternatively
/ P.O. to The Treasurer, The Middleton Railway Trust Ltd, The Station, Moor Road, Hunslet, Leeds, LS10 2JQ
Here is the History of this locomotive:-
Photo: Richard Holland 1990
North Easter Railway 1310:-
One of the oldest locomotives at Middleton is 1310 a North Eastern Railway Class H 0-4-0T, built in 1891 at their
1310 (the number was retained throughout its life) was re-designated Class Y7 by the LNER and was withdrawn in 1931 and sold to the Pelaw Main Collieries. In 1947, the coal industry was nationalised, and 1310 became the property of the National Coal Board. With the closure of a large part of the Pelaw Main system in 1959, 1310, along with sister locomotive 1308, was sent to the nearby Bowes Railway, working at Ravensworth Ann Colliery.
At the end of 1959, 1310 was transferred yet again, this time to Watergate Colliery on the Tanfield Branch. When Watergate closed in 1964, 1310 was destined for the scrap heap. However, several enthusiasts joined together to form a group called the Steam Power Trust '65, and bought the locomotive for the then princely sum of £300.
Much work was done on 1310 after its arrival at Middleton in June 1965, and it was restored to full NER livery. Incidentally, at some time in its life it has been fitted with an extended cab. This is not the luxury it sounds as, even with this modification, the cab is probably one of the smallest ever fitted to a standard gauge steam engine of comparable size! 1310 celebrated its centenary in 1991 and, after a seventeen years ‘rest’, the locomotive was given a major overhaul to return it to working order for its anniversary. After the expiry of its boiler ticket the locomotive was withdrawn and dismantled waiting its turn in the overhaul queue.
The Diary
LNER Y7 No 1310 Progress Report
18/11/09
A ‘Mega Shunt’ was needed to free the loco from its resting place outside the new workshop and this took most of the day, the loco has been outside since it came out of traffic in 2002 and has suffered somewhat from the elements. Besides the boiler the only significant problem is some wear in the linkage between the weighbar shaft and the reversing rod, this will require the removal of the shaft and its machining, no mean task as it is 4 feet long and weighs about 200 pounds!
21/11/09-
Once inside and beginning to dry off, all the various parts that were lying on the locomotive were removed to the designated shelving area and a start was made with cleaning up the engine. This included removal of leaves, dirt and accumulated rust. Progress thus far revealed the loco was in a fairly good condition. Its last major overhaul in 1992 saw extensive work being done to the ‘bottom end’ so it should be in decent shape having run less than 10 years since then.
25/11/09
Now the serious task of disassembly can begin, the aim being to get the loco inspected and cleaned down a.s.a.p. Other commitments to getting Manning Wardle 1601 ‘Matthew Murray’ running for next season will take precedence, but there are many 'unskilled' jobs that can be done on 1310 to fill any gaps in the workshop schedule.
The coupling and connecting rods were removed among various other parts to make access to the loco easier. A start was made on removing the springs from the loco, which requires each corner to be jacked and packed individually to take the load off the springs and facilitate their removal.
28/11/09
Work continued on removal of the springs and as with any job, this took a lot longer than expected. The rear brake gear and sandboxes had to be removed before this job could be completed. Meanwhile, the top of the cylinder block was needle gunned in anticipation of removal of the valve chest covers for inspection. A considerable amount of water has entered the block over the years and we are hoping no lasting damage will have been done. The connecting rods and frames also received attention, cleaning up in preparation for painting took place while the final debris left sitting on the loco, such as cladding sheets, was moved out of the way.
A decision has been made to send the boiler away for work and this will
mean a significant financial commitment for the railway. As a result we
are launching the ‘1310 Appeal’ to help get this loco back into traffic
as soon as possible. A provisional date of the first quarter of 2011 has
been set and as we are aware, this is a popular loco, so every effort is
being made to meet this target. As the loco was one of the first at the
railway and is ex-mainline there is considerable interest both from
within our membership and from the preservation movement as whole,
please give generously to help get her steaming again.
10/12/09
The frames have been lifted clear of the wheels which has necessitated the removal of the brake blocks, hangers and gear.
The axleboxes have been removed and the
journals and horn faces have been inspected, there appear to be no
immediate issues with these. The weighshaft
has also been removed for work to commence on the loose link to the
reach rod, this required the use of our 5T
lifting frame and some careful manoeuvring to get it free from the
frames.
Now the frames are free from the wheels a start has been made on
cleaning them down in preparation for painting. The insides have been
needle gunned and the wheels have been washed down with paraffin. It is
hoped that the frames can be re-painted and the wheels returned to their
rightful places by early in the New Year, depending upon final
inspection of the running gear.
The only new components thus far are two new brake pins, although some wear is apparent in the central spring hangers that may need to be re-bushed
20/12/09
Temperatures in the workshop
are really not conducive to working many hours on the loco but steady
progress is being made. The cleaning of the frames is taking a lot
longer than expected but most of the inside has now been sanded down in
anticipation of the first coats of primer. The axle boxes have all been
thoroughly cleaned up and are ready to be re-entered into the horn
guides so we can check the centres. Finally we have cleaned about half
of the outside of the frames and began to work on removing the valve
chest covers. Major task in the New Year is to get the frames cleaned
and primed, otherwise they will start to go
rusty again. Then we will concentrate on mechanical matters including
finalising the boiler work.
2010
02/01/10
A happy
new year to all our readers and judging by the counter at the bottom of
the page, quite a few of you have been keeping up to date with the
progress thus far. If only each number equalled one pound donation, what
a difference that would make! Anyway, back to business. We have not been
idle over the festive period and have almost completed one coat of
primer inside the frames.
The outside has been well
cleaned down and given a good sanding in preparation for being given a
coat of primer. Although these sound like simple tasks they take some
considerable time and certain components (such as the slide bars!) need
to be removed before painting can be completed.
01/03/2010
It has been a
while since out last update, as ever there are other priorities in the
workshop. Work has continued on the bottom end, some considerable time
being taken to split the crossheads and piston rods as well as extract
said piston rods from the cylinders. The good news is the cylinder bores
seem to be in a decent condition so hopefully no work will be needed
there.
The movement
of the piston has allowed needle gunning to be completed on the frames
and the insides now has a coat of primer all over. We have continued to
clean down outside the frames but this is taking a little longer. All 4
buffers have been removed for renovation and the rear buffer beam is
currently being removed. This is quite a large job as in its NCB days
the Y7 had a cab extension that also meant bolting another buffer beam
on about 6 inches off the original. We hope to return the loco to
original form and this means taking off the ‘new’ buffer beam and
associated metal channel etc as well as altering the brake gear and cab
itself.
Other than
that the odd jobs of painting the connecting rods and cleaning down
other components have continued when time permits. Now we have the
chassis almost completely disassembled it is hoped we can make quick
progress painting inside the frames and sorting out the wheels.
The wheels are the most complex job at this stage and require quite a lot of work to get them up to standard.
The
cylinder bores and pistons have also been cleaned up ready to be
re-assembled somewhere down the line. The buffers and brake gear are
receiving remedial attention as 110 years of wear is starting to show
here and there.
The
boiler is still making good progress at the contractors and the
foundation ring has now been removed, it is awaiting our input before
work can progress much further. This is the most costly area of the job
and we are hoping the new season will bring renewed interest in the
locomotive and some much needed donations.
There was some rusting and distortion of the front running boards and
valence; it was decided to remove these for remedial work to be done. It
was no easy task but they are now safely off and being cleaned down, as
are the back wheel set. The wheels will be the first part of the loco to
receive green paint but we are having some trouble sourcing the correct
NER colour. We are attempting to return the loco as close to its
original condition as possible, and so the colour choice is an important
factor in the restoration.
Once the wheels are painted and the running boards replaced it is hoped the loco can be re-wheeled and some of the motion replaced. This is some way off however and there are several outstanding jobs to be done on the chassis before it begins to take shape again. The foot plating in the cab wants replacing along with support angles, the brake gear wants looking at and the cylinder block cleaning externally.
Although the boiler is still some way away from completion and the cab needs re-building, we are confident the loco will be in traffic for next season.
A major job was inde
If you are following our progress, please pay us a visit to see the loco
for yourselves or even to lend a hand in its restoration.