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 While giddy with excitement might be a slight exaggeration, it’s not far wrong. The team restoring NER coach No. 2051, a diagram 15 five compartment third, have definitely got the bit between their collective teeth.  Conversations this week have included rectification of any frame issues in the next few weeks and re-panelling of the lower sections. The waist height and above sections are all in very good condition and in the process of being stripped back to bare wood for priming and painting. A couple of our volunteers have taken the drop lights home to get them ready soonest. See if you can spot the mistakes one of them has made (all easily corrected). The numbers on the luggage tag are the size of the pane of glass for each separate drop light frame; annoyingly they are all different sizes! The panes aren’t broken (well, most aren’t) but for operational purposes we are replacing them with safety glass. The exterior is going to look very good very soon! There is of course a...
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We've Been Framed

 A brief update on one of the Locomotive Conservation & Learning Trust’s rolling stock fleet; NER coach No. 2051; a diagram 15 five compartment third. Following an investigation phase that revealed how remarkably sound the vehicle is, actual restoration has begun. Today saw the team remove the last of the damaged or rotten lower panels to expose all of the lower frame. Where rotten frame pieces (and these are minimal) need replacing, then that will begin in the next few weeks.  The chassis, to be built around a GER six-wheel underframe purchased in 2022, largely exists and will be constructed as finance and other priorities allow. More of that in the next few months. This vehicle, disposed of to a local farmer in 1917, is in remarkable condition and will look fantastic behind No.876 soon; accompanied by similar vehicles No.131 and No.1111, and other NER passenger and freight stock including the LCLT’s superbly restored Van No.2. With the Trust’s focus being on Class C No.8...
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A Tender Moving Story

 Another update on our unique Class C, No.876, as it heads ever neater towards completion. While there is still a lot of work to do before we apply a luscious coat of gloss green to the engine, we thought we’d share with you these images of the tender chassis to give a glimpse of the gorgeous 1889 T W Worsdell livery that awaits. The more eagle-eyed among you will have noticed that the tender looks very much like a flat bed. Yes, the glorious looking tender tank has indeed been removed. In short, the internal baffles weren’t quite right. As a result, the tank pulled in slightly at one side. It was just noticeable but David at LMS doesn’t do “alright” as you can see by the high standard of some of the other locomotives that have left his workshop.  The sub-contractor now has the tank back and they are making it right; at no cost to the project I hasten to add. It will return perfect in a few weeks time and then the (once again) complete tender can be moved out of the workshops....
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The Boss Arrives

 Another short and sweet post as the team continues to crack on with the boiler of the C class.  A lot of work has taken place at the outer firebox end. The outer wrapper is nicely rivetted in place and drilled. The first image is of the bosses (one each side at the front of the outer firebox that do. Other ancillary fittings are being drilled for and riveted ready for dropping the completed boiler into the flames. Another couple of images that tell the story of this long running restoration is the outer bracket on the outer wrapper. You can see the original; too wasted to use and so yet another part has had to be fabricated anew. It’s been a long slog but the last few years of working through each part; remedial welding, grinding off, machining, or else making a replacement…. that’s where the money goes folks! However, with that in the rear view mirror we are now building our little locomotive. This year promises to be the most exciting but we need at least £50,000 to get us ...
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Drill Hall

Another boiler related post and that will be the norm for a while. To quote David at Locomotive Maintenance Services Ltd “it’s all go on the boiler” and we can see! With the outer wrapper nicely riveted in place we can classify see it marked up ahead of drilling this week. A noisy job; chances are you’ll be able to hear them at it! This National Lottery Heritage Fund supported project is full steam ahead to get the engine complete and back running on at Kirkby Stephen East. We still need to find £50,000 to get the project over the finish line; details of the ‘876 Club’ and other ways to support us can be found on the LCLT website.
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Rolling Stock Roundup - NER Passenger Vehicles

As this is a fairly new blog, and some readers may not know about the goings-on at KSE, we've put together something to bring you all up to speed. As there's rather a lot, we'll start with the North Eastern Railway (NER) passenger vehicles:  N.E.R 6-Wheelers Amongst the collection at KSE is a cohort of NER 6-wheeled coaches, that we hope will pair perfecrly with NER C class No.876:            131 One of several important vehicles for the NER microcosm at KSE is NER Passenger Brake No.131. Not only will it form part of the appropriate Timeless Trains passenger rake, it will also join Stores Van No.2 in a stores train. For this update, we see the main frame repairs, including the bottom rails, almost complete and, with the body now lowered down on to the chassis, correctly aligned and secured in place, attention has turned to installing the new floor. As can be seen in the attached photo, this stage of the work is also approaching completion an...
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Further Boiler Progress

Progress with the C Class boiler is now very obvious and exciting with some key achievements since the last post. The team at LMS have been doing the last bits of riveting on the outer wrapper sections and crown sheet ahead of them starting drilling all the stay holes in the sides. The throatplate stays are already drilled.   The backhead was newly fabricated in 2023 and has been in store ever since. That has been receiving necessary attention such as riveting brackets on before all the pads can be fitted for clack boxes, gauge frames and the regulator stuffing box. Once this work is completed the backhead will be finished and awaiting the inner firebox before it can be fitted.  Work on the on the inner firebox is continuing apace with the tubeplate now 90% formed and just needs the last bits dressing and forming in on one corner. The inner firebox wrapper is all marked out for the rivets and 80% of the holes are drilled and the doorplate will be offered in and then drill...
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