"Captain Baxter" returns - August 2010
Named "Captain Baxter" before 1947, this historic loco returned to steam in this guise for our 50th Anniversary Gala at the start of August 2010.
David Jones' photo on the right shows the arrival on 20th July for our 50th Anniversary Gala of Southern Railway Brighton Belle Pullman Car No.88, and also shows Baxter, which was being tested around Sheffield Park station that day.
"Captain Baxter" moved under its own power up to Horsted Keynes on 4th August, where it is seen in Andy Prime's photo below, in preparation for the official return to service.
Alan Bedford's photo shows it at Horsted Keynes in light rain on 7th August.
Derek Hayward's photo taken on 15th August, commemorating the 50th Anniversary of the loco's arrival at Sheffield Park, seen with a goods train to Kingscote.
"JoeS231989" has some YouTube videos from the Gala weekend:
- Baxter at Horsted
- Baxter shunts wagons
- Baxter and goods train
- Blue Circle, Baxter and No.957 play their part in the cavalcade
14 March 2010
Trevor West's photo shows recent progress with the overhaul. The loco has been re-railed. The boiler has passed its steam test and been re-fitted to the frames. The loco now has new axleboxes, and a new front buffer beam, in addition to the work done to the boiler.
5 May 2008
The first photo above shows that new platework for the firebox has now been welded, riveted and had the stays fitted and this repair is now virtually finished. The photo also shows what we are reliably informed are Stuart Marks' feet!
Work has also continued on the paintwork, the most obvious being the smoke box, which Katy Brown was painting on 5th May, when these photos were taken.
The small mudhole doors on the backplate have now been replaced with washout plugs, as seen in the first photo below.
The concrete has been removed from the smokebox and this revealed corroded plate and rivets. The plate has now been built up with weld and the rivets replaced.
The new boiler tubes have been delivered, painted and pinned into place in the boiler and now await expansion. This is seen below, with Dave Martin at work.
Three photos from Nick Talbot (above) and four from Ken Upton (below) show rivets being heated, and then fitted, to the foundation ring of Baxter's boiler, where the replacement outer-firebox platework had previously been welded in place.
The team working on it are:
Dave Martin - heating the rivets
Matt Holloway - putting rivets in position
Paul Russell - inside the firebox, riveting
Andy Wilkins - riveting on the outside
More of Nick's photos are on his photobox site. Ken Upton's photos of the work on Baxter the same day.
Trevor West's photos show that some limited, but significant, progress has been made over the last six months.
The engine now has a new front buffer beam fitted, the timber having been prepared in the Carriage & Wagon Dept., and a new piece of boiler plate has been welded into the firebox.
The coded welder is expected in the next few weeks to do some more work
on the fitting of washout plugs to replace the small mudhole doors that
were on the backplate.
A visit by our coded welder to weld in a new piece of boiler plate is awaited.
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Updated 28 October 2010 by Richard Salmon
