The past year has seen brilliant progress in building the new Great Western Railway Hawksworth County, No.1014 County of Glamorgan at Didcot Railway Centre.

Chassis

Both leading and middle coupled wheels have been placed under the engine’s frame at Didcot Railway Centre.

The rear set will follow soon, which will allow work to start on assembling the springs and braking system.

Majority of the components that will form the smokebox have been ordered and are planned to reach the team before the end of the year.

Shortly, the coupling rods will undergo machining when CAD drawings (Computer Aided Design) are completed and both are shipped out.

An order for the crossheads is due to be placed soon. The tender’s tank top, the last major part needed for the tender, is also planned to be ordered soon. Taking around six months to construct, hopefully, arrives next summer.

Boiler

Following funds for the boiler now reaching just under the halfway, work can now begin on building the boiler. The chosen contractor is Heritage Boiler Steam Services Ltd (HBSS) based in Huyton, near Liverpool.

Many of our viewers might have seen their work in building the boiler for the new-build LMS Patriot, which can be seen here. HBSS will first start with constructing the two coned barrel sections. Dimensions for the new tubeplate have been taken from the current worn out one.

Donations have been vital in this progress being made. The Project needs £200,000 in order to complete the engine, with any support, whether a one-off donation or helping the team at Didcot Railway Centre, being appreciated and welcomed by the Project.

What to learn about the GWR Hawksworth Counties? Here’s an article we produced earlier in the year.

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