The General Steam Navigation Locomotive Restoration Society has published their May 2020 update on restoring Southern Railway Merchant Navy No.35011/21C11 “General Steam Navigation”.

Recent work has seen Computer-Aided Design (CAD) dawings produce for the whole of the locomotives stretchers, buffer beam and front and rear drag boxes.

Costing £1500, a reasonable price considering the work involved, these drawings will be very useful when the components on the frame are stripped back, allowing the team to see if the frame matches drawings and if any repairs need to be made. So far the boiler mounts and drag box will need to be replaced.

COVID-19 has caused 2020’s March Annual General Meeting (AGM) and working parties to be cancelled for the foreseeable future.

Next Stages

COVID-19 has forced the boiler lift to be postponed, but the good news is the £1500 required to hire the crane has been raised, allowing the Society to organise the lift when safe to do so.

Also, before the crane arrives, the further dismantling of the smokebox, removal of small boiler tubes (if possible) and detaching the last few securing bolts can be carried out. The ashpan has already been removed.

Along with lifting the boiler out of the frame, the crane will also move both the bogie and trailing truck. The bogie will become the focus of the Society once out from under the frame, with many new parts purchased or manufactured ready for fitting.

Work may also start at the same time on the trailing truck, but this depends on if any economics can be obtained from restoring both together.

Planned to take place at the AGM, cladding located around the smokebox has been ordered to create 35011’s ‘face’, but with contractors making the cladding closing, they could not be produced in time.

For more information or to support the General Steam Navigation Locomotive Restoration Society in recreating a Merchant Navy carrying Bulleid Chain Driven Valve Gear and Air Smoothed Casting, please visit their website here.

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