BR Standard 4MT No. 80097 has been withdrawn from service after it failed with a blown large boiler tube.

Readers may remember in May 2022, 80097 was withdrawn to have all 157 small tubes replaced following issues.

It is just four years since 80097 returned to steam, in which a major cost was the complete rebuild of the boiler by a specialist company, costing the Bury Standard 4 Group £130,000 – and was expected to last over ten years.

The group is yet to pay off the £7,000 cost of replacing the small tubes, and now face a £40,000 bill for the latest issue.

80097 is now not due to return to traffic until Spring 2023, meaning the group will miss out of vital steaming fees in the busy Christmas season.

The group says that they hope to make as much progress as possible on their current project, Ivatt 2 No. 46428.

If you would like to assist the group, you can Sponsor a Tube via the Bury Standard 4 Group’s website.