Bluebell Railway has sent its Q class 541 to Leaky Finders in Devon for a priority overhaul

The work became necessary after the Railway withdrew the locomotive from service in December last year, having found that it needed repairs to its boiler, attention to its tyres and a new tender tank.

541 made the trip from Sussex to Devon last Thursday (6 July), funded by the Bluebell Railway Trust and its owner, the Maunsell Locomotive Society, which has a long-term agreement for Bluebell to operate the loco.

The Q class was the last locomotive designed by R.E.L Maunsell, with twenty built at Eastleigh works in 1939.

In 1974, 541 was rescued from Barry Scrapyard – the 54^th loco to depart from there – and underwent some restoration work at Ashchurch in Gloucestershire.

Four years later, its owning group merged with the Maunsell Locomotive Society, and 541 moved to the Bluebell Railway, where its restoration was completed and it ran in service between 1983 and 1992.

It then required a major overhaul, before re-entered operating service in 2015.

In its two periods of service at the Bluebell Railway it has covered over seventy thousand miles in traffic, earning a reputation for being strong, reliable and economical loco. When it visited the Great Central Railway, a loco crew member described it as being like “a Midland 4F on steroids”.

In early 2022, 541 underwent a full piston and valve examination and repair, and its lower half is reported to be in good condition, apart from the attention needed to the tyres.

The tender will remain at the Bluebell Railway to be overhauled, with the tender tank replaced.

The loco’s operator and owner are asking for donations towards its overhaul. Online payments to the appeal can be made by clicking the DONATE button on the Bluebell website and following the online payment instructions. Select Q Class 541 Overhaul in the drop-down box.

Maunsell Locomotive Society Chairman, Ben Coughlan, said, “The Maunsell Locomotive Society is very pleased that agreement has been reached for the Bluebell Railway Trust to fund the overhaul of this popular and useful locomotive. 541 is a unique survivor of the Q class, Maunsell’s essay in designing a simple to maintain, medium power, go anywhere loco”.

Bluebell Railway Trust Chairman, Vernon Blackburn, said, “The Trust is pleased to be able to support the overhaul of 541, which will help provide Bluebell with an economical, medium-sized loco, in a short timescale”.