Standard Steam Locomotive (SSLC), which is building the new Standard Class 6 Clan Pacific No. 72010 Hengist, has placed an order with William Cook Cast Products for the locomotive’s six driving wheels.
William Cook Cast Products is a major supporter of new-build and restoration of steam locomotives.
The company will use two patterns to cast the driving wheels, one for the centre driving wheel and one for the leading and trailing wheels.
Accuracy of the patterns will be helped by laser scanning the wheels on Britannia Pacific No. 70013 Oliver Cromwell at Loughborough on the Great Central Railway.
Scanning Oliver Cromwell’s wheels will reveal whether any details are missing from Hengist’s patterns.
After being cast, all six wheels will be proof machined to a semi-finished state, to prepare them for finish machining to suit Hengist’s axles and tyres.
It will take from six to twelve months from start to finish and cost over £100,000 before the wheels have been cast and ready for fitting to Hengist.
The original Clan Class steam locomotives were built in 1952, and originally planned to comprise a class of 118, but only ten were built.
All of the original locomotives were scrapped, so Hengist will effectively be the eleventh Clan Class Locomotive, and also the 1000th brand new BR locomotive.
Britain is now entering the second and most hazardous stage of the heritage rail movement which began some 60 years ago. Preserved locomotives are requiring hugely expensive repairs, including new boilers and the generation of men whose knowledge and enthusiasm preserved them in the first place is dwindling as death takes its inevitable toll.
In this context, new build is ever more important if the working steam locomotive is not to become a thing of the past. As both a life-long rail enthusiast and experienced manufacturer of the many kinds of cast parts a steam engine requires, I consider it my duty to our industrial heritage to do what I can to assist.
The ‘Clan’ class was a pretty engine, but no example escaped the scrap man’s torch. Hengist is a state-of-the art engineering project based in the heart of Sheffield and could even be the last Pacific locomotive built in the UK. Such iconic locomotives are a major part of our history, without which future generations would never experience the sight, sound and even smell of a working steam locomotive.
Sir Andrew Cook, CBE
This is a fantastic development for the Locomotive and the project is building a real head of steam now. You can really see the engine taking shape and it’s an exciting challenge for us as we are re-creating the engine using the original 1950s design but employing 21st century engineering techniques to make it greener, cleaner and more efficient.
Andy England, MD of CTL Seal in Sheffield, here Hengist is being constructed
Responses
I am very happy that at least one Clan Steam Locomotive is being built from scratch they are Handsome looking engines I was not born when they built and they scrapped then I was born I miss them good luck with all your hard work you put to built this Special Locomotive.
A nice piece advertising the project!
I remember them in the 1950’s working the Manchester and Liverpool Glasgow trains. On summer Saturdays they were double headed at Preston with either a Preston or Carlisle Upperby LMS 2p to avoid stopping at Oxenholme for a Shap banker. Such was the volume of traffic in those days.
Alan, I have only seen photos of the Clan’s, but the sight of a double header over Shap really must have been something special. I wish I has those memories and I suppose the only way to witness this sight again would be to “build two”, if only?
Great work they are doing at the Clan Project though and I wish them all the best.
After reading this article, I was left wondering if the £100,000 cost for the driving wheels includes the cost of the tyres?
Or are these in addition?
Thanks for your sharing your memories.
Kevan
Hello Kevan
No unfortunately, the tyres are extra. To complete the coupled wheel sets we need axles, tyres, cannon axleboxes, bearings, cannon box internal components and crank pins. All donations welcome!
Don’t forget that if you are interested in the project, why not come to our Open Day, this Saturday 13 April 2024. You can find details here – https://www.theclanproject.org/OpenDay%202024.png
Ian
Wonderful locomotives. My only complaint was the small tender. When working the 4: 10 pm Manchester Glasgow with a heavy train you could barely make it. Some Britanias had cole pushers, many did not. You could spend a lot of time in the tender if they didn’t! A good riding loco and has handsome as they got. Loved working on them.
Hello Rod
We are intending to address the tender issue by building a BR1F tender. The 2nd batch of Clans were destined to receive the later tenders and the revised cab design to avoid the draughts of the first batch of Clans and Britannias. The BR1F tender holds 7 tons of coal and 5,625 gallons of water; we may change the ratio of coal to water to get the optimum ratio. Low level fire hose type filling points will be part of the design