Holden F5 Trust releases update on steam locomotive No. 789

The Holden F5 Locomotive Trust has published its latest report on progress with construction of Great Eastern Railway Class M15R, familiarly known as London and North Eastern Railway F5 Class No .789.

Already manufactured are the frames, cylinder block, smokebox, chimney, and machined wheels, and the frames have been assembled at Tyseley Locomotive Works in Birmingham.

There has been a delay in obtaining the wheel sets, but engineering continues unhindered, with CAD drawings being developed for various items, including the horn guides.

Cylinder covers and brake shaft brackets have been delivered, with the brake shaft brackets being produced by FSE Foundry at Braintree in Essex, UK. The brake shaft brackets support the brake shaft that runs across the frames beneath the cab.

The team is currently investigating the cost of machining the brake shaft brackets and is looking for quotes for the brake shaft and associated levers.

When the project started, it first needed to obtain the necessary drawings. These were sourced from the Great Eastern Railway Society and the National Railway Museum, and converted to AutoCAD drawings.

Construction originally started in 2003 in a converted barn at Ovington in Essex. Some small components, such as smoke-box door handles and cab window coal guards, were the first to be manufactured, followed in 2004 and 2005 by the valences and buffer beams being completed and assembled and patterns made for the leading and trailing radial wheels.

In 2012, construction was moved to Mangapps Farm Railway Museum at Burnham-on-Crouch in Essex. An agreement was reached with Tyseley Locomotive Works in 2014 for the project to become based there, since when work has continued being fitted in around Tyseley's contracted jobs.