New-build steam locomotive 82045 had undergone a successful trial fit of its boiler.

The 82045 Steam Locomotive Trust, based at the Severn Valley Railway, has announced that on Monday 3 June, in the morning, the boiler was lowered gently into place to check its fit.

The boiler fitted very well, needing only a little adjustment before being removed from the frames for further work.

A significant amount of work is still required, but the Trust believes that it is now “on the home stretch”. The next step is to complete the joining of the barrel to the firebox and the smokebox.

The Trust has the tubes that it needs for this work, and plans to fit them towards the end of the summer.

The Trust sees this as “a very momentous occasion”, stressing that it has been working towards this trial fit for some time, and particularly intensively for the past month.

Significant progress has been made with the loco since we last reported.

The Trust is also pleased that it met the timetable set out at its Annual General Meeting, noting that “in these difficult times it is great to achieve major stages in our ambitious project”.

Nearly all the parts for the build are now on site, so the Trust is optimistic that the boiler will be complete and ready for testing later this year.

Once completed, the loco will be a new member of the extinct Riddles BR 3MT 2-6-2 82000 tank class.

The Trust’s chair has thanked the SVR Boiler Team at Bridgnorth and the 82045 working members who readied the frames for the trial – and also the supporters who have donated enough funds to complete the build.

I hope that each of us can celebrate this occasion in our own way and feel that we are one step closer to the end goal.

Chair and Engineering Management, the 84025 Steam Locomotive Trust

You can find out more, including how you can help, on their website at http://www.82045.org.uk