Batt Holden, who own and operate the S160s based at the Churnet Valley Railway, have released an update on their latest work.
Recently, S160 No. 3278 has steamed for the first time. The locomotive arrived at the Staffordshire railway in November 2020.
Unfortunately, not long after arrival, the local area was placed into a COVID lockdown and the first working parties didnt take place until February 2021, with the monel stays being removed ahead of being replaced with flexible stays.
This follows on from successful adaptions of changing fixed stays for flexi stays on 5197 and 6046. Similar stays can be found on A1 No. 60163 Tornado.
Fast forward to June 2024, and 3278 made its first movements under its own steam at Cheddleton MPD.
You can view a video of the first movements below:
Responses
Keep up the amazing work.
Something lacking in the world today, having just described to a newbie, that you can’t take a miniature steam locomotive from stone cold to hot, and blowing off pressure in 20 minutes, regardless how much go faster coal you use, and Arron can get a full sized One ready in 4 hours using Diesel fuel?
Hands on, pass on the knowledge..
Education along the way.
Regards. K.
Fantastic to see another loco in steam hell of a lot more better than the brmmmm you hear from those stupid deisels except the shunters chop em up like they did in the eighties.
….except that on scorching days, the diesels can operate services without putting the local fire service on high alert. Better to have that than cancelled railway services & people don’t use heritage railway centres = lost revenue & no money to maintain your old steam engine. I’m not anti-steam, just of an era when diesels were everywhere
Interesting. Who previously owned it and where was it based.
Franklin lives again! I hope they re=paint her back in to LMR blue
It was owned by an American businessman Richard Stone and was formerly based on the Mid Hants Railway, after it’s first preservation boiler certificate expired, it went first to Swindon Works, then South Coast Steam in Portland, Dorset for chassis overhaul. It then moved again to Tyseley loco works, before moving once more to Cheddleton, on the Churnet Valley.