The Awake the Giant Team has made huge progress on the overhaul of 92240 since their last works update in December 2023.

The teams primary focus has been working on the locomotive tender.

Back in April, the locomotive was split from its BR1C tender and at present this is residing inside the maintenance shed at Sheffield Park.

The water space inside the tender is divided into 17 chambers. At the time of writing, 16 have been fully cleaned and ready to be painted.

A two-stage epoxy-resin paint has been applied to 8 of the clean chambers, with the rest set to receive the same treatment in the coming weeks.

Both layers of epoxy-resin have to be applied within 24 hours of each other, and when applied should give the tender protection from rust for at least 30 years.

On the outside, the sides are being rubbed down and patched where necessary and five layers of undercoat paint have been applied and smoothed down.

Whilst the painting and rubbing down has continued, several parts have been removed from the tender.

Earlier in the overhaul the water scoop was removed from below the tender, so a ground-level tender filler could be installed, this will enable the loco to be watered using a fire hose in the same way as the mainline locomotive’s.

The cover plates on the front of the tender have been removed, and are being cleaned and re-painted. The tank filler lid has also been removed cleaned up and treated with anti-oxide primer.

The fall plate has also been removed. This required a lot of heat from a blow torch, to free the hinge pins that were rusted solid. A new fall plate will be manufactured in due course.

The buffer beam has also received some preparatory work, with the boot plates on top of the buffer sheaves removed, sandblasted and coated in primer.

The team hopes to have the tender completed by next spring.

The Awake the Giant team continue to work hard on fundraising for 92240 and is currently working towards a milestone amount of £500,000 using ‘Sustainable funding’, sales and bucket donations but is wondering if they can surpass £92,240 before the end of this years operating season.

In the last 2 months, the Awake the Giant team have also suffered a great loss, with the sad and sudden passing of their stall manager Tom Parsons.

A wreath was carried on the smokebox door of 34059 Sir Archibald Sinclair in memoriam of Tom as it made three round trips of the line on Saturday 13th July.

At the end of the day, the wreath was placed on the smokebox door of 92240 which currently resides in the milk dock adjacent to platform 2 at Sheffield Park partly obscured by the footbridge for the remainder of the weekend.

Future fundraising

Why not buy 92240 a Present!

Launching later this year, there will be a new and exciting opportunity for supporters of 92240’s restoration to buy the locomotive a gift to help with its overhaul, something no other society on the Bluebell is doing for their locomotive.

Full details are currently being finalised for this and will be announced just in time for Christmas.

The annual photo competition, to raise funds for 92240 has been running once again throughout 2024. There are three categories and all are welcome to enter.

Prizes include 92240 merchandise and Bluebell Railway vouchers. A donation of £3 per entry (per photo) is suggested.

Full details can be found on the ‘Awake The Giant’ webpage on the Bluebell Railway’s website, or by picking up a leaflet from the sales stand or donations stand in Steamworks.

The photo competition closes on Thursday 2nd January 2025, with winners being announced in February 2025.

This competition is open to everyone across all age groups from enthusiasts to members of the public enjoying a day at the Bluebell Railway.

There are three categories:

• Under 15s Category (with Parental consent) ‘Beautiful Bluebell’ – any photo of the Bluebell Railway.
  
• 16s and Over Category ‘Bluebell at its Best’ – any photo of the Bluebell’s home fleet.
  
• All Ages Category ‘Visiting Bluebell’ – any photo of visiting locomotives to the Bluebell Railway