Saturday 26-Sunday 27 November 2011: Kew Bridge Steam Museum Modelling Mayhem

An exciting new exhibition, Modelling Mayhem, makes its debut at Kew Bridge Steam Museum on Saturday 26 & Sunday 27 November 2011. More details are available at:

http://www.kbsm.org/events/

Fri 9-Sunday 11 December 2011: Model Engineer Exhibition at Sandown Park

The 2011 Model Engineer Exhibition is celebrating its 104th year, in conjunction with Model Engineer and Model Engineers Workshop magazines and www.model-engineer.co.uk, one of the UK’s most successful on-line forums serving the model engineering community around the world. For the third year running it is taking place at Sandown Park Racecourse, Esher, Surrey. Further information can be found at:-

http://www.modelengineershow.co.uk/

Saturday 24-Sunday 25 March 2012:  London Festival of Railway Modelling, Alexandra Palace

Visit London’s leading railway modelling event and see over 40 working layouts, a comprehensive selection of exhibitors and free practical modelling demonstrations from leading experts on architecture, signalling and lighting. This is the favourite fixture for our Sales Stand volunteers. See the following website for more details when available:-

https://www.model-railways-live.co.uk/Exhibitions/The_London_Festival_of_Railway_Modelling/24_March_2012/25_March_2012/

FURTHER DATES WILL BE PUBLISHED HERE SHORTLY

Please note in your diaries, blackberry’s etc. that the 2011 Annual General Meeting of the GWR Preservation Group Ltd is to be held on 24th November at the Heston Community Centre, Vicarage Farm Road, Heston, Middlesex, TW5 0BE at 7.30pm, please arrive early for a seat at the front!

All members are urged to attend this very important meeting to learn more about the progress and endeavours of the group, by its Chairman Bob Gorringe.

Have your say in answer to the various topics to be discussed and see how everyone can assist in all its efforts in steam locomotive preservation of London’s only Heritage Centre.

We hope to see you all there.

The locomotive was built at the Swindon Locomotive and Carriage Works, completed March 1938.

Two careful owners.

Full Service History Available.

This ex-GWR locomotive is available for sale from the GWR Preservation Group Limited, (GWRPG) based in Southall, Middlesex and is currently on exhibition at Moor Street Station, Birmingham. Interested Parties should first contact Group Chairman, Bob Gorringe, on 0208 574 1529 during daytime hours.

General information
This loco’, when new, cost £4,285.00 which included £1147.00 for the boiler and took seven weeks to construct at the Swindon Locomotive and Carriage Works. The tender cost an extra £1503.00. It was generally used for freight and coal transport use, but it sometimes pulled a rake of passenger stock during busy holiday periods.

It was first used at Pontypool Road depot and continued its working life in Banbury, Swindon, Stourbridge, Tyseley, Newport and finally Severn Tunnel Junction. Total mileage covered was 728,395 miles when records ceased during December 1963. The locomotive was connected to fourteen tenders during its life until it was withdrawn from service on 22nd January 1964 and sold to Woodham Brothers for scrap.

GWRPG purchased it in March 1981 with a view to full restoration. It now stands at Moor Street Station Birmingham, cosmetically restored, as an exhibit at an unused platform for the general public to see.

A full and comprehensive history is available on its shed use, mileage, tender connections and general specification. This was prepared by GWRPG member and railway historian Bill Peto.

More details can be made available from GWRPG Chairman Bob Gorringe on 0208 574 1529

Member Edward Boxell has sourced and collected all archival pictures and provided captions for an extensive view of the activities, locomotives, wagons and carriage stock in the group’s possession. Some items have been sold over the years to provide funding for other purposes.

This exhibition is to be shown at the OPEN Ealing building at 113, Uxbridge Road, Ealing, W5 5TL which is opposite the Fire Station. Visitors please note, car parking is available in an adjacent council parking area. Uxbridge Road is well served by local buses (83, 207, 427, E 2,7,8,11) and nearby Ealing Broadway station is served by both District and Central line routes. Further information can be obtained on 0208 579 5558

Opening dates and times are as follows; August 2nd-5th, 8th-12th, 15th-19th inclusive and is open each day between 11.00am and 5.00pm.

Photographs credited to Phil Warrington, Member C&WR. May 2011

It said farewell to a full working life in August 1965, was purchased by the Group in July 1981 from Woodham’s Yard in Barry, South Wales, and delivered to the Southall Railway Centre in November 1982.

Since then 9682 has earned its keep and has been through various overhauls as required and is currently undergoing re-tubing. Obviously over the years, ravages of time and hardworking service it is now necessary to replace the front boiler ring. This has hampered our schedule for returning to steam back a little, but our current hirer of 9682, the Chinnor and Princes Risborough Railway are happy to wait for its return, set for end of August.

GWRPG members, lead by our boilersmith Aaron, are putting their best feet forward to complete the task and are also spurred on by the recent better warmer weather ready to see it steaming again.

This was for the 200th Anniversary of Isambard Kingdom Brunel and was displayed at Ealing Central Library and the Kew Bridge Steam Museum in London, together with an airing at our own site, Southall Railway Centre.

This display features the life and architectural history bestowed on Britain during his lifetime, the most well known and prominent being the Clifton Suspension Bridge over the Avon River at Bristol. It follows through to the use of the name of Brunel on monuments, road signs, Public Houses, to name but a few.

Obviously Brunel, being a designer of great architectural standing has left many a locomotive, tunnel, bridge and the  Steamship ‘Great Britain’ for the general public and visitors to admire.

See full details and photos of the exhibition.

This complete informative exhibition is available for any organisation to hire from the GWR Preservation Group and any interested groups, societies, or individuals should contact us on the email address as shown on our contact page. We wait to hear from you.

The Group has many steam and diesel locomotives, some on hire, i.e. Lavender Line. and others used as workhorses for the current site, moving and repositioning stock as required.  Other GWR locomotives are currently being overhauled at the site and remedial work continues throughout the winter months to enable these to be hired to other Railway Centres.

We wish all our members and further potential members a very prosperous New Year. Please contact us by any of the methods available (see our contact page) if you have the expertise and available time on hand to assist the GWR Preservation Group to prosper into the future.

All members are asked to attend this important meeting of the group to hear about all the progress and future plans for London’s only Railway Heritage Centre

We hope to see you there.

Pannier Tank 9682 – work on the boiler progresses well and our volunteers have been able to achieve much on other parts of the loco’.

Heavy Goods Loco’ 2885 – Still in situ at Moor Street Station, Birmingham with interest in being used for a filming project.

‘William Murdoch’ – minor attention dealt with and will be back in steam shortly.

‘Birkenhead’ - now on hire to the Lavender Line for one year period.

Ruston Diesels; ‘Frances Bailey’ and ‘Polly’ – remedial work being undertaken, the latter needing mechanical attention to the engine/radiator.

AEC Shunter No 1 – in need of a good coat of paint – volunteers welcome for this job, please call us if you have a few spare hours available.

Wagons – most in need of a new coat of paint to get through the winter months, especially the CCTV which also needs some patch repairs to the woodwork.

So, you budding carpenters and painters – we need you urgently to cover these simple but necessary jobs, please call 0208 574 1529 for further information.

Without much ado, members climbed on for their first ride of the day, for many more were available in the hot sunshine that lasted the day through. Tickets were clipped and we made our way across the countryside, whistling caution to the pedestrian crossing that crosses the line. We returned and attention was turned to the ‘Cinders’ buffet where most enjoyed a snack and hot drink from the very friendly staff within. More rides were enjoyed amongst the other attraction at this site; the signal box, small museum of the history of the line, model railway layout with Thomas and friends and other preserved railway stock and lineside furniture.

We were later given a tour of the engine shed, which had Peckett ‘Teddy’ on static display and its history was unfolded for us. Also within was DEMU ‘Thumper’ which was receiving a final coat of paint before its busy time this coming weekend.

Some members were then taken to the nearby Bentley Museum and wild life park for further enjoyment in the sunshine. Others stayed and lazed in the Lavender Line gardens. All in all it was a very pleasurable day out.

‘Birkenhead’ will  transported on Thursday 27th May south to the Lavender Line, in the countryside town of Isfield in East Sussex, off the A26 near Uckfield.

This preservation group will have full use of the loco’ for the next year and it will haul carriage stock for the general public’s enjoyment.

For full details of the Lavender Line, please visit their website;

www.lavender-line.co.uk