Who says engines can't fly?

posted by keith vingoe on Sun, 24/06/2012 - 17:53

Last Friday Bagnall loco No.3023 (which is expected to be spending some time at the L&B in the not too distant future) was readied for transport from Ian Howitt's Wakefield workshop to the Ffestiniog Railway's Boston Lodge Works where the loco's restoration will be completed. The loco was loaded for transport with the aid of a rather large crane as these pictures supplied by Murray Dods show.

1. Bagnall loco No. 3023 takes to the air!

2. Gently does it.

3. Nearly there.

4. All loaded and ready to go.

History
Bagnall No. 3023 built in 1953, is an 0-4-2T 2 ft (610 mm) gauge loco. Costing £5,540, it was was one of four Bagnall locos built for South African Rustenberg Platinum Mine. The locos were numbered RPM 1 to 4. 3023 became RPM number 3.

When the 2ft gauge track at Rustenberg was altered to 3' 6" these four narrow gauge locos (all now preserved) became redundant.

Nos.3. and 4 arrived at Gelert's Farm Works on the Welsh Highland Heritage Railway In April 1982. Work was begun on both locos but resources weren't sufficient to complete the work on both.

In 2007 No. 3 was privately purchased and moved to Wakefield for further restoration work.

In June 2012 the loco moved to Boston Lodge Works for eventual completion.

Specification:

Cylinders	9" x 14"	Heating surface, tubes		262 sq ft
Driving wheel diameter	2 '3½"	Heating surface, firebox		36.3 sq ft
Trailing wheel diameter	1' 7"		Total:	298.3 sq ft
Fixed wheel base	5' 0"	Grate Area		7.6 sq ft
Total wheel base	11' 02"	Working steam pressure		160 psi
Water capacity	480 Galls	Tractive effort @85%		5,608 lbs
Fuel capacity	30 cu ft	Boiler feed		2 x No.5 m/m injectors
Weight in working order	16 tons
Steel firebox & steel tubes		2895, 2896-7
Copper firebox & brass tubes		2870
		3023, 3050 (steel tubes)
Bagnall Price Valve Gear

The Rustenberg Platinum Mine is a very large mining complex north-west of Johannesburg.

Whilst at Rustenburg, the four Bagnall locos underwent several modifications, including:

Suspension changed from leaf spring to coil springs.
Steam generators fitted for lights - the locos originally had paraffin lamps.
The original drop feed lubricators fitted on top of the sliding valves were replaced with steam pressure lubricators.
The two steam inlet and exhaust pipes under the smoke box were changed from copper to steel pipes with gland boxes

Preservation Locations

No. 1 - 2870/1948 Gold Reef City, Johannesburg
No. 2 - 2895/1948 Loxhill, Surry, England
No. 3 - 3023/1953 Currently undergoing restoration at Ffestinog Railway's Boston Lodge Works.
No. 4 - 3050/1953 Resident at Welsh Highland Heritage Railway where in 1992 it was officially named 'Gelert'.

We are indebted to Andrew Goodwin co-owner of Bagnall 3050 'Gelert' the resident steam loco on the Welsh Highland Heritage Railway Porthmadog for the above information.

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