Much of the late 80's and for most of the 1990's we've been building a new tender for the loco from scratch. This has progressed to the stage where it lacks just its brake gear and some pipework before it can be declared complete. The big expensive bit to overhaul on any steam loco is its boiler, and it wasn't until 1995 that we had raised enough cash to take this on. The boiler was sent to a specialist for repair work and was returned to the loco in 1997, structurally complete except for a set of boiler tubes. Most of the valve gear and rods were missing from the loco and we've been slowly acquiring these parts as we've gone along. 

I heard only just yesterday that our main con rods (some 12 feet long) have been machined and are ready for collection. They will then require about 200 hours work polishing them to remove the machining marks, which will not only make them look nice, but it will remove any sharp corners where cracks could form. This summer we sent the cab out to contract to be completed, and it looks like that will be back with the loco this month.  

What is there left to do? Mainly fixtures & fittings. There's still a good deal of pipework to make up and fit and we're currently concentrating on making the boiler cladding (the smooth shiny outer casing that goes around the boiler), and there's a few tricky parts still to machine.  

The group consists of two organisations; the 35006 Locomotive Company which owns the loco and funds the restoration work and a support society which provides the volunteer labour, raises the funds and forms the "public" face of the organisation. If you'd like to join us and follow progress as the loco nears completion, then membership is just £10 per year - and you get a newsletter each quarter and lots of opportunities to come and see the loco."