Spa Valley Railway, West Station, Royal Tunbridge Wells, Kent, TN2 5QY
Telephone: 01892 537715
enquiries@spavalleyrailway.co.uk

News From 75F

Welcome to the 75F Loco Shed News Page. "75F" (Tunbridge Wells West) is a unique survivor, being the only London Brighton & South Coast Railway engine shed still performing its original role.

In the days of British Railways, all engine sheds across the country were given a code by which they could be readily identified in telegraphed and written communications. Principal engineering works and large depots were given a number between 1 and 89, followed by the suffix "A". The smaller sheds in the area were then allocated the same number, followed by a B, C, D and so on. Brighton was nominated 75A, and Tunbridge Wells West, being one of Brighton's sub-sheds, became 75F. Tonbridge, by contrast, was 74D, being a sub-shed of Ashford (74A).

This number was displayed on a cast iron plate on the engine's smokebox, giving railway staff an at-a-glance reference as to where any given engine belonged.

It is a source of great pride to the Spa Valley Railway that our engines wear "75F" on their fronts, although you might see 73A (Stewarts Lane) and 73C (Hither Green) if you look closely at some of the diesels...

This page brings you the latest news on the projects currently underway in the loco shed at Tunbridge Wells West. This will include anything engineering, locomotives and carriage and wagon.

We're sorry to report that Fotopic has folded, and Stuart Pay's excellent album showing the amount of work going on around 75F is presently unavailable pending a new server. Further details will appear as soon as this happens.

26th April

Steam Locomotives

Jinty 47493 - Now back in traffic following completion of work on its driving axle boxes and firebox. It returned in time to star alongside Ugly and visiting GWR "Prairie" 5521 in our very successful April steam gala.

Spartan (3135) - A decision was made to bring forward Spartan's annual boiler exam to allow it run throughout the summer without disruption. Its cold exam was booked for the 27th April and a steam test will follow as soon as possible after. It is expected to be back for the Thomas events in May, and thereafter for any non-Eridge operating day.

Ugly (7673) - Having been the stand-by locomotive in the opening weeks of the season and playing a starring role at the recent Steam Gala, Ugly is now out of traffic for some minor repairs and completion of its paint job, pending a return to service at the beginning of June upon 5521's departure.

Prairie 5521 - The visitor has performed faultlessly during its visit so far. It received a boiler washout last week and completed 5 straight days in traffic over the Easter weekend. It is scheduled to be in traffic most weekends now until the end of its visit at the end of May.

J94 68077 - The recently refurbished piston rods and new piston heads have been returned to the railway and await eventual refitting to the engine. A hydraulic riveting machine has also been borrowed from our friends at the Bluebell Railway which will enable the riveting work on the rear dragbox area to be completed.

Sutton (32650) - The new platework has now arrived for the side tanks which will enable work to restart on these items. Most of the brake gear has now been refurbished. 

Diesel Locomotives

33063 "RJ Mitchell" - The locomotive made a triumphant return to traffic following an intermediate mechanical and bodywork overhaul, turning heads with its sparkling new paint job. This needs to be completed and the engine will return to the shed in June when the other diesels are back in traffic.

37254 "Drive Robin Prince M.B.E." - The locomotive has given reliable service for the early part of the season and is already within 100 miles of its total mileage for 2010. Unfortunately its automatic voltage regulator has now failed and the group have decided to have a purpose-built replacement produced. Unfortunately the loco will not be in traffic until the replacement arrives.

D3489 "Colonel Tomline" - The loco is now nearing the end of its protracted full overhaul. The oil was changed recently, and successfully pressure tested in preparation for a re-start. The exhaust manifold has been removed for the gaskets to be replaced, and in so doing the cause of the soot deposits in the engine bay was confirmed: One of the cylinders had blown its exhaust gasket to smithereens, and hence had a direct outlet to the inside of the engine room! Following internal completion of the cab restoration, work has shifted to the bodywork. The cab roof and rear sheet have been needle-gunned back to bare metal, and the cab roof is freshly primed, awaiting undercoating in the next few days.

Southerham and Class 12 15224 are in traffic and performing well on engineers' trains and yard duties. The Class 12 desperately needs some TLC upon completion and proving of the Class 10.

E6047 - The loco continues to receive work stemming from its failure last October.

Thumper 1317 - The unit benefits from attention by a dedicated gang of volunteers. The driving trailer coach is now approaching internal completion, and work will then focus on preparing the body to receive some nice coats of paint. Platework continues on the driving power car and this is focused around the engine room which was found to be severely wasted.

Carriage and Wagon

BCK 21214 - The vehicle's body work was completed in early March and returned to traffic. Unfortunately we only have a couple of years service left on this vehicle before the ends will need renewing as well as other major body works. 

TSO 5037 - The newly arrived Tourist Second Open (TSO) entered the shed straightaway and work has already commenced on its overhaul.

2nd February

Despite the railway being closed for the winter, 75F has been very busy on a number of fronts ahead of what we hope will be an exciting season in 2011. The steam guys' major project is an axlebox overhaul on the Jinty, whilst the South East Locomotive Group are busy nearby giving 33063 "R.J. Mitchell" an intermediate body overhaul and repaint prior to commencing on 33065 "Sealion". The carriage and wagon gang have also been busy on the BCK which is in the shed for minor bodywork and a repaint to one side. The newly purchased Matterson jacks have also been earning their keep, having lifted the Jinty and bar car "Kate", with further lifts scheduled for 33063, Kate and the Queen Mary over the coming weeks.

Steam Locomotives

Jinty 47493 - The major focus of this winter's work is on the centre driving axle. Following the axlebox overhaul it received 4 years ago, it was noticed that some of the white metal was failing on the centre axle. Therefore the decision was taken to remove the wheelset, remetal the axleboxes and fit bronze thrust faces which we feel should be more durable. At the same time, the horn guide cheeks have been re-aligned and new bolts have been fitted. 

Above Left:- The Jinty becomes the first item of stock to be lifted on the recently purchased Matterson jacks in late November - Photo S. Pay
Above Right:- One of the horn cheeks in the milling machine being squared up - Photo S. Pay
Below Left:- A view of the recently refitted horn cheeks. The bolts holding them on are all new and have required the holes to be bored out to suit - Photo S. Pay
Below Right:- The new bronze thrust face fitted to one of the axleboxes. This requires machining upon completion of the bearing - Photo S. Pay

Elsewhere on the loco, the firebox is having some patch screws replaced in the rear seams and the ashpan is having modifications to make it compliant for operating to Eridge. This includes fitting an ashpan grill and completing the wetter fitted a number of years ago.

Pannier L.99 - The loco was put through its annual boiler exam in November and then it was winterised following the expiry of its loan period with us. The locomotive has now left the railway and returned to its home at the Buckinghamshire Railway Centre. 

Spartan (3135)  - The locomotive entered regular service at Christmas and performed faultlessly. A number of minor repairs have come to light and these will be dealt with prior to the beginning of the season. It is currently having a boiler wash and its tubes cleaned. Overall it has now completed 18 days in service and run over 450 miles with only one failure to a little end bearing which has now been rectified.

Ugly (7673) - Like Spartan, Ugly entered regular traffic at Christmas and operated over 5 days with no problems. Again it is currently in the shed for a boiler wash, tube clean and some minor repairs. Whilst out of traffic, it will have an ashpan wetter fitted to aid disposal. 

Samson (7668) - Ugly's sister, which has sat in the back of the shed for a number of years has now been lowered back onto its wheels and is having various fixtures and fittings refitted. The frames will then be moved outside the shed once the J94 frames have been made moveable. This will then allow the vintage coach to be removed from the back of the shed and so allow an exciting new project to commence. More on this in the future. 

Above:- Samson's frames in the process of being lowered back onto its wheels in early January - Photo S. Pay

Unfortunately for Samson, it would appear that its overhaul is now on hold and will be used as a source of spares for Ugly. This is due to a defect with the frames and the spare boilers being in poor condition, therefore making an overhaul a costly exercise at this time.

J94 68077 - Little progress on the frames but a lot of work has been undertaken off site. The piston rods were found to be reusable and the new piston heads have been machined. New rings are currently being sourced for these and then the attention will turn to converting the stuffing boxes from a metallic packing to normal rope packing. This conversion was done to the Jinty during its overhaul and had proved very successful.

Sutton (32650) - Progress on two fronts mainly - the ashpan and tanks. A new ashpan has been fabricated and is currently being finished, whilst attention has also turned to the repairs required on the tanks. Both require new floors and a portion of the side replaced. One more than the other. The new material is on order and it is hoped this will progress over the coming months. It is also hoped that the machined cylinder block will be completed this year which will then allow some major work to commence on the axleboxes and valve gear.

Above Left:- Sutton's new ashpan during manufacture in early January - Photo S. Pay
Above Right:- One of Sutton's side tanks in the shed in early January for repair - Photo S. Pay

Lady Ingrid (2315) - Currently stored outside, a start is being made on getting the boiler ready for lifting out and sending away for repair.

Diesel Locomotives

33063 "R.J. Mitchell" - As already said, 33063 is now in the shed for an intermediate body overhaul. It is hoped this will then keep the loco in good condition for the next 5-6 years whilst the group undertake the major overhaul on 33065 and that the work should be complete by the end of March. The locomotive's colour scheme will not be changing too much, although there may be a few minor alterations to its appearance.

Above:- 33063 sits in the shed undergoing bodywork repairs - Photo S. Pay

Whilst in the shed, the loco will be lifted on the Matterson jacks and a defective traction motor will be changed. The new jacks make this job a lot quicker and it should be possible to undertake in a couple of days, rather than a couple of weeks, which was the case last time round. 

The Crompton is also the beneficiary of the group's new inspection programme, which has highlighted a number of items to be rectified, but at the same time keep its reliability up. 

D3489 "Colonel Tomline" - Work on the Class 10 has halted temporarily whilst work on the Crompton continues. So far the engine bay, the generator compartment and fan compartment have benefited from a deep clean. Elsewhere the cab continues to receive numerous coats of paint, designating each of the pipes and their respective functions. The radiator grills have also been overhauled and will be refitted once work on the fan compartment is complete.

E6047 - The Class 73 failed in October with a relay failure due to a design fault. This is now being repaired and work is continuing to return the loco to regular service as soon as possible.

15224 - The Class 12 continues to give regular service despite needing some major work, which it is hoped it will receive once "Southerham" and the Class 10 are back in regular traffic. It received some new fan belts towards the end of 2010 when it was discovered that the old ones were very slack.

"Southerham" - The Drewry has now been run up following its engine overhaul and has completed some test runs up and down the line. It has also received a 3200 hour service and is now waiting for delivery of a new set of starting batteries before re-entering service.

Thumper 1317 - The Thumper failed during its last period of operation in 2010 with a fan clutch failure. This has now been stripped down and repairs are being implemented. The power car is now back in the shed and major body works are being implemented around the engine room.

A group are hard at work on the interior of the Driving Trailer car. This is currently stored outside the shed.

Carriage and Wagon

Bar Car 'Kate' - The coach was lifted from its bogies in early January to allow these to be sent away for tyre turning prior to the new season. Whilst the bogies are out, they will receive a coat paint.

Above:- Kate is seen resting on the Matterson jacks in the shed in early January whilst a spare set of bogies are placed under - Photo S. Pay

BCK 21214 - This vehicle has been brought into the shed for some bodywork so that it can stand in for the BSO whilst it has an overhaul, due to commence later in the year. The coach is also receiving a fresh coat of paint on the Tunbridge Wells platform side. 

15T Crane Jib Runner - The Wednesday gang have commenced work on redecking this vehicle since its woodwork had rotted to such an extent that it was starting to become unsafe to stand on. 

Infrastructure

Work has commenced on a new coal storage area in the yard. It became evident just before Christmas that some major repairs were due on the original structure and with the area clear of coal, this period presented itself as a good opportunity to undertake the job. The area is being enlarged to hold more coal, whilst an area for ash is also being incorporated. The latter area will be completed first and used to store coal, should the new area not be completed by March when the next load arrives.

Above Left:- The cleared land where the former coal bin stood. The floor and one wall can just be made out. The new structure will extend to the fence line - Photo S. Pay
Above Right:- The first panel of the ash area was erected on the 30th January - Photo S. Pay

Archive of Previous 75F News
Latest News On LB&SCR Terrier 'Sutton'
Latest News  On LNER J94 68077
Axlebox Overhaul of 47493 - November 2005 to July 2006
Re-metalling of 47493's eccentric straps - February 2005
Stock List

Last Updated 2nd May 2011. © Spa Valley Railway