Change of web site manager:
We are pleased to welcome Gareth Hawkes as the new manager of our Wadebridge web site. He will be pleased to get news and pictures etc for publication on the web-site. He may be contacted at
We would like to take this opportunity to thank Peter Richards who has helped the board and the locomotive in numerous ways over the years. Peter set up the website, and ran it in his own time and at his own expense until recently and we are very grateful to him for such a well-presented site.
News about the locomotive:
Wadebridge is currently in daily use at the Mid Hants, working the range of service and special trains including the Real Ale Train and the Watercress Belle; she has also recently been one of the locomotives in use for Footplate Experince courses and I know from some of the participants what a thrill that has been for them. Refer to thier web site or phone them for day-to-day information of what locomotives are in service.
Most of you will know we are currently running with the tender from Boscastle and we are grateful to them for the continued hire which enabled us to save up for our own tender. Donations and or share purchases are still welcome to enable us to complete our own tender which is of the high-sided type.
West Somerset restoration have the go-ahead to rivet together the frames for our tender frames at Williton. We hope this work will be completed in a few week and that will enable us to bring all the main tender parts together at the MHR when we will be able to make important decisions about wheelsets, obtaining or making the remaining missing items and the programme for assembly of the frames wheels and tank, which are already on the Mid Hants.
The locomotive is currently running without a speedometer fitted. It isn't easy to run uphill, downhill, with different sets and numbers of coaches, day and night and in different rail conditions, without infringing the strict 25 mph speed limit at MHR, and this is an improvement we hope we can make soon for the benefit of the drivers. We are hoping MHR can make the equipment available - currently we have only a broken instrument. It is a very worthwhile project; but again it isn't free of cost!
Mechanically the loco is in excellent condition but there are always a few items needing attention; none of these is currently urgent. There is a leak in the right hand cylinder exhaust steam pipe; water is getting into the rear left driving axle box, apparently from a leaking gland on the steam reverser which is above it. The injectors are starting to give concern again, not picking up water cleanly as they should, and the injector feed pipes to the boiler clacks have begun to leak a bit again. As even Bullied fans will realise, fittings and pipework joints under the cladding are hard to access, and this explains why sometimes she will be seen running with various access panels missing. One or more atomiser non-return valves is leaking, allowing some water back into a cylinder lubricator. However all of these items have been noted, she is checked daily by the driver and such things will be dealt with if they become serious or when she is next routinely out of service.
