UPDATE AUGUST 2025
The first of two radiator headers for 47401 nears completion as the new steel sections are welded on. After several weekends of prep work, we have been able to fully weld in the new bottom channel, and have prepped the sections for the top channel and tacked them in place ready for full seam welds.


Above (L to R): Work in progress on the radiator header, before and after the upper bent sections are tacked into place.

As usual, care is being taken to preserve as much of the original structure as practicable whilst making sure that the repairs we are making now will see the loco through many more years of service.

Again, our friends at Donfabs and Consilla have been an incredible support on this project and we cannot thank them enough.

In other news, after a shuffle around of the MR-B diesel fleet, we also have been presented with the welcome opportunity to have 47417 moved inside the diesel depot. Whilst she is inside, some effort is being made to start tidying up the body work.


Above (L to R): 47417 recieving attention to her bodyside paintwork, and alongside her temporary stablemate, D8.

UPDATE MARCH 2025
Work has moved forward with 47401's ongoing overhaul, with both sides of the cooler group now fully boxed in and most of the original bracketry transferred over.


Above: Cooler group A side.

A number of our volunteers had been occupied over the winter period whilst helping our host railway with it's services, however work has resumed to progress the tasks on the cooler group, radiator headers and auxiliary room refurbishment.

Sections of the radiator headers have been taken to enable new folded parts to be manufactured in the coming weeks. Opportunity was also taken to have the triple pump overhauled whilst it was so easily reachable.

A lot of the fabrication efforts on the cooler group have now turned to the smaller, more intricate details as we look to repair the remaining corrosion damage. Care is being taken to preserve as much original metal as practicable.


Above (L to R): Feed/return apertures for the radiator headers undergoing refurbishment, and the cooler group number one end lip post corrosion repairs.


Above (L): Balance pipe access had to be cut out to enable extraction of the headers as the pipes had siezed in place. The original cut out has been carefully preserved and welded back into place for an invisible repair. Above (R): Old vs new cooler group sump sections showing the deterioration of the old metal after 60 years of service.