Difference between revisions of "Bridgnorth Loco Works"

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The copper sheets had been cut to size and designated as new/replacement sections for the fireboxes of several locomotives, including [[82045]], [[47383]] and [[48773]]. In addition, they stole a made-up outside steam pipe from [[1501]] and the chains from the gantry crane. Workflow was not interrupted as the locomotives involved were not at that time being worked upon.
 
The copper sheets had been cut to size and designated as new/replacement sections for the fireboxes of several locomotives, including [[82045]], [[47383]] and [[48773]]. In addition, they stole a made-up outside steam pipe from [[1501]] and the chains from the gantry crane. Workflow was not interrupted as the locomotives involved were not at that time being worked upon.
  
Scene of Crime officers from West Mercia Police studied scrapes on the wall, thought to have been caused by a vehicle and footprints in the dust on the floor. They also obtained CCTV footage of a heavily laden vehicle leaving Bridgnorth, with false registration plates. The railway offered a £5,000 reward for information leading to the recovery of the stolen copper, but to no avail, and the SVR's insurers met the cost of the stolen material in full. Following the raid, the SVR moved swiftly to install new security arrangements.<ref>[https://forum.svr-online.org.uk/viewtopic.php?t=1961 DVRA forum thread, " PR: 'Professionals' target SVR in £70,000 copper plate theft", 27 January 2011] (Retrieved 15 April 2018)</ref>  
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Scene of Crime officers from West Mercia Police studied scrapes on the wall, thought to have been caused by a vehicle and footprints in the dust on the floor. They also obtained CCTV footage of a heavily laden vehicle leaving Bridgnorth, with false registration plates. The railway offered a £5,000 reward for information leading to the recovery of the stolen copper, but to no avail, and the SVR's insurers met the cost of the stolen material in full. Following the raid, the SVR moved swiftly to install new security arrangements.<ref>[https://forum.svr-online.org.uk/viewtopic.php?t=1961 SVRA forum thread, " PR: 'Professionals' target SVR in £70,000 copper plate theft", 27 January 2011] (Retrieved 15 April 2018)</ref>  
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===New boiler assembly and production===
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A development of contract engineering work has seen the SVR producing new boilers.
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*0-4-0 Back/Well Tank No. 2 'Dolgoch' from the Talyllyn Railway (no. 63/1866 by Fletcher, Jennings & Co). Severn Valley Railway Engineering at Bridgnorth announced in 2010 that they had been awarded the contract for the new boiler of traditional rivetted construction with a copper inner firebox. This boiler was SVR No. 1
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*[[BR 3MT 82045]] - the SVR is assembling the boiler of the new locomotive of the Riddles BR 3MT 2‑6‑2T class
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*In 2018 Engineering Services was awarded a contract to build five new boilers for the Isle of Man Railway.
  
 
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Revision as of 23:54, 18 March 2019

Aerial view of the loco works (Wikimedia Commons)

Bridgnorth Loco Works is the home to Severn Valley Railway Engineering Services and is the SVRSevern Valley Railway's main locomotive maintenance, repair and restoration facility. The Loco Works mainly occupies three buildings, the Loco Shed, the Machine Shop and the Boiler Shop. There is also a pattern shop, where patterns for castings are made and stored.

The Loco Works is normally closed to the public, although the Loco Shed and Machine Shop may be open for viewing during Gala events including the Open House Weekend and Peep Behind the Scenes.

Loco Shed

Construction of the loco shed began in March 1976 using parts of the former Portskewett Shed acquired for that purpose, with the pits being dug the following November and the building completed in April 1977[1]. The former Heaton Mersey shed was added in 1978 to the rear of the ex-Portskewett Shed, adjacent to the Goods Shed[2]. That summer also saw an upgrade to the loco shed, including the installation of roller shutter doors, side windows to improve lighting, and an enclosed paint shop.

Wheel drop

The loco shed includes a wheel drop which was formerly located at the Leicester Midland MPDMotive Power Depot (shed 15C). This was purchased and installed following an appeal for funds launched in summer 2009. Installation involved digging a hole 6m deep, relocating a mains water pipe and pouring 200m3 of concrete.[3] The wheel drop won the National Railway Heritage Awards FirstGroup Skills Award in 2010[4]
This series of photos shows the wheel drop in use to remove a tender wheelset from GWR 7802 Bradley Manor


Machine Shop

The Loco Works’ machine shop is located in the former Bridgnorth Goods Shed adjacent to the loco shed.

The machine shop includes a Noble and Lund wheel lathe, acquired from BRBritish Rail or British Railways’s Derby Loco Works in 1972.

Boiler shop

Bridgnorth Boiler Shop

To the rear of the machine Shop and loco Shed is the boiler shop. Before construction, riveting of boilers was carried out in the open air. Following complaints by neighbours, the Council unexpectedly served a noise abatement order on the railway. The SVRSevern Valley Railway applied for, and in November 1986 was granted, a two-year temporary planning permission allowing day-time open air working. The SVRSevern Valley Railway launched a share offer in 1988 to raise £500,000 for the new boiler shop. In November 1988 the contract was let for construction, with a target completion date of April 1989. It was opened by HRH The Duke of Gloucester in October 1990.

2011 Copper theft

On 20 January 2011 thieves stole copper sheets worth between £50,000 and £70,000 in a ‘pre-planned and highly professional’ raid, one of a series of major losses targetting copper at a number of heritage sites in that period. Theives had made an unsuccessful attempt 24 hours earlier, as a result of which the SVRSevern Valley Railway immediately brought in specialist security advisors. However the gang broke in the following night using two ladders - one propped on top of another - to smash the security alarm 16 feet up on the outside wall of the building, and broke down the reinforced air-vent grille to gain access. They then hot-wired the 30-ton capacity overhead gantry crane, using it to lift eleven copper sheets weighing an estimated six tons in total into a lorry which they had reversed into the building. The theft, believed to have taken place some time after midnight, was discovered by SVRSevern Valley Railway loco driver and permanent way man Bob Toy at around 7.30am the following morning.

The copper sheets had been cut to size and designated as new/replacement sections for the fireboxes of several locomotives, including 82045, 47383 and 48773. In addition, they stole a made-up outside steam pipe from 1501 and the chainsAs a unit of measurement, 22 yards or 1/80th of a mile from the gantry crane. Workflow was not interrupted as the locomotives involved were not at that time being worked upon.

Scene of Crime officers from West Mercia Police studied scrapes on the wall, thought to have been caused by a vehicle and footprints in the dust on the floor. They also obtained CCTV footage of a heavily laden vehicle leaving Bridgnorth, with false registration plates. The railway offered a £5,000 reward for information leading to the recovery of the stolen copper, but to no avail, and the SVRSevern Valley Railway's insurers met the cost of the stolen material in full. Following the raid, the SVRSevern Valley Railway moved swiftly to install new security arrangements.[5]

New boiler assembly and production

A development of contract engineering work has seen the SVRSevern Valley Railway producing new boilers.

  • 0-4-0 Back/Well Tank No. 2 'Dolgoch' from the Talyllyn Railway (no. 63/1866 by Fletcher, Jennings & Co). Severn Valley Railway Engineering at Bridgnorth announced in 2010 that they had been awarded the contract for the new boiler of traditional rivetted construction with a copper inner firebox. This boiler was SVRSevern Valley Railway No. 1
  • BR 3MT 82045 - the SVRSevern Valley Railway is assembling the boiler of the new locomotive of the RiddlesRobert Arthur "Robin" Riddles, Member of the Railway Executive for Mechanical and Electrical Engineering responsible for the design of the British Rail Standard Class locomotives BRBritish Rail or British Railways 3MTThe British Railways system of classifying steam locomotives by power using a number from 0, least powerful, to 9, most powerful, followed by either F for freight, P for Passenger or MT for Mixed Traffic. 2‑6‑2T class
  • In 2018 Engineering Services was awarded a contract to build five new boilers for the Isle of Man Railway.

See also

Bridgnorth
Rolling stock currently under restoration
List of Locomotives at Bridgnorth

References

  1. SVRSevern Valley Railway News 44
  2. SVRSevern Valley Railway News 49
  3. Bridgnorth Wheel Drop case study on George Law's web site
  4. [1] NRHA Awards 2010
  5. SVRA forum thread, " PR: 'Professionals' target SVR in £70,000 copper plate theft", 27 January 2011 (Retrieved 15 April 2018)