We had another successful trip on Friday 6th May 2022, hauling the British Pullman – a Belmond train. It was made even better by the weather. These photographs say all that needs to be said:-
Very sadly Colin Kerswill passed away on Wednesday 13th April 2022, aged 86. Colin was a long standing member of the Society and a true friend to us all. He was also a dedicated mentor to many railwaymen during his footplate days in steam preservation, both on the Mainline and, in particular, the South Devon …
After Clan Line has been out on the mainline, the preparations for the next trip usually start before it has cooled (it is well lagged, and it does take several days to cool down completely). The first jobs are usually cleaning out the grate and the smokebox. They are dirty jobs, but both are important. …
Belmond British Pullman Golden Age Of Travel – 8th April 2022 Read More »
We can now announce another new trip for this year – to Stratford-upon-Avon on the 30th July. We are joining up with the Railway Touring Company to promote this day out using the British Pullman, a Belmond train. We will leave London Victoria steam hauled in the morning by our engine, ‘Merchant Navy’ Class locomotive …
Another 2022 Trip With The Railway Touring Company Read More »
After about three months out of service for our annual maintenance, it was nice to be out on the mainline, hauling a train, and earning some money. The good weather (fresh, but dry and sunny) made this even better. Because the generator car was undergoing maintenance, we took a Class 67 diesel with us to …
Belmond British Pullman Golden Age Of Travel – 19th March 2022 Read More »
We are coming towards the end of our annual maintenance period, and everything is looking promising. We have a maintenance schedule which lists everything that we carry out annually, as well as things that are done less frequently. This year, we took out all three piston valves, as part of a piston and valve examination. …
One of our supporters has come across this high quality film, with sound, taken at Waterloo on 2nd July 1967. There were two specials that day to mark the end of Southern steam. Clan Line appears at about 4 minutes 47 seconds. How many of you were there?
We are in the middle of our annual maintenance period at the moment. The tasks that we carry out aren’t exactly the same each year. Our maintenance schedule lists when we do what. For more information about some of the usual annual jobs, see Annual Maintenance – Rules and Regulations from a couple of years …
Our tour program for 2022 is coming together. We have already published the tours with The British Pullman, a Belmond train – see here. We can now announce three additional tours which are being organised by The Railway Touring Company. The first is The Atlantic Coast Express on Saturday 2nd July 2022:- Join us on …
We were booked to haul four trips for Steam Dreams on Tuesday 14th December 2021. They were three Santa Steam Expresses and one Christmas Steam Express. They all started and finished at London Victoria. Most of the train was vacuum braked, so, as our support coach only supports air braking, we had to leave it …
Christmas Trips With Steam Dreams – 14th December 2021 Read More »
This was our last Belmond British Pullman trip of the year – a tour round the Surrey Hills – and we were greeted by a dry start to the day. We usually arrive at the platform at London Victoria in plenty of time, so that our passengers can come and see the engine that is …
Belmond British Pullman Surrey Hills – 11th December 2021 Read More »
It was a cold day for this trip round the Surrey Hills with the British Pullman – a Belmond train. There was even a brief snow shower at six o’clock in the morning at Stewarts Lane. However, the sun came out later, giving the opportunity for some wonderful photographs. Despite the cold, quite a few …
Belmond British Pullman Surrey Hills – 2nd December 2021 Read More »
We are pleased to announce that we have been booked to haul four trips for Steam Dreams – all of them on Tuesday 14th December 2021. The first is a Santa Steam Express, which is due to leave London Victoria at about 9:30, and return at about 11:20. Santa has already booked his seat. For …
This trip was a fundraising journey round Kent for the Railway Children charity, using the Belmond British Pullmans. The original plan was to have both Clan Line and Tornado on the front of the train, but, unfortunately, because of problems with its tyres, Tornado was not able to join us. There is a lot to …
There is not much to say about this trip, apart from “It went well” and “The weather wasn’t very good”. The only thing worthy of note was that, on return to Stewarts Lane, it all started again, because Clan Line was due out the following day on a charity tour round Kent for Rail Aid.
This trip, for UK Railtours, had been planned a long while in advance, as usual, and was due to go via Laverstock Junction, just outside Salisbury. However, because of the unfortunate accident at Fisherton Tunnel, that part of the railway was closed. A lot of work had to be done by people in several organisations …
After our stay at the Bluebell Railway, it was back to rail-tours, again. This one was a Golden Age Of Travel round the Surrey Hills with the British Pullman, a Belmond train, on Friday 29th of October 2021. Work started on the preparation for this trip on the weekend beforehand, and included cleaning out the …
Belmond British Pullman Surrey Hills – 29th October 2021 Read More »
We’ve now left the Bluebell Railway after attending their Giants Of Steam Gala. We’ve had a wonderful time over the last week and a half. Let’s hope that we can do something similar again soon. Thank you to Julian Clark for braving the weather to take these photographs of our return:-
On 12th October, we (belatedly) celebrated the seventieth anniversary of Clan Line’s official naming ceremony. Even though the engine entered traffic on 23rd December 1948, it wasn’t officially named until 15th January 1951 by Lord Rotherwick, chairman of Clan Line (the shipping line) at Southampton Docks. For several reasons, including the pandemic, it wasn’t possible …
Clan Line’s Rededication Ceremony – 12th October 2021 Read More »
We had a great time at the Bluebell Railway’s Giants Of Steam Gala. We met many old friends, and made lots of new ones. There’s not a lot more that we can say, so we’ll just show you a few photographs:- We are not going home immediately. This week, we have a couple of days …
Bluebell’s Giants Of Steam Gala – 8th – 10th October 2021 Read More »
We had one of our regular washouts about ten days before this trip, to remove sludge and scale from the boiler. As well as removing the washout plugs, we also take out the mudhole doors. It is not unknown for a newly refitted mudhole door to leak, so we always have a steam test after …
Belmond British Pullman to Bath & Bristol – 6th October 2021 Read More »
This trip was only five days after our previous one, so there was a lot to do in a short time. The cleaning had started the day after the Surrey Hills, when the engine was still hot. We had to wait until Monday before we could comfortably get into the firebox and smokebox to clean …
We left London Victoria on time, and we were a little ahead of schedule all the way to Syon Lane, where we were held for twelve minutes. We believe that this was due to a passenger on the previous train operating the emergency brake, or communication cord, at Isleworth. This made us eighteen minutes late. …
Belmond British Pullman Surrey Hills – 10th September 2021 Read More »
This trip was unusual in many ways:- It was only three days after the previous trip, The John Farrow Salute. It was our first trip with The Railway Touring Company. It was our first trip in a long while with West Coast Railways. We had to leave our base at Stewarts Lane the day before …
We celebrated and remembered the life of John Farrow, a true gentleman, on this trip. For more about John, see here. We left London Victoria on time, and picked up more passengers at Clapham Junction, Staines and Woking. We were more or less on time all the way to our first water stop at Salisbury. …
We took Clan Line and Mercator, our support coach, to the Southeastern Trains Depot at Ashford for tyre turning this week. There are three braking systems on 35028. The loco is steam-braked, the tender is vacuum-braked, and the train, including our support coach, is air-braked. All three systems react at different rates. This can occasionally …
Clan Line at Southeastern Trains Depot at Ashford Read More »
The Cotswold Venturer Saturday 21st August 2021 We are pleased to announce our first trip with The Railway Touring Company, and West Coast Railways, from London Paddington to Worcester and back. For more details, and to book, see The Railway Touring Company’s website.
It was about seven weeks since our last trip, so we had had plenty of time to get Clan Line ready. We had taken the opportunity to carry out some extra jobs on the loco and support coach, as well as making some improvements to our working environment at Stewarts Lane. We know how lucky …
It has just been announced in the latest issue of Bluebell News that Clan Line is going to take part in the Bluebell’s Giants of Steam event this year between October 8th and 10th. Keep an eye on their website for more details. We are really looking forward to it. Why not come along and …
Due to the continuation of social distancing restrictions, this tour with Pathfinder Railtours has had to be postponed to Wednesday 15th September 2021. For more details, and to make a booking, please see Pathfinder Railtours website.
This was only our second trip out on the mainline, hauling a train of fare-paying passengers, for a long time. In that time, we have been lucky enough to gain several new support crew members, and two of them were out with us for the first time. Some of the other members have been doing …
We can announce a new railtour round southern England with UK Railtours, featuring lunch aboard the British Pullmans on Saturday 6th November 2021. See the UK Railtours website. The magical combination of the beautifully appointed Belmond British Pullman and Merchant Navy Pacific 35028 ‘Clan Line’ make this an unmissable luxury day out for you, your …
The Hampshire Pullman – A New Journey for UK Railtours Read More »
After our loaded test run round the Surrey Hills on Friday 7th May, we had a lot to do to prepare Clan Line for this journey to Bath and Bristol with the British Pullmans for Belmond. It would have been too hot to do much on the day after that run, so we were only …
We had not been out on the mainline for well over a year, our last trip being on 15th February 2020. In that time, where Covid-19 restrictions had allowed, we have done quite a bit of work on Clan Line, including replacing the white metal in the middle big end bearing. We had taken the …
We are honoured to have been asked to haul a train to Sherborne on Wednesday 18th August 2021, to celebrate and remember the life of John Farrow, a great railwayman, respected businessman, and a true gentleman. John’s involvement with railtours first began when he was working for British Rail, running occasional tours for the Lea …
A Special Railtour to Celebrate the Life of a True Gentleman Read More »
We are getting closer to our first trip for well over a year. Early in 2020, before the pandemic took over, we did some work on our middle big end. To help to bed it in, we had a test run where we hauled a couple of Class 67 diesel locomotives for about ninety miles. …
At long last, we have started getting Clan Line ready to earn some money. After the annual boiler inspection at the beginning of this year, we had drained the boiler for protection. We have now re-fitted the mudhole doors and the washout plugs. The boiler has been filled with treated water, and we have had …
Why not join us on a day trip to Margate? Pathfinder Railtours are organising a railtour to Margate on Wednesday 15th September 2021. The train will start in Newport, and pick up at Chepstow, Lydney, Gloucester, Stonehouse, Stroud, Kemble, Swindon, Didcot Parkway, Reading and Kensington Olympia. We will come on the front somewhere in the …
1941 – 2021 It is with great sadness that we have to announce the death, just before his eightieth birthday, of Andy Davies, our longstanding Chief Engineer. Andy’s early years were spent to the north of London, and he used to spend time at King’s Langley, watching the trains go by. He joined the MNLPS …
The Merchant Of Norfolk Please note that this railtour has now been cancelled We are pleased to announce this re-arranged tour in association with UK Railtours, on Saturday 28th August 2021. We will be taking Clan Line on a summertime trip from Kings Cross to Norfolk. This will be Clan Line’s first ever visit to …
As you are aware, these are difficult times for all of us. Clan Line hasn’t run a revenue-earning trip since February last year. However, we are doing all that we can in preparation for a return to near-normal. This is the time of year when we have to re-certify our locomotive and support coach so …
There is very little to say about our Surrey Hills trip with the Belmond British Pullman on Saturday 14th December. We had good, sunny weather, though it was a little chilly, and we kept more or less to time all day. On the way from Victoria to Clapham Junction is a signal at Longhedge, on …
New from Hornby Gold-plated Clan Line In these rather depressing times, here’s something to cheer up all railway modellers, and Clan Line supporters. As we reported in August (see this news page, Hornby are celebrating their centenary, and, as part of that, they have produced a limited edition model where all the exterior metal parts …
We can now announce some of our planned programme for 2021. Our UK Railtours trip from Kings Cross to Norwich on 24th April has been joined by several journeys for Belmond. Have a look at our Diary Dates page. All dates are subject to change. We are also in discussions with several tour operators about …
Now you can drive a virtual Clan Line Bossman Games have announced a Clan Line add-on to the recently released Train Simulator 2021 by Dovetail Games. You can see more detail at their website.
We are pleased to announce this re-arranged tour in association with UK Railtours, on Saturday 24th April 2021. We will be taking Clan Line on a springtime visit to Norfolk. This will be Clan Line’s first ever visit to Norwich. Our outward route takes us from Victoria, picking up at Highbury & Islington and Broxbourne, …
Hornby are celebrating their centenary, and, as part of that, they have produced a limited edition model where all the exterior metal parts have been plated in 18ct gold. With each locomotive there is a wooden plinth fitted with an 18ct gold track piece, plus a numbered certificate authenticating that the model is just one …
We are still here, but there hasn’t been much to report recently. However, the restrictions imposed because of the Coronavirus are starting to ease. In March, when we knew that we weren’t going to be using the engine for a while, we laid it up. This mainly involved opening up the boiler, draining it, and …
Because of the current Coronavirus outbreak, UK Railtours have decided that they will have to postpone the Merchant of Norfolk, which was due to run on Saturday 18th April 2020 hauled by Clan Line. Whilst we are obviously disappointed, we fully support their decision. It has also been confirmed that the Belmond Surrey Hills which …
We are happy to announce three new tours for this summer, organised by Pathfinder Railtours. The first is The Pembroke Coast Express 2020, on Sunday 12th July. To Tenby and Pembroke Dock along the Pembroke Coast behind no. 35028 ‘Clan Line’, breaking new ground for this popular ‘Southern’ Railway steam locomotive. We take a westerly …
Because this trip was only a week after the previous one, we had to have some mid-week working. Several of us were at Stewarts Lane early on Thursday morning to make a start. The firebox and grate were cleaned, and the ashpans and smokebox emptied. A good start was also made on the cleaning. Even …
UK Railtours Chilterns and Downs – 15th February 2020 Read More »
Because of our annual maintenance and examinations, it has been a couple of months since our previous foray onto the mainline. During this time, a lot of cleaning had also been done, though that didn’t stop the support crew from doing more. We were greeted by beautiful, sunny weather on the day of the trip, …
Under Regulation 18A of the Railways and Other Guided Transport Systems (Safety) Regulations 2006 (ROGS), every organisation that is responsible for the maintenance of railway vehicles, such as Clan Line, is known as an Entity in Charge of Maintenance (ECM). Each ECM has to ensure that, through a system of maintenance, a vehicle for which …
We are proud to announce that Lord Rotherwick has agreed to become the President of the Merchant Navy Locomotive Preservation Society. The 3rd Baron Rotherwick is a member of the Cayzer family, who started the Clan Line shipping company after which our locomotive is named, so there is a strong family connection. He succeeds David …
We are pleased to announce a new tour in association with UK Railtours, on Saturday 18th April 2020. We will be taking Clan Line on a springtime visit to Norfolk. This will be Clan Line’s first ever visit to Norwich, and only its second departure from Kings Cross. Our outward route takes us from Kings …
Merchant Of Norfolk – A UK Railtours trip to Norwich Read More »
Since the Fitness To Run failure before our previous Surrey Hills run, we have not been idle. After consultation with our boiler inspector, we drained the boiler and had our leaking stays inspected and repaired. Because of this work, we also had a steam test to prove that all was well. Two days before the …
Are you looking for a gift idea for this Christmas? We now have a selection of jigsaws featuring Clan Line available on our recently re-opened online shop. Why not take a look?
We want to apologise to Belmond and their customers for the fact that Clan Line was not able to take the Belmond British Pullmans on The Golden Age of Travel recently. We were preparing the engine for the trip, and that includes a Fitness To Run examination, which is carried out by a DB Cargo …
There had been only one weekend since the previous trip, and that had been taken up with the important but dirty jobs, including emptying the smokebox and firebox. This meant that there was still a lot of cleaning to do before the trip. There is always someone present two days before a run to light …
We had had quite a bit of time since our previous trip, so a lot of the cleaning had already been done. This didn’t mean that we were idle on the preparation day, though. There was still a lot to do. As well as the final cleaning, there was still the Fitness To Run examination …
Trips like this one are long days for the support crew, who were up and working at about half past four in the morning. There are plenty of little, but important, jobs that need doing, such as:- Bringing the fire round Putting in the trimmings Priming the lubrication system Topping up the tender tank with …
We had an incident when we got back to the shed at the end of the last trip. We didn’t want to report on it until we knew the full consequences. Since then, the people who look after this website have been heavily involved in the investigations, so we are only now able to let …
August Bank Holiday 2019 – an unplanned visit to the Bluebell Railway Read More »
After the Atlantic Coast Express the previous weekend, there was a lot to do to prepare Clan Line for this Surrey Hills trip for Belmond. The work started on Wednesday, with quite a number of volunteers at Stewarts Lane. The grate, ashpans and smokebox were all emptied, and a good start made on cleaning the …
The preparation of Clan Line for this trip started well before the 10th August. We had had a steam test the previous weekend to ensure that everything was working properly, so the first thing to do on Thursday morning was to drop the remains of the fire, clean the grate, and empty the ashpans. The …
We always light the fire two days before the trip. This allows us to warm the boiler up slowly for the Fitness To Run examination on the preparation day. When this was done on the Thursday, the outside temperature was breaking all records – not the ideal conditions for lighting the fire. The temperature had …
Because this was a new itinerary for us, we put a lot of time and effort into the planning for this trip. We don’t just turn up and hope that everything is in place for us. Servicing the train at Stratford-upon-Avon was not a possibility, but our friends from Vintage Trains made their facilities at …
Belmond trip to Stratford-upon-Avon – 10th July 2019 Read More »
We were honoured to be invited to the South Eastern Railway Open Day at Ramsgate Maintenance Depot on Saturday 8th June. But, before that, we had a trip round the Surrey Hills, hauling the Belmond British Pullman. This went very well, with many happy passengers. On our return to Stewarts Lane, and after turning the …
Surrey Hills & Ramsgate Open Day – 7th & 8th June 2019 Read More »
As is usual with steam-hauled railtours, preparations started well before the day of the trip. The grate had been cleaned, and the smokebox and ashpans emptied. There are always one or two small maintenance jobs to be done, and these had been carried out. We also perform a Fitness To Run examination ourselves, prior to …
We had been taking advantage of the time since our previous trip to carry out some of our regular ongoing maintenance. This included some work on the injectors, so we lit the fire a day earlier than we normally would so that we could give them a thorough testing. This proved that our work had …
It is with great sadness that we have to announce that John Adams passed away last night, 12th April, at home with his family, after a long illness. John had been an active member of the society for well over thirty years. He was a very talented engineer who was willing and able to turn …
We have been very busy working on Clan Line since our last trip just before Christmas. As well as the usual recertification that we carry out every year at this time, we also did a lot of work refurbishing the motion bushes on the driver’s side of the engine, and had the insides of the …
We are almost ready for our first railtour of 2019, a Surrey Hills luncheon for Belmond, on Friday 8th March. The boiler inspector has been for the official annual steam test, and he pronounced himself satisfied. As we have previously reported, we have been refurbishing the motion bushes on the driver’s side of the locomotive. …
Specialist Coatings (GB) Limited have completed their work of treating the inside of our tender tank to give it at least another thirty of life. Even though most people will never see all this work, the results are still very important to the preservation of the locomotive. The difference in the internal appearance is quite …
After our annual cold boiler exam, we have “boxed up” the boiler. This involves re-fitting all the washout and syphon plugs, putting the mudhole doors back with new PTFE-based gaskets, and machining and fitting new fusible plugs. The boiler has been filled with treated water, but we can’t light a fire until we can get …
As with all locomotives, we have to have our boiler inspected every year, for our insurance company, and for the independent body that certifies the safety of our operations. It is convenient for us to do this at this time of year, as it coincides with the maintenance period of Belmond, our major customer. We …
After a lot of hard work by several people, from different organisations, to sort out the damage to a tender tyre, we were finally ready for this trip, which marks Clan Line’s seventieth birthday. The day started bright and mild, with Clan Line looking its best for its seventieth birthday celebrations. We left Victoria one …
Clan Line only got back from Cardiff, where it had hauled the Royal Train, with His Royal Highness The Prince Of Wales on board, at about five o’clock in the evening. This meant that we weren’t able to clean it to our usual standards, but we still think that it looked pretty good. Some things, …
On Friday December 7th 2018, the Merchant Navy Locomotive Preservation Society were given the honour of hauling the Royal Train, with His Royal Highness The Prince of Wales on board. Preparations for this trip had started weeks, if not months, before the event. These included extra physical checks of the locomotive and support coach, as …
Clan Line hauls the Royal Train – 7th December 2018 Read More »
It was a long day for the support crew. Because of planned engineering work, access to Stewarts Lane depot was not possible between eight o’clock in the morning and nine o’clock in the evening. We left for Hanwell Loop at about seven forty, and, once there, we coupled up to the stock, which had come …
UK Railtours Chilterns and Downs – 24th November 2018 Read More »
This trip went the way that we like it to – uneventful but successful. As it is the leaf-fall season, we had a Class 67 diesel with us, which was also able to provide power for the train heating. We kept closely to the booked timings throughout the day. The water stop at Shalford, where …
We have been carrying out some preventative maintenance on Clan Line. The bushes in the coupling and connecting rods had worn, causing a slight knock when coasting. It affected both sides of the engine, but, as we felt that the fireman’s side was worse, we started on that. The job involves taking down the motion, …
Maintenance, and The Surrey Hills – October 2018 Read More »
The fire for this trip was lit on Thursday afternoon, to allow the boiler to warm up slowly. We had had several mainteance tasks to carry out since our return from the West Country. These jobs had diverted our efforts at cleaning to more important things. The grate and smokebox had been emptied, and a …
Preparation for this trip began immediately after Wednesday’s Belmond British Pullman trip to Bath and Bristol. On Thursday morning, we had to clean the grate, empty the ashpans, and clear the smokebox. All this had to be done on a hot engine, with pressure still on the clock. There were also some important maintenance jobs …
On the return to Stewarts Lane after the recent Torbay Express, we were not able to turn Clan Line. Therefore, we had to do this on the morning of the trip. There was also extra shunting involved in getting our support coach on the rear of the stock. This meant that the support crew members …
The preparations for this trip started the day after the previous one. The first things to be done were to empty the smokebox and ashpans, and clean the grate. A start was also made on the cleaning. The fire was lit on Thursday afternoon. Even though the boiler had some residual heat in it, we …
Because of our unfortunate non-appearance on the recent Torbay Express, a lot of the cleaning had already been done, so most of our support crew had quite an easy time on the preparation day. The recent hot, dry weather had increased the risk of lineside fires. Even the rain on the day of the trip …
A new Torbay Express date. We are pleased to announce that we will be on the front of another Torbay Express tour this year. Sunday 19th August 2018 Departing from Bristol Temple Meads, and picking up at Bath Spa, Trowbridge, Westbury and Taunton. Taken from the Torbay Express website:- Experience train travel as it used …
We are sorry to have to report that we are unable to be on the front of The Torbay Express this Sunday, 29th July. We apologise to our customers, but we hope that you will understand. We were preparing for the journey to Bristol, and had already lit the fire to slowly warm the boiler, …
Our Non-Appearance on The Torbay Express – 29th July 2018 Read More »
Father’s Day, 17th June 2018, saw Clan Line making history by being the first Merchant Navy class locomotive to cross the Royal Albert Bridge and enter Cornwall. It was a challenging day, with climbs of Whiteball and the South Devon Banks. The first of the South Devon Banks is Dainton, the third steepest mainline bank …
It was a warm and sunny day for our Torbay Express this year, which made up for last year’s wet weather. After the previous week’s Quantock Intruder, we had spent a couple of days at Bishops Lydeard on the West Somerset Railway, where we were made very welcome. On the Sunday, Clan Line was placed …
Because of engineering work, we had to stable at Southall on the night before the trip. We are grateful to LSL and their representative for making us welcome, and making their facilities available to us. Before leaving for Paddington, we topped up the tender with water and coal. Departure from Southall was at six thirty. …
As is usual, a lot of work had already been done to get Clan Line ready for this trip. The grate and ashpans had been emptied, as had the smokebox, the smoke deflectors had been given a couple of coats of varnish, several maintenance jobs had been carried out, including changing the water in the …
Because it was over three weeks since the previous trip, we had already done a lot of cleaning of the locomotive and support coach, as well as carrying out the usual routine maintenance tasks. On the day before the tour, we had no fewer than twenty two people at Stewarts Lane, So there were no …
Because of planned engineering work, this Belmond British Pullman trip, which was originally down as a Surrey Hills, was re-routed round Kent. This made for extra planning before the trip, but also gave us the opportunity to fit Clan Line with the Golden Arrow regalia. We arrived at London Victoria seven minutes early, and, despite …
As with all rail tours, preparation of the locomotive starts almost as soon as the previous trip has finished. Planning, even for regular routes, such as a Surrey Hills, starts well before this. The firebox and smokebox had already been cleaned, and some maintenance jobs carried out. After the usual thorough examination of the boiler, …
We were only asked to haul this trip on Tuesday, because of a minor technical problem with the rostered locomotive, Tornado. As we were previously out on Saturday, which was rather wet, there was a lot to do. As well as cleaning and polishing the engine and support coach, there were also the smokebox and …
Belmond Surrey Hills – with Paddington – 16th February 2018 Read More »
Saturday 10th February saw Clan Line hauling the King Alfred for UK Railtours. We left London Victoria on time, but, after also picking up passengers at Clapham Junction, we were two minutes late. We made good progress until reaching Barnes, but we then had to follow a stopping service as far as Feltham. After that, …
After a successful annual examination, we were soon into our first trip of the year – a Surrey Hills lunch tour for Belmond British Pullman. Saturday was a cold day with light rain all the time. We stood at Victoria Platform Two for about forty five minutes, and a pleasing number of passengers braved the …
First details of this year’s Annual General Meeting have been announced. It will be held at 1pm on Saturday 30th June 2018 at the Bluebell Railway. More details will be announced closer to the date.
Details of two of our forthcoming tours have recently been announced, and they are both open for booking. The Quantock Intruder, in conjunction with UK Railtours, on Saturday 26th May 2018. Our long-awaited tour taking Merchant Navy Pacific 35028 ‘Clan Line’ from London to the West Somerset Railway has now been confirmed and we are …
We are in the middle of our annual maintenence period, at the moment. It is a little early for this, but it is more convenient, in the long term, to do this at the same time as Belmond, our major customer, have their maintenance period. One of the main things that needs to be done …
Annual Boiler Inspection – We passed the cold exam Read More »
Departure from Victoria was four minutes late, waiting for the road, but time was pulled back by Clapham Junction. Running to the pathing stop at Addlestone Junction was good and ahead of time. Despite this, the train was delayed on the approach to Guildford – this being caused by a late running Reading to Gatwick …
As is usual, preparation work for this trip started a couple of days before the actual run. The fire was lit on Thursday afternoon. We always warm the boiler slowly, to avoid putting it under undue stress. Our rule is to only have 20 psi on the clock twelve hours after lighting the fire. The …
Just because we don’t have a trip for a couple of weeks, it doesn’t mean that we have nothing to do. For example, here are a few of the jobs that we have carried out in the last week:- After we had done the usual jobs of cleaning out the grate and smokebox, we changed …
There is Always Something To Do – Work at Stewarts Lane this week Read More »
The Atlantic Coast Express on Saturday 23rd September was not quite as we had hoped, but we think that it was a very good trip nonetheless. The original plan had been to depart from, and return to, London Waterloo, as the original ACE did, but this was not to be, and we had to use …
The Atlantic Coast Express – 23rd September 2017 Read More »
We left London Victoria in glorious sunshine, and arrived at Canterbury West six minutes late, due to a combination of speed restrictions and adverse signals. Servicing was undertaken under the gaze of the public who had gathered to watch. Departure from Canterbury West was three minutes late, and the weather soon changed from warm and …
The Belmond British Pullman trip to Bristol on Wednesday 6th September was shared between Clan Line and Tornado. This allowed us to swap positions, so that we could return to Stewarts Lane, and Tornado could be at Saint Philip’s Marsh, ready for the final Torbay Express of the season. We had a great run back. …
The Return to Stewarts Lane – Belmond British Pullman Read More »
Sunday dawned, and, as the forecast had predicted, the weather turned sour. We departed Saint Philip’s Marsh depot about five minutes early. However, having lost time during the shunting moves, departure from Bristol Temple Meads was six minutes late. Taunton arrival time was five minutes later than scheduled, and, after watering and pulling coal forward, …
Another Great Tour – Despite the Weather – The Torbay Express Read More »
Torbay Express It is 50 years since the MNLPS took possession of Clan Line, on 13th August 1967. At 09:30 on that day, a small train consisting of 35028, 34023 – Blackmoor Vale, and 41298 – the Micky Mouse tank, were together on the departure road at Nine Elms depot, with various trucks martialled between, …
Rail Tour Report – 20th August 2017 – and an Anniversary Read More »
On 11th August 2017, we hauled a Surrey Hills tour for Belmond. Everything went well, apart from a major trespass incident, needing the power to be cut, and causing many delays. We finally arrived back at Victoria well over half an hour late. We take a great pride in the appearance of our engine, and …
After our two-year overhaul, carried out by LNWR Heritage at Crewe, our gentle running-in period was not quite as gentle as we had hoped. Five trips in seven days, mainly with the Belmond British Pullmans, is quite a baptism of fire. Our first trip, on Wednesday 5th July, was to mark the fiftieth anniversary of …
Back With A Vengeance – Five rail tours in seven days Read More »
After being away for exactly two years, Clan Line’s overhaul, carried out by LNWR Heritage at Crewe, has come to an end, and our engine has returned home to Stewarts Lane in London. We are now starting on a busy period of running, hauling mainline trains for Belmond, UK Railtours and Torbay Express Limited – …
LNWR Heritage at Crewe are well into the painting process, by now, and the results are looking very promising:-
The MNLPS held their 2017 AGM at the 7¼” gauge Mizens Railway, near Woking, in Surrey. Cliff Perry brought along his fine working model of Clan Line for members to admire and ride behind. Some of the passengers may be “Out of Gauge”, though. See some photographs of this wonderful model
After the recent light test run, which found no serious problems, Clan Line is now in the paint shop at LNWR Heritage at Crewe. When it comes out, there will be a loaded test run, followed by the return to Stewarts Lane. There then follows a busy period, with several rail tours in the diary. …
It has been a busy few weeks at LNWR Heritage, Crewe, but Clan Line has made its first tentative moves under its own power, and has passed the in-frames steam test, and the official examinations. One of the jobs that had to be done before this was the weighing. This is not to find out …
Crewe Overhaul Update 24 – Clan Line moves under its own power, and stops! Read More »
After a lot of hard work by LNWR Heritage, with a little help from some of us, Clan Line’s latest overhaul is reaching its conclusion. The locomotive looks almost complete. The main obvious things that are missing are the smoke deflectors. In the smokebox, work continues on fitting the steam pipe glands and spark arrestors. …
LNWR Heritage at Crewe have been putting a lot of effort into completing the work on Clan Line, and the results are showing. Since the boiler was re-united with the frames, almost all of the lagging and cladding have been fitted. A lot of the cab fittings were attached, and the cab itself is now …
Crewe Overhaul Update 22 – Another great leap forward Read More »
The boiler shop at LNWR Heritage, Crewe, has been a hive of activity recently. The superheater header has been fitted to the main steam pipe in the smokebox. The lagging and cladding of the boiler has progressed apace, as has some of the rubbing down and painting. But the main visible progress has been the …
Crewe Overhaul Update 21 – The boiler is back on! Read More »
The day of the out-of-frames steam test dawned cold and wet, with the possibility of sleet mentioned in the weather forecast. The intrepid team from LNWR Heritage had been up since 4:30 to make sure that everything was ready for the arrival of the boiler inspector. Fortunately, the sun came out, later, which made everybody …
Crewe Overhaul Update 20 – We’ve passed the steam test Read More »
Our boiler inspector was happy with our hydraulic test, this week, so “Many Thanks” go to all the people at LNWR Heritage, Crewe, who have worked so hard to achieve this. Preparations are now underway for the out-of-frames steam test. The manifold, fire hole doors, and gauge frames will be fitted to the boiler for …
Crewe Overhaul Update 19 – A successful hydraulic test Read More »
UK Railtours have announced another anniversary railtour, on Wednesday 13th September 2017, featuring the Belmond British Pullmans, marking fifty years since the end of steam on the Southern. The Golden Arrow was without doubt one of the world’s most famous named trains, the means by which discerning customers travelled between London and Paris before the …
The Golden Arrow – Another anniversary rail tour from UK Railtours Read More »
On the boiler front, the repaired main steam pipe is now in position, which has allowed the remaining flues and tubes to be fitted. They will be expanded imminently. Work continues on fitting the new stays, as well as overhauling the crinolines. The overhaul of the regulator is almost complete. The new middle big end …
There have been a lot of visible signs of progress on our boiler of late. All the main firebox welding has now been completed. The joint faces for all the boiler attachments have been skimmed, as have those on the superheater header. The holes for the studs that hold these attachments are in the process …
Crewe Overhaul Update 17 – The boiler is getting there Read More »
A lot more work has been done to our boiler since our last report. All the plate-work for the firebox repairs has been welded in, and, when these photographs were taken, final preparations were being made to rivet in the final part (the front) of the foundation ring. At the other end of the boiler, …
Crewe Overhaul Update 16 – Progress on all fronts Read More »
The MNLPS and LNWR Crewe are working towards “Clan Line” being a complete loco around the end of March. We have specifications prepared for light and loaded test runs from Crewe in springtime, plus a simple ‘return south’ charter afterwards. Whilst we have specified dates, there is always the danger of slippage should any problems …
Some of our plans for 2017 – The Atlantic Coast Express, and others Read More »
Work on our boiler, by LNWR Heritage, at Crewe, is progressing very well. The new front tubeplate is in position, and is being drilled, prior to riveting:- Three quarters of the rivets for the foundation ring are in place:- A new bottom half to the smokebox is being welded into place, because of corrosion:- Work …
Crewe Overhaul Update 15 – The boiler is coming on nicely Read More »
Things are progressing well at Crewe. On Monday 3rd October, Clan Line was re-wheeled. LNWR Heritage at Crewe hired two cranes to lift the frames from the accommodation bogies, and put them back on Clan Line’s own wheels. The bogie, driving wheels, and Bissell were rolled in to place, and the frames were carefully lowered …
Crewe Overhaul Update 14 – Clan Line has been re-wheeled Read More »
The South Devon Railway have done an excellent job on producing our new front tubeplate. They have pressed it, machined it, and drilled all the holes for the tubes and flues. It will now be sent to Crewe, where the rivet holes will be drilled.
Work on Clan Line’s overhaul is still progressing well at Crewe on several fronts. The bogie has been completely re-assembled:- And the Bissell is almost finished:- Meanwhile, the axle boxes for the driving wheels are being worked on:- There is quite a bit of corrosion to the saddle casting, which needs repairing. This area is …
Crewe Overhaul Update 13 – More progress at Crewe Read More »
Despite setbacks at the front of the boiler, with the need to replace the front tubeplate, good progress is still being made on the repairs to the firebox. This photograph shows work in progress on the repairs to one of the front corners of the firebox:- Here, you can see how the new platework has …
Crewe Overhaul Update 12 – The work on the firebox continues Read More »
The overhaul and repaint of Mercator, our support coach, at Eastleigh, has now been completed. The only things left to do are the gas safety check, and a thorough clean of the upholstery. We think that you will agree with us that the results look quite splendid.
The following is a message that was recently sent to all our members:- OVERHAUL & APPEAL FUND UPDATEAUGUST 2016 I am writing to you, the membership, to keep you informed of progress on the overhaul of 35028 Clan Line where, unfortunately, a new and unforeseen problem has come to light that is going to place …
There is not a lot to report, at the moment, but work is continuing. Progress continues on our boiler. The main inner firebox platework has been welded in to place, and just the corners are left to do. Work on the bottom end is also progressing. The bogie and Bissell are being re-assembled, and it …
Crewe Overhaul Update 11 – Progress at Crewe up to early August Read More »
Work is progressing well on our support coach, Mercator, at Eastleigh. The repairs are just about complete, and the coach is back on its bogies. The painting and signwriting are now under way. A couple of months ago, the painters took tracings of our current designs:- Painting the exterior:- A refurbished bogie in place:-
The work on the repairs to Clan Line’s boiler continues at LNWR Heritage at Crewe. The damage to the foundation ring has been made good, and it is, now, back in position. All the lower part of the inner firebox has been removed, and the new plate work is being prepared for welding. Work is …
Crewe Overhaul Update 10 – Progress on the major overhaul Read More »
Work on Clan Line’s overhaul is still progressing on several fronts. On the boiler side, the replacement boiler plate, for the lower part of the inner firebox, has arrived on site, and work is continuing on the removal of the old stays. Repairs to the foundation ring are also on course. The superheater header has …
The overhaul progresses Work is continuing apace on our overhaul in many areas. However, we are currently at the stage where there are no major advances to report. Work on the frames includes the boring of the middle cylinder steam chest, which will require a couple of replacement valve heads. Work is also progressing on …
Crewe Overhaul Update 8 – The latest work at Crewe Read More »
We, now, have a much better idea of the amount of work that is needed to get 35028 running, again. On the boiler, the lower 15 inches of the inner firebox, all the way round, needs replacing, because the plate work is getting thin. Work has started on removing the stays – several hundred need …
We, now, have a far better idea of the amount of work that will be required on our boiler, though we haven’t, yet, worked out the full details. The foundation ring has been removed, and non-destructive testing has been carried out to ascertain the thickness of the boiler plate. As we expected, a large part …
Crewe Overhaul Update 6 – Latest findings on the state of the boiler Read More »
Tyre Replacement at the South Devon Railway As well as all the work that is being done by LNWR Heritage at Crewe, we are also having new tyres fitted at Buckfastleigh by the South Devon Railway. After the wheels were removed from the locomotive, they were sent to Devon, and work has recently started. The …
LNWR Heritage are continuing to make good progress on Clan Line’s overhaul at Crewe. Now that the boiler has been removed from the frames, work can proceed in parallel. All the cladding and insulation has been removed from the boiler, as have all the tubes and flues, and a start has been made on removing …
Crewe Overhaul Update 5 – Further information on the progress of the major overhaul Read More »
More good progress has been made. Now that the boiler has been separated from the frames, work continues in parallel. The superheater elements, and the top row of flues, have been taken out, and the rest of the flues, and all the tubes, will soon follow. The next step will be to remove the dome …
Crewe Overhaul Update 4 – The latest report on progress at Crewe Read More »
Major progress has been recently made, with the lifting of the boiler from the frames. With their excellent new facilities at Crewe, LNWR Heritage is now able to carry this out without having to hire in a crane. The next steps can now continue in parallel. The boiler can have its superheater elements, tubes, flues …
Crewe Overhaul Update 3 – The boiler has been lifted off the frames Read More »
Good progress has been made. Clan Line is, now, inside the lifting shop, where the boiler will be removed. Already, the cab has been taken off. The smoke deflectors have been removed, as has some of the cladding. A lot of the pipework has gone, including the injector delivery pipes, and the ejector exhaust pipe. …
Crewe Overhaul Update 2 – A brief update on work being carried out at Crewe Read More »
Our ten-year boiler certificate expired at the end of June. To renew it for another ten years, the boiler has to be thoroughly examined, inside and out, by our Vehicle Acceptance Body’s boiler inspector, and our insurance company. To be able to do this, the boiler has to be lifted from the frames, and all …
Crewe Overhaul Update 1 – A report on the first moves in the overhaul process Read More »
