Latest Update

Unfortunately, there is no work currently allowed on site at Sheffield Park.  This is disappointing but we must comply with the Government and BRPS/PLC directions.  

 

However, here is a picture that the Fund has recently bought via eBay. It shows 27 sitting on the Pumphouse siding at Sheffield Park.  Unfortunately the photographers name is unknown.  It was taken on Sunday 19th of September 1971.



 SECR P Class No.27 at Sheffield Park on the Pumphouse Siding 19/09/1971

The Fundraising team are about to place an order for a new selection of stock, including badges, polo shirts, mugs etc..  We will be advertising these as we release them.

We will be re-starting our fund raising activities as soon as we are able to and hopefully before the end of the year.

We also hope to be able to start working at Sheffield Park again on the physical restoration of the loco.  This does, however, depend on the Bluebell Railway restrictions and working practices being in place.

We are hoping this will happen soon as we have already lost 6 moths of progress.

 

Donations

If you can help us, please make your donation on line at: http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fund/27

Standing Order Donations

You can also give via standing order to the Bluebell Railway Trust (please contact us for a form).

The Rivet Club

You will soon be able to join the Rivet Club and make the difference! at £3 a month you could help us see SECR loco No 27 return to steam within the next 5 years! Once signed up you’ll also receive a copy of our quarterly E-newsletter as a way of saying thank you as well as keeping you up to date with our current progress! More details will follow shortly!

Please donate if you are able, it will make  a great difference to the restoration programme.

Thank You

 

 

 

A short update

 

Well, here we are in mid July, still working from home and unable to visit the Railway for any purpose whatsoever.

 

Consequently, there is currently no work being carried out on the loco.  We also have not been able to attend any events for fund raising.  However, all is not totally stationary.  There is still plenty of work going on behind the scenes.

 

We are currently restocking and will be releasing new items later in the year.  These will include mugs, coasters and polo shirts, plus other items still to be finalised.

 

Just for interest, I have added a few pictures below, these are in the collection, but I do not have the photographers name.

 

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Keep safe and well during this strange time we are living through and I will post more pictures later!

 

Please also remember that the Bluebell have opened an EMERGENCY FUND. Without a railway to return to, we will have nowhere to run No.27!

For donations to the BLUEBELL RAILWAY EMERGENCY FUND go to: 

https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fund/support-bluebell

 

For PROJECT 27 donations please go to: http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fund/27

 

Thank you

 

Clive Emsley

Chairman of the Fenchurch Fund. (A sub-committee of the Bluebell Railway Preservation Society)

 

More lockdown photos

Just a few more pictures for you.

Sean Smeeth has just sent me scans of photographs taken by the late Fred Warren who was a guard on the Bluebell in the early days. It is always great to see new pictures and these are no exception. They show 27 in 1961 and one in 1969.  I am sure that you will agree they are worthy of showing on here.

 

We are still unable to work on the loco at Sheffield Park, but there is a fair amount of "behind the scenes" planning and research going on to sort ou8t what we need to do once we are able to start working again on the restoration.

 

It is likely that there will be very little "front line" fundraising this year to support the restoration team, but rest assured we will be back with redoubled effort as soon as we are able.

 

Anyway, enough from me, let's have a look at the pictures!

The naming ceremony with Bishop Geoffery Warde (former Bishop of Lewes) carrying out the blessing in 1961

No 27 with the "Chesham" set on Platform 2 at Sheffield Park, also in 1961. It is likely that there will be another loco at the rear of the train to pull the train back from Bluebell Halt.

 

27 in SECR guise with a 2 carriage SECR set of carriages heading for Horsted Keynes in June 1969

How great it would be to recreate the last photo in the future!

 

Keep safe and well during this strange time we are living through and I will post more pictures later!

 

Please also remember that the Bluebell have opened an EMERGENCY FUND. Without a railway to return to, we will have nowhere to run No.27!

 

For donations to the BLUEBELL RAILWAY EMERGENCY FUND go to: 

https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fund/support-bluebell

 

For PROJECT 27 donations please go to: http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fund/27

 

Thank you

 

Clive Emsley

Chairman of the Fenchurch Fund. (A sub-committee of the Bluebell Railway Preservation Society)

 

A few pictures from Mark Baker

Mark Baker (one of the Kingscote Stationmasters) took these pictures of (parts of) No.27 back in the latter part of the last century, or early part of this.  They show what we started out with on our restoration journey!

The rolling chassis (with complete motion) parked on Turners Siding behind Platform 2 at Sheffield Park with basic protection of a tarpaulin

 

A later view of the frames, still on Turners Siding having lost the tarpaulin and left open to the elements.

 

the cab, with tanks under located outside the "new" lobby at Sheffield Park (the lobby was situated where the new maintenance facility is now situated).

Mark first came to the Railway at a very young age, but was only 16 moths old when the loco drew steam for the last time.

 

It is believed that the last crew on the loco in 1974 was Driver Pip Stevens and Fireman Mick Pearson, though this is to be confirmed.  I wonder who the next crew will be!

 

Keep safe and well during this strange time we are living through and I will post more pictures later!

 

Please also remember that the Bluebell have opened an EMERGENCY FUND. Without a railway to return to, we will have nowhere to run No.27!

 

For donations to the BLUEBELL RAILWAY EMERGENCY FUND go to: 

https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fund/support-bluebell

 

For PROJECT 27 donations please go to: http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fund/27

 

Thank you

 

Clive Emsley

Chairman of the Fenchurch Fund. (A sub-committee of the Bluebell Railway Preservation Society)

Some of my teenage memories

In these strange times it is good to look back at memories we have, here are a few pictures I took of P Tanks in the early 1970s. I would have been about 15 or 16 when I took the early ones on my "Dial the weather" 35mm camera!

No.27

27 at (I think) Polay Bridge just north of Sheffield Park.

 

27 on top shed with 75027 in the "temporary" shed extension!

27 about to leave Sheffield Park

 

No. 323

323 running round through Platform 2 with Driver John White in charge

 

Taking water on Platform 2 at Sheffield Park with Russell Pearce on the bag

 

Driver Pip Stephens with 323 on the coal dock at Sheffield Park with the phase 1 workshop in the background

No.178

No 1178 as repainted by Phil Evans in the 1980s

 

31178 as repainted by Phil Evans in the late 1990s

If you have enjoyed looking at these pictures and had your memories jogged in a nice way please consider making a donation towards the continuing restoration of No.27. Without your support we cannot carry on with the restoration at the same rate experienced so far.

A donation of £27 (or any amount) would go a long way towards our aim.
(with gift aid that becomes £33.75)

If you can help us, please make your donation on line at: http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fund/27

 

Thank you

 

Clive Emsley

Chairman of the Fenchurch Fund. (A sub-committee of the Bluebell Railway Preservation Society)

Can you help us?

 

THE FENCHURCH FUND - PROJECT 27 is looking for places to run sales and information stands.

We would be interested in publicising the fund and the wider railway at model railway exhibitions and other events.

If you are an organiser of such an event and would be interested allowing us to join you, please contact Clive Emsley by email at

 

thefenchurchfund@gmail.com

 

The Fenchurch Fund is a sub-committee of the Bluebell Railway Preservation Society and we are sponsoring the restoration of SECR P Class Locomotive No.27 which is being carried out by

The Little Loco Group of volunteers.

 

We are a totally self funded group and rely on sales and donations to continue the work.

 

Thank you

 

Clive D. Emsley,

Chairman of the Fenchurch Fund

Early Spring Update

 

 

Having successfully completed the final riveting up of the rear drag box in the latter part of 2019, a daunting task with over 80 riveted joints, work has concentrated on moving forwards riveting up the various running plate support angles located along the frame.

 

 

All 12 frame datum buttons have now been installed and a start has been made at setting up the spring hanger brackets in readiness for riveting these into position. Carrying on from earlier in the previous year and with the arrival of the repair plates a start has been made at welding the leading horns guides ready for machining.

 

With the 60th anniversary approaching this summer the group aims to hopefully progress the new frames with the fitting of the new cylinder block, completion of the frame front end & valence plate work and painted up of the frames into the relevant top coats.

The rear of the frames in early March with the rear drag box completed and with the

majority of the angles riveted in along the length of the frame plates.

 

Some of the running plate irons now riveted in place

 

Another view on the angles.  They are some of the original parts retained for reuse

 

Re bushed spring hanger brackets bolted up into position,

these will need to be correctly aligned using the datum buttons recently installed,

and then reamed through and riveted into place.

The front counterweight and sandboxes temporarily bolted up into position.

This is to help aid positioning the two front pieces of re-used angle irons on the new frames

and making sure that everything will line up later on!

The RHS driving axle horn guide casting with the new repair plate tack welded into position.

A couple of hours later and the repair plate has now been fully welded on and ground back to a rough shape.
The horn guide casting is now ready to be temporarily set in position on the frames.
This is so we can mark out the volume of material that needs to be machined from the running faces
and thus enable the necessary 15 thou running clearances to be mach8ined accurately.
From here we can mill the working faces true and to size ready for final fitment.

 

The LHS driving horn guide casting tacked up and ready for the same treatment
 with the RHS next to it as an example of before and after.

Remember, all of this has been possible with the generosity of people like you that are interested in the project. Without your support we cannot carry on at the same rate experienced so far. Please donate anything you can afford if you would like to see our efforts and passion come to a successful end.

We are also looking at expanding our team of sales stand volunteers, so if you would like to join us, please drop Clive an email at the address below.
One off Donations

A donation of £27 (or any amount) would go a long way towards our aim.
(with gift aid that becomes £33.75)

If you can help us, please make your donation on line at: http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fund/27

Standing Order Donations

You can also give via standing order to the Bluebell Railway Trust (please contact us for a form).

The Rivet Club

You will soon be able to join the Rivet Club and make the difference! at £3 a month you could help us see SECR loco No 27 return to steam within the next 5 years! Once signed up you’ll also receive a copy of our quarterly E-newsletter as a way of saying thank you as well as keeping you up to date with our current progress! More details will follow shortly!

Please donate if you are able, it will make  a great difference to the restoration programme.

Thank you for reading this far!  and thank you for the help you have so far given.

 

Winter Engineering Update

A short picture report of work carried out by the engineering team over the winter. 

 Cylinders

Cylinder block strapped up and ready to be split once the final bolts have been removed

 

After the completion of the back face seats, each bolt and its location were numbered

ready for removal and the block to be split. 

 

The Valve faces revealed ready for machining the top and bottom relieving groves

 

 

the two halves of the cylinder block safely stowed on a pallet awaiting final machining work.

 

A tool made by Ian Fergusson for machining the faces ready for the final fitting of the bolts

which hold the cylinders together

 

The square machined back face seting

 Pistons

The new and old piston rods note the much larger new RHS rod compared

to the life expired LHS rod behind! 

 

The piston rod packing glands in the process of being re-bushed by Ian Ferguson

 

A new pair of piston rod nuts again machined by Ian Ferguson,

with one of the old ones in the background

  Brakes

Brake bow beams with freshly machined ends, they are now round!



  

Remember, all of this has been possible with the generosity of people like you that are interested in the project. Without your support we cannot carry on at the same rate experienced so far. Please donate anything you can afford if you would like to see our efforts and passion come to a successful end.

We are also looking at expanding our team of sales stand volunteers, so if you would like to join us, please drop Clive an email at the address below.

One off Donations

A donation of £27 (or any amount) would go a long way towards our aim.
(with gift aid that becomes £33.75)

If you can help us, please make your donation on line at: http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fund/27

Standing Order Donations

You can also give via standing order to the Bluebell Railway Trust (please contact us for a form)

The Rivet Club

You will soon be able to join the Rivet Club and make the difference! at £3 a month you could help us see SECR loco No 27 return to steam within the next 5 years! Once signed up you’ll also receive a copy of our quarterly E-newsletter as a way of saying thank you as well as keeping you up to date with our current progress! More details will follow shortly!

Please donate if you are able, it will make  a great difference to the restoration programme.

Thank you for reading this far!  and thank you for the help you have so far given.A close up view of one of the machined ends