The chairmans Birthday address and appeal

Well, another birthday is upon me!  A time to have a quick look back at what we have achieved since the last one, and that is a huge amount!
I attended the Working day on the 10th of November 2018, together with 6 others.  At this stage the frames were flat on trestles and requiring the mill scale to be removed.   By the end of the day the frames were not only cleaned of mill scale but painted in bonder primmer. yet more holes were drilled in the frames and some tapped to take bolts.  This was done by mid afternoon, so it was decided to "erect" the frames using temporary stretchers. So, the frames have now been "vertical" for just about a year. 

However, the story does not end there as during the year the frames were set to level and square and checked many times.  This required the stretchers to be located using temporary bolts to hold everything in the right place. By April all of the stretchers had been bolted in place and thoughts were turning to when the riveting could begin.  Other work carried out at the same time included cleaning of the cylinder covers and crossheads. 

various checks and measuring was also taking place and it was at this time we found that the piston rods and valve guide rods would need to be metal sprayed and re turned to the correct dimensions.

At the beginning of July groups of Network Rail volunteers spent a week doing odd jobs on the loco and also on Fenchurch.  These jobs included cleaning and painting of components and starting a deep clean on Fenchurch ready for the forthcoming overhaul.

   

The riveting of the frames continued throughout the year and by September most of it had been done.

Also during the summer the pistons have been machined to make them suitable for many more years of service.  The brake hangers ware also overhauled and re-bushed during the summer.

  

Of course the cylinders have been away at Statfold Barn for the majority of the machining to be carried out and these were returned to Sheffield Park in the early part of the year.  there was still a small amount of machining to be carried out on the castings once they were returned due to needing to test fit as the machining took place.  This has now been completed and the cylinders are being stored until they are required.

  



There have been many, many hours of work carried out on the loco, much of which seem to be virtually invisible, but are vital for the rebuilding of the loco!

We are a totally self funded group within the Bluebell railway and every penny we spend needs to be raised by ourselves.  There are a few ways this happens, We run sales stands at many of the Bluebell Railway events through the year, together with a few model railway exhibitions. Another way is through donations, either one off or standing orders via the Bluebell Railway Trust, with or without Gift Aid.  For details please see below.  We also accept items of memorabilia or railway models suitable for auction or to sell on our sales stand.  Finally we have recently launched the "RIVET CLUB". This enables you to donate a regular monthly amount, for which in return you will receive a periodical news letter, advance notice of any special events organised by the Fenchurch Fund or The Little Loco Group and other benefits to be confirmed.  Details for the Rivet Club can be found below.

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) or regular payments via Virgin Money Giving.

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.

Regards

Clive D. Emsley

Chairman of the Fenchurch Fund

thefenchurchfund@gmail.com