Steam Loco new build 82045 – December 2021 progress report

The 82045 Steam Locomotive Trust has released its latest update on progress in building a new member of the extinct Riddles BR 3MT 2-6-2 82000 tank class.

Many of the current new-build projects aim to recreate larger main-line types, but this project is looking to build a loco intended specifically for heritage line use.

Success with this project will also open the door to the recreation of a Riddles 2-6-2 77000 class, another long-lost type that is well suited to service on today’s heritage lines.

The driving force behind the project was the conviction that the days of working steam are numbered without an initiative of this kind.

The rear pony truck of 82045 sitting on the wheel drop inside Bridgnorth Shed. Photo: John Titlow.

Even the most recently-built existing BR Standard locomotives are now over 50 years old, with all the attendant problems of maintenance and repair that this will increasingly cause their owners.

It seems unlikely that the current fleet can continue to run daily services in another 50 (and probably far fewer) years, but their lives will certainly be prolonged if they work alongside new engines that can shoulder some of the burden.

View of the SVR's loco yard at Bridgnorth, as engines are prepared for the day's services. SVR archive

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The rear pony truck of 82045 are being lowered in the wheel drop. Photo: John Titlow. — The rear pony truck of 82045 being lowered in the wheel drop. Photo: John Titlow.

The latest progress has been to install the pony trucks and thereby transform the loco into a 2-6-2.

On the morning of Monday, 6th December 2021, 82045 was already positioned over the wheeldrop in the erecting shop with the pony trucks awaiting fitting.

The rear pony truck being raised in the wheel drop. Photo: John Titlow.

There followed a very slick and professional operation carried out by a team of full-time staff led by Will Marsh.

It started with the pony trucks being fitted under 82045, and culminated in the loco being moved down the yard in the rain.

After the loco had returned to the erecting shop, the sun came out to put a shine on the day’s proceedings.

The rear pony truck almost in place. Photo: John Titlow.

With the pony trucks now in place, attention will turn to other aspects of the loco’s construction, including fitting lubrication pipework, slide bars, and reversing shaft, and work on the firebox continues.

Mendip Steam Restoration Ltd. has manufactured a steam dome for the boiler barrel, but that is currently in two sections and arrangements are progressing for the Severn Valley Railway’s contract coded welder to weld the two sections together to complete the job.

A video of fitting the new pony trucks and moving from the shed on the Severn Valley Railway can be seen here