The Awake the Giant group actively restoring 9F No.92240 on the Bluebell Railway has released an overhaul update ahead of the Bluebell Railway’s 65th Anniversary Weekend, taking place from Friday 8th to Sunday 10th August 2025.

The 2-10-0 locomotive, which has been out of traffic since the Giants of Steam gala of 2002 (23 years ago), is currently being restored to full working order, with much of the work so far being undertaken on the locomotive’s tender.

Since their last report in March 2025, this update covers the work undertaken during the spring and summer months.

Most of the work has involved continuing to sand down and paint the outside of the tender tank. Several coats of undercoat and top coats need to be applied to give an even, smooth, gloss finish to the paintwork.

Work has also been progressing inside the tender tank, painting the water spaces consisting of 17 connected chambers made up of approximately 116 separate surfaces. Work on this is nearly complete, with just 14 surfaces left to paint.

The Awake the Giant Team has also undertaken several other projects, besides treating and painting the tender; these have included:

March 2025: The group secretary and a few of the team members designed, created and installed a new display/information board and donation box in Steam Works at Sheffield Park. This enables visitors to learn about 92240’s history and progress on the locomotive’s overhaul.

April 2025: The gang briefly turned their attention to repairing a shed roof at Sheffield Park, which in turn enabled them to have a temporary secure space to keep some of their merchandise.

May 2025: Work on the rear buffer beam began with the arduous task of drilling out the studs that hold the footpads on the buffer sleeves. This took a lot longer than expected, with the toughest carbide drills struggling to make progress. Work then began sanding down the buffer beam and treating it with green anti-oxide paint before painting it in undercoat red, which was completed by the end of the month.

June 2025: The sale stand was in operation at the Bluebells Members’ Day and Model Railway Weekend. Since the sad loss of their stand manager last summer, the group has had to sacrifice working days on the loco to man the sales stand. The group have now launched an appeal to try and find a new sales stand manager.

July 2025: In mid-July, the team removed the tender brake rigging. A visual inspection shows that the brake blocks themselves are very worn. The pins are also worn and will most likely be replaced, along with their bushes. All these parts will need to be NDT (Non-Destructive Testing) before being replaced on the tender.

At the end of July, the driver’s side of the tender tank had received its second layer of top coat black, while the rear and fireman’s side of the tender had received their first layer of top coat black.

The Awake the Giant team will be at the Bluebell Railway with their sale stand across all three days of the Bluebell Railway’s 65th Anniversary this weekend, raising funds for the next stage of 92240’s overhaul. An intensive timetable will be in operation with several working locomotives and a wide and diverse selection of rolling stock from many decades of railway operation across the South of England.