MAGAZINE OF THE SOUTH TYNEDALE RAILWAY PRESERVATION SOCIETY
NUMBER 145 SPRING 2006
THOMAS EDMONDSON RESTORATION PROJECT PAGE
This page contains a selection of articles published over the past years about the restoration of the German built, Henschel, steam locomotive Thomas Edmondson.
The report about the Thomas Edmondson Restoration Project
which was published Tynedalesman No. 138, March 2004 issue
appears below:-
Lottery Grant Success for
Thomas Edmondson Steam Locomotive
In mid-December 2002, after the December 2002 issue of the Tynedalesman newsletter had gone to press, the South Tynedale Railway Preservation Society received the news that the bid for a Heritage Lottery Fund grant for the restoration of Thomas Edmondson, the German built Henschel 0-4-0 tank steam locomotive No.6, built in 1918, had been successful.
This locomotive was one of a large number built for the German Army in the First World War and is the only one of its class capable of being restored to working order in its original condition. It was purchased from a colliery in northern Spain in 1984 and entered service on the South Tynedale Railway in 1987. The photograph opposite shows Thomas Edmondson in service at Alston Station on Monday 28th August 1989.
A grant of up to �35,100, the full amount which was applied for, will be available towards the cost of the restoration project, which is to be carried out over a two-year period. The grant includes money to enable the Society to commission the Carlisle College of Art and Design to produce a video of the restoration work. Although some of the work will be contracted out, the bulk of the rebuilding work will be carried out in the Society’s workshops. The work was expected to start in March 2002 at last for about 18 to 24 months.
This was splendid news to round off the 2002 year, as it was the Alston line 150th Anniversary year, with thanks due to all of those involved in the planning of the restoration project and in preparing the grant bid.
Reproduced from Tynedalesman No. 136, September 2003 issue:-
Thomas Edmondson Restoration Project
by Norman Cook
As you will have all read in the previous issues of the Tynedalesman, the Society has been awarded a Heritage Lottery Fund Grant for the restoration of our steam locomotive, Thomas Edmondson. We heard that we had been awarded the grant of �35,100 (50% of the project costs) just before last Christmas, 2002, and this set us on our way for what turned out to be a great Christmas with a record number of passengers carried on our Santa Special trains. The remaining 50% of the project will be made up of an STRPS cash contribution and volunteer labour.
The grant was awarded for the restoration to full working order, and in as near original condition as possible, of the only example of a Henschel 0-4-0 60cm narrow gauge German military locomotive of World War 1 to have actually worked in the last twenty years. The main part of this project is the restoration of this locomotive, which will then be the only known example of its class, and possibly the last working World War 1 60cm gauge Kriegsbahn locomotive.
The project also covers working with local schools, both primary and secondary, to explore the various military and local history links to the locomotive and military rail transport. Additionally a video of the restoration work will be made together with instructional materials for schools (we are, after all, an education charity). The video, instructional material and brochure describing the restoration work and giving details of the locomotive’s history will be used as an education package which will be available to schools in the area. The brochure will also be available to visitors to the railway free of charge. The video when complete will be available to members and the public at a cost to be announced in the future.
Both ourselves and the Heritage Lottery Fund agree that preserving a working example of a German World War 1 Kriegsbahn locomotive is important to all of European Heritage and possibly, because of their rarity, more important than World War 1 motor vehicles or carts. A few of these locomotives still exist, mostly in a scrap condition, but there are only one or two known to be accessible to the public. These are not restored, and are in museums in Turkey. In World War 1 these were the ‘heavy haulers’ of all military supplies throughout Europe, often working on temporary tracks laid quickly by army engineers. Thomas Edmondson was built for the Tigris Kriegsbahn in Turkey and was later sold to the Spanish military and took part in the Rif campaign in Spanish Morocco in the 1920s, from which it bears the scars of shrapnel. It was later transferred back to the military base at Cuatro Vientos in Spain, and is believed to have been used for training purposes during the Spanish Civil War. Its final importance is in its name, a celebration of the local man who invented the traditional railway ticketing system in 1838.
There is no doubting its importance to military and railway historians, and its links to three military campaigns on three continents (Asia, Africa and Europe). This makes it an ideal focus vehicle for schools to use to cover many aspects of transport and history.
|
of restoration in 2003. |
Built in 1918 by Henschel & Sohn in Cassel, Germany (works number 16047) at the close of the first world war to the standard German army design of the period, the locomotive is part of a second order for locomotives for the Tigris Kriegsbahn, Turkey (Tigris Kriegsbahn locomotive number 125). The locomotive was never delivered, and was stored at the Field Eisenbahn at Frankfurt, in Germany until its sale as part of a batch of twenty locomotives to the Spanish “Zapadores y Militar de Espanina” for use in Spanish Morocco in the Rif campaign in the 1920’s. It was later transferred to the military railway at “Cuatro Vientos” near Madrid and was used for training purposes.
At the end of its military service in 1962, it was sold to the Minas y Ferrocarril de Utrillas S.A. for use on the colliery railway system of the Terael Region of Spain until its closure in 1966. However all nine of the Minas y Ferrocarril de Utrillas narrow gauge locomotives survived in their engine shed.
The South Tynedale Railway purchased locomotive 16047 in 1984 and it was restored to full working order and entered service in 1987. The locomotive was named after Thomas Edmondson after the inventor of the traditional style railway ticket system. He was employed by the Newcastle and Carlisle Railway Company as a station clerk at Milton (now known as Brampton) station from 1836 to 1839 and the ticketing system invented by him was, until recently, used on many of the world’s railways. The locomotive was named on 23rd August 1987 by the late Earl of Carlisle.
Thomas Edmondson was withdrawn from service at the end of 1993 and its boiler certificate expired in 1994.
The locomotive restoration work is being carried out by members of the STRPS engineering department and was started on 25th March 2003, when Thomas Edmondson was moved into the western bay of the engineering workshops and made ready for dismantling. The first item on the agenda was to give the locomotive a good look over and inspection to ascertain the best way of dismantling. Dismantling started the same day with the removal of the air pump and associated air and steam piping. The day’s whole operation was filmed by Cumbria Institute for the Arts as part of the video. Interviews were also filmed; Tom Bell once again did his thing, giving a presentation to camera of Thomas Edmondson’s history.
|
with some of the restoration team, outside Alston engine shed in April 2003. |
Dismantling was completed on 10th July 2003 and the film crew were again on hand to record the key stages in dismantling. No major items of concern have been encountered so far. Items that have been discovered as dismantling progressed that we had not previously known about were:-
1. The condition of the smoke box is worse than anticipated and will have to be completely replaced instead of being repaired as previously thought.
2. A new clack valve will have to be manufactured for the boiler feed water system using the one existing valve as a model. At some time in the locomotive’s history, the original one has been replaced with a modern stop and return valve.
3. A new cylinder oiler will be required to replace the existing oiler, which once again is not of the type originally fitted to the locomotive.
4. The springs are in a very bad state and appear to be of different types, some having more leaves than others and one is fitted with pads. The general consensus in the engine shed is that, instead of fixing up what we have, a complete new set of springs is required.
On the bright side, however, after dismantling and initial inspection some items that were previously thought to require replacement will only require refurbishment.
Some items have been ordered, these are ones with long lead times for delivery. Among the items for which orders have been placed is one to Metcalf’s for the refurbishment of the injectors and the manufacture of a new clack valve. A complete set of new firebars has also been ordered from our normal supplier. The new fire bars will have a slightly reduced spacing.
During the coming months the restoration team will be engaged in removing the boiler tubes ready for the boiler inspection, which we hope to carry out in September 2003. Other items on the agenda are the sandblasting of the frames, re-profiling of the wheels, plus cleaning and restoring the various parts of the locomotive.
 |
As part of the project, research has been undertaken in three main areas:-
1. Technical, associated with restoration work;
2. Historical, into the locomotive’s history
and 3. Historical, into narrow gauge railways in World War 1, Turkey and the Rif Campaign.
We have been assisted in our research by the “Federation of European Heritage and Tourist Railways”, by Mr. Alan Prior (who is a railway enthusiast, resident in Turkey) and by Mr. Anthony Phillipson, who is the General Manager of the RMK Museum in Turkey. Both of these gentlemen have been of great assistance to me personally and to the restoration team in photographing the locomotive at the RMK Museum and locomotives in other parts of Turkey and in providing technical data on items which are missing from our locomotive, for which we have no information.
|
at the RMK Industrial Museum, in Turkey. |
For those of a technical bent, details of Thomas Edmondson are as follows:-
Locomotive Details:-
- Built by Henschel & Sohn, Cassel, Germany.
- 90 horse power 0-4-0 steam locomotive, constructed to a standard World War 1 German Army design in 1918, works number 16047.
- Gauge: 600 mm.
Original Dimensions:-
- Cylinders = 10 inches (254 mm) x 14 inches (356 mm).
- Walschaerts valve gear.
- Working pressure = 10 atmospheres (147 p.s.i.).
- Weight = 12 tonnes empty, 14 tonnes in full working order.
- Length = 16 feet 6 inches (5029 mm).
- Width = 6 feet 8 inches (2032 mm).
- Overall height = 9 feet 6 inches (2896 mm).
- Wheel diameter = 2 feet 2� inches (673 mm).
- Wheelbase = 5 feet 1 inch (1550 mm).
- Tractive Effort at 60% of boiler pressure = 4660 lb (2114 kg).
Present Dimensions:-
- Length = 20 feet (6096 mm).
- Width = 6 feet 8inches (2032 mm).
- Overall height = 9 feet 3inches (2819 mm).
- Wheel diameter = 2 feet 1inch (635 mm).
One hundred and thirteen of these locomotives were built and from various sources, it is been established that of the 113 locomotives only 7 remain. The only one in working order is 16047 Thomas Edmondson. The other remaining locomotives of this type are as follows:-
- Number 16062 of 1918 - At Seleck Railway Museum, in Turkey, plinthed and not in working order.
- Number 16032 of 1918 - Plinthed outside the manufacturer’s headquarters, in Germany, not in working order.
- Numbers 16043, 16045 and 16073 (converted to 0-4-2 configuration) - all three are located in England, they may be restored at some time in the future and exhibited at a proposed museum in Aberystwyth, Wales.
One other locomotive is reported to be privately preserved “somewhere in Spain” and is not in working order, (this locomotive is possibly Number 16031).
Further reports of progress on the restoration of Thomas Edmondson will be published in future Tynedalesman newsletters.
Norman Cook
January 2004 issue:-
Progress Report on Thomas Edmondson overhaul
to January 2004 - by Norman Cook
We achieved our first milestone towards the end of October 2003 with the initial inspection of the boiler by the inspector. The boiler was found to be in good condition considering its age. However, a number of repairs have been carried out over the years, which have not been documented, which is not surprising for a locomotive of this age and some appear to be of dubious quality.
The independent inspector is requiring us to redo these repairs to an approved procedure and to current standards. These are mandatory repairs that have to be completed before a boiler certificate can be issued. The required repairs are:-
- At some time during its use either in the RIF campaign in Morocco, or in the Spanish Civil War, the boiler appears to have sustained a hit by some sort of ordinance, possibly a small calibre shell or heavy machine gun round. The existing repair will have to be ground out and an approved repair made by inserting a patch in the hole and welding it into place.
- On the back plate of the boiler (the firebox end), there have been several welded repairs, three of which are of dubious quality and are a potential safety hazard, particularly to operating personnel and in the case of a catastrophic failure, could course a boiler explosion that would endanger the public. These welds will be ground out and new welds made by a coded welder (i.e. a welder certified for welding on a pressure vessel), the welds being carried out to an approved procedure.
The condition of the smoke box was found to be worse than anticipated by S.T.R.P.S. volunteers prior to the inspection and will have to be completely replaced. Arrangements have been made with a main boiler repair contractor to manufacture a new smoke box barrel. Fitting of appurtenances will be carried out in house by S.T.R.P.S. staff.
Moving away from the boiler, the locomotive is now in its component parts and restoration has started on many of the smaller items. Grit blasting and priming of the frames is well in hand, thanks to the sterling work of Duncan Wheeler. We (Duncan that is) hopes to be complete before the next time that I put pen to paper.
Drilling out of the wheel pins has started and is proving to be anything but an easy job. The wheel set will not fit in the hydraulic press, so we have had to drill a hole in the centre of the pin, then burn out two wedge sections partially collapsing the pin and finally driving it out using a drift. I might add drills are not lasting too long either!
Norman Cook
Click here to return to top of page.
For more information about the South Tynedale Railway, please contact:-
THE SOUTH TYNEDALE RAILWAY PRESERVATION SOCIETY,
Registered Office Address:-
The Railway Station, Alston, Cumbria, CA9 3JB.
Telephone 01434 381696.
Talking timetable - Telephone 01434 382828.
Registered Charity No. 514939.
Limited by Guarantee: Company Registration No. 1850832 (England).
E-mail enquiries - please click on links below:
South Tynedale Railway information - Send e-mail to South Tynedale Railway
STRPS membership information only - Send e-mail to Kathy Aveyard
Tynedalesman information only - Send e-mail to Tynedalesman compilers
Mission Statement for the South Tynedale Railway:-
�To provide satisfaction for our customers and volunteers
by operating a friendly, safe and efficient narrow-gauge railway.�
© South Tynedale Railway Preservation Society, June 2006.