Restoration of Gresley A4: #60019 'Bittern'
at the Mid Hants Railway

14th February 2007:

Two photos show how the cod's-mouth door of an A4 is opened.

Steve was making stainless steel panels to clad the insulation at the firebox throatplate of Bittern. This movie (4.2MB) starts from the pit, looking rearwards from just ahead of the trailing driving axle, and pans up and along towards the boiler barrel.

Photos and movie (all 14th February 2007): Tony Wood

8th February 2007: Someone's been polishing Bittern's cylinder drain exhausts
	Steve was making toroidal throatplate cladding sheets by the cut-&-shut method. The capillary cloth hanging from the boiler's lowest plug has removed last drops of water from Bittern's boiler Photos (8th February 2007): Tony Wood

31st January 2007: The cladding team had gone to get another sheet from storage when this was shot in late morning
	Bittern's driver's seat with under-floor pipework and the air-braking control box visible
Two views of Bittern's new tender handbrake mechanism Photo and two movies (31st January 2007): Tony Wood

24th January 2007: Refitting the streamlined cladding to Bittern: Jim and Morley up top, Steve on the chain hoist, Frank ready to podge it into position for the bolts Below: One of the Kylchap exhausts is now installed on the rear blastpipe
Photos (24th January 2007): Tony Wood

19th January 2007:

Bittern's boiler passed another hydraulic (Part 1, 'Cold') test on Friday 12th January 2007, re-starting the boiler 'ticket'.

Today we were lagging the boiler with ceramic fibre insulation and fitting stainless steel cladding sheets to keep it in place.

Photos (19th January 2007): Tony Wood

10th January 2007:

Steve Humby and Roger Latch try Bittern's new codsmouth door for fit

Photo (19th January 2007): Tony Wood

From: Baz Stead
Sent: 16 February 2007 14:13
Dear Chaps and Chapesses of the Watercress Line
What an absolutely splendid job you are doing on No.19. Congratulations are indeed deserved by your team. I shall look forward to a main line ride when she is ready. Will you let me know?*
In the meantime I have found an old black & white photograph of your lovely locomotive in her heyday, just six years after she was withdrawn from BR traffic:

LNER A4 Gresley No.19 Bittern
York Locoshed
16th September 1972
Ready for the York to Scarborough 11:00 am departure

Doesn't she look magnificent?

Yours with great appreciation for your work on steam locomotives
BaZo Stead
(Grandson of a family of Railwaymen)

* Watch this space, Baz ... tw

20th December 2006:


The intention was to stitch these together to make one picture, but I couldn't get a good result Four photos (20th December 2006): Tony Wood

6th December 2006:
Bittern has had the chicken-shed fitted. Steve was sitting on the blastpipe for comfortable access to install whistle pipework when Keith came by. Elusive bird returns Darlington Brick Train
	Kim Malyon and his team have fitted the air brake control box under the driver's seat. (See movie) Now they have to make another one as a spare Photos (6th December 2006): Tony Wood

	23rd November 2006: New lower section of the door sealing ring fitted on #60019
The gauge on the left is for aligning Bittern's blastpipes with the double chimney Photos (23rd November 2006): Tony Wood

7th November 2006:

Bittern's crew seats have been fitted

Photo (7th November 2006): Tony Wood

1st November 2006: Double Kylchap exhaust system has arrived for A4 Bittern ...
... and new footplate seat frames were welded-up today Photos (1st November 2006): Tony Wood

Restoration of A4 'Bittern' at MHR: Index

History of 'Bittern'

Overhaul of A4 'Sir Nigel Gresley' at Grosmont

Very Latest News from Mid-Hants Railway's Loco Shed

Restoration of Gresley A4: #60019 'Bittern' at the Mid Hants Railway

Restoration of Gresley A4: #60019 'Bittern'
at the Mid Hants Railway