2874 Trust HLF Skills Grant

The 2874 Trust wins National Lottery support
Today, the 2874 Trust has received a National Lottery grant of £57,400 for an exciting heritage project, Skill and Expertise building through practical work projects on historic steam locomotives, at the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Steam Railway.
Made possible by money raised by National Lottery players, the project focuses on ensuring the vital heritage mechanical engineering skills needed to maintain and operate steam locomotives can be both developed and passed on to a new generation of volunteers. Work projects will start early in 2019 and will be based around the restoration of a 1918 built steam locomotive.
Supported through the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF), the project will enable local people of all ages to become involved in heritage engineering either hands-on learning new skills or developing existing expertise to ensure there is a skilled workforce available to keep alive Britain’s steam heritage. Work projects will range from an introduction to restoration, for example, saving badly worn and rusted metalwork, to the highly technical manufacture of components from base castings, working to the drawings from more than a hundred years ago.
The 2874 Trust is an organisation set up to operate historic railway locomotives and provide training in the practicalities of their operation. The aim is to promote public appreciation and understanding of the historic, cultural and scientific aspects of this machinery. The Trust has purchased an ex GWR Heavy Freight locomotive no 2874, built in 1918 and aims to restore and hire it to Heritage Railways for the enjoyment and education of the general public.
Steam Heritage is one of Britain’s iconic industries and working steam engines are a key component of the very successful and important tourism sector. It is crucial to the continued operation of Heritage visitor attractions that suitable working locomotives are available. The sector needs skilled volunteers capable of maintaining these locomotives and this project will help ensure a new generation gains the required experience.
Commenting on the award, David Foster, Chairman of the 2874 Trust said: “We are thrilled to have received this support thanks to National Lottery players and are confident the project gives us opportunities to extend heritage skills and introduce them to a new generation helping to ensure a long-term future for Heritage locomotives and perhaps along the way we can encourage some to make a career in engineering.”

Great news after a significant effort by all involved. Many other interesting developments are also taking place, further details soon.

Mike Solloway
Dinmore Manor Locomotive Ltd.

 

Well done! It can be extremely difficult to attract HLF grants to projects such as this and the number of hoops that have to be jumped through will not be unknown by many readers of this forum. It's very difficult (our loco group tried, albeit many years ago now, and failed!) so good effort!

 

Excellent news! Well done to the team.

Keith

 

The restored cab of 2874 was on display outside the main marquee in Toddington Stn car park during the recent Cotswold Festival of Steam. Progress on the restoration of this 28xx is proceeding at Toddington. The cab has porthole openings for the 2 circular brass window frames which will be fitted in due course. These were an original design feature which didn't survive very long. 2874 still has its inside steam pipes and so can carry earlier features such as these porthole windows. Our 2807 received new cylinders and outside steampipes so does not have these cab front circular windows. Nearly all the cab steel sheets are new as the original cab was in a very poor state.