567 Victorian 4-4-0 New Build

The concrete has been removed and and the front (back?) of the frames have been opened up so that a new dragbox can be installed I believe.

 

Key points from today's AGM at Quorn;

Progress though 2026:
- The tender has been stripped down to the frames (we kind of knew that anyway) and the proceeds from weighing in the old tender tank for scrap have been used/ will be used to pay for the Loughborough's shed staff time in renewing the tender.
- The procurement process has been started for the boiler, there was an interesting 20-minute talk about progress so far with the preliminary design and next steps. The boiler is on the critical path for the project and the Group are currently raising £6,000 to pay for design costs, quote for actual manufacture is around £160,000.
- Machining of the cylinder block is complete except for reassembling it, for which special high-tension studs and bolts are required.

Opportunities for 2027:
1 = Proceeding with the boiler design, finalising same and submitting for external accreditation preparatory for manufacture. The accreditation process is expected to take 12 to 18 months. The overall lead time for the boiler expected to be around 3 years.
2 = Continuing with the tender overhaul (next step expected to be shot blasting the frames) however there are several locos at Loughborough awaiting repair/ overhaul before the shed staff can look at that.
3 = Progressing with the frames - reassembling the cylinder block and final machining of the hornblocks. The implication being that we're not quite ready to set and rivet the frames just yet.
4 = Continue with the driving wheelsets. This would mean finalising the crank axle design, machining the driving wheels and assembly of the wheelsets (wheels, tyres and axles).
5 = Progress with the bogie truck - a decision still to be made whether the central component is to be a fabrication or a casting.
6 = Motion components - whilst we have 75 - 80% of the motion either finished or nearly finished, there are still some items requiring manufacture or machining (eg pistons and connecting rods).

Component sponsorship:
- 78 driving wheel spokes available (£450 each)
- 228 boiler tubes available (price not clear - £500 each on one slide and £100 each on another - I sponsored one last December at £100)
- 180 boiler PSI available (£100 each)
- 98 firebox stays available (50 each)
- 100 firebox (backhead?) stays available (£75 each)

Financials:
- If the Group can raise £50,000 per year for the next four years then a 2031 completion date can be achieved, however
- Income 2024/25 was around £29,000 and
- Income 2025/26 (yet to be signed off/ confirmed) was around £20,000
- So at the current rate of fundraising a 2031 steaming date will not be achievable

Volunteering positions:
- The Group is seeking people who can
i) assist in managing social media output / engagement
ii) assist in grant-funding research / applications

 

Steady progress by the 567 team.

 

I think going forward a question has to be, how do we collectively as Supporters help get the project closer to that £50,000 a year target?

I've tried a few times to elucidate my thoughts on that question and how that target could be achieved, but each time it turned into either War and Peace or a word salad.

I think I'll just leave it at my opening question and then leave it to the floor for debate.

My own thoughts on the topic incidentally were framed around a couple of assumptions;
1 - active group membership doesn't increase dramatically beyond the current 200 or so (I feel there's only a finite number of people wanting to see a newbuild GCR class 2, and most of them are probably already supporters)
2 - annual fundraising remains at around £20 - 21000 a year unless we supporters make an active push to increase that figure.

 

As with many projects, the fund raising is a bit "Chicken and egg" ....when people see progress in real terms they are more inclined to support in real terms....and spending the money enables the real progress. So as the next big thing is the boiler - ordering it will be a big step forward and wavering "possible" supporters become more inclined to become actual financial supporters.
Also, as more work is done, the more this project moves from a long term "Possible New Build" to a shorter term "New Build approaching completion" which again leads to increasing support.