THE SAFETY (VALVE) DANCE

THE move of No. 3840’s boiler from Didcot to Tyseley Locomotive Works has restarted our search for a suitable brass safety valve bonnet for the locomotive.

Traditionally the ‘County’ 4-4-0s carried the class tall safety valve bonnet, as seen on 2-8-0T No. 4270 (pictured below), although one or two were seen with the shorter type at various stages during their final years. When they first appeared the class did not have boiler top feed, although all were subsequently modified, and the 1911/12 batch, to which design County of Montgomery is being built, had top feed from new.

We are therefore appealing for anyone who might have a suitable safety valve bonnet that they would be willing to sell to the Trust (or preferably donate) to get in touch. Ideally we would like to find a classic Churchward tall example, but we know that these are rare, and therefore may have to follow the example set by the Great Western Society for new-build ‘Saint’ No. 2999 Lady of Legend and have a short bonnet modified with a brass insert to give it the correct height.

If you can help, or have such a bonnet yourself that you would like to see carried by a locomotive once more, then please get in touch via the ‘Contact Us’ link at the top of this page. Thank you.