WSR :: West Somerset Railway :: Return of Braunton


Returned to steam after 43 years...


• Press release issued by WSRA

An old steam railway locomotive which was condemned to rot away in a scrap yard 43 years ago in 1965 has just risen from the ashes and will start pulling passenger trains once again next week on Britain's longest heritage steam train line, the 23-mile West Somerset Railway (WSR).

After an extensive restoration that took 76,800 hours of hard work over the last 12 years by around 100 people on the West Somerset Railway, former Southern Railway West Country Class locomotive No. 34046 named Braunton is now virtually a brand new engine and will become a regular performer on the WSR.

The engine was built in 1946 and named Braunton in 1949 after the North Devon coastal town, and was one of the popular West Country Class which carried the names of many towns and cities in the region.

Over a 19 year working life with British Railways, the loco had run some 779,000 miles and regularly worked services between London Waterloo and Brighton, Salisbury, Exeter, Ilfracombe, Bournemouth and Weymouth, plus the Somerset and Dorset line between Bath and Bournemouth. It hauled many prestigious named trains, such as the Atlantic Coast Express, the Pines Express and on one occasion in 1959, a Royal Train to Weymouth.

From 1966, Braunton lay rotting in the sea air at Dai Woodham's famous Barry scrap yard in South Wales for 22 years. In 1988, it was rescued and moved to Brighton where an abortive attempt was made to restore the loco, which was by now in a deplorable state with many parts missing.

But salvation finally came in 1996 when Braunton was purchased initially by the West Somerset Railway Association (WSRA) who then sold it on to a private individual, Jeremy Hosking, who funded the loco's restoration and move to the WSRA's engineering base at Williton on the WSR. See http://www.wsrestoration.co.uk/projects/braunton.php for more details.

Following a long and painstaking restoration, virtually every component has been either fully refurbished or replaced with new parts manufactured from the original engineering drawings, including key pieces from 13 other scrapped West Country Class members that were sourced and fitted.

Whilst Braunton will run on the WSR initially, the loco has also been restored to full main line network standards. And, although Braunton can never visit its namesake home town ever again as the tracks were lifted many years ago, it will carry the name and crest of the town wherever it goes and so will become a roving ambassador for Braunton, hauling excursions around the country.

Immediately after the launch of Braunton into traffic on the WSR next Wednesday (24th September), the loco will then haul a special fund-raising train for the West Somerset Steam Railway Trust's (WSSRT) ambitious heritage carriages project which aims to restore two seven-coach rakes of original GWR 1930's coaches for use on the WSR.

The WSSRT project has now acquired all 14 coaches, most of which are derelict, and recently received planning permission for a storage and restoration shed at Bishops Lydeard so it is now raising funds to get the scheme underway as soon as possible. See http://www.wssrt.co.uk/hcp.htm

Of the 81 tons of loco, some 20 tons have been replaced or created from new which includes around 7 tons of tubes. The tender, which weighs 18 tons empty, is currently on loan from Merchant Navy class “Port Line” while a new one is built to Bulleid's drawings from scratch. Some 600 feet of copper pipe and untold thousands of bolts, nuts and rivets were used in the restoration.

Gareth Winter and Keith Speller will crew the loco next week and have been involved in the loco's trials to date. Gareth has led the WSRA engineering team from the beginning, with ex BR SR engineer Mike Johns helping him from 1996, and Keith Speller for the last eight years.

The locomotive has completely changed the life of Gareth Winter, presenting him with a life-time opportunity to project manage such a significant restoration. This was a new job with a new employer, the WSRA at Williton, where he spends both full time and volunteer hours on the project. It also enabled the site to be developed and enlarged to create more jobs in the restoration of steam locomotives. WSRA staff and volunteers find the work a very satisfying occupation.

Mike Johns joined the team at WN in 1996 in view of his background with BR having been an engineering apprentice and draughtsman at Eastleigh Works when the Bulleid pacifics were being rebuilt. Subsequently as Assistant (Steam Locomotives) in the SR CMEE Dept, he was responsible for planning the withdrawal programme of the whole SR steam fleet including 'Braunton'! Having retired from BR, joining the restoration team therefore was an opportunity to put something back into society. The original one day a week he intended then developed into two regular days at Williton, plus countless hours at home on research and new drawings, and having also become a WSR plc Director with a wide involvement in WSR activities.

Archaeologist and Braunton archivist Keith Speller stresses the 'quirkiness' of OVS Bulleid the man and the audacious and unique, original design of the class in general, especially as they were introduced in the middle of a world war, of which 34046 is an example. The loco changed his life after he turned up in 2000 at Williton to give a hand for a few weeks before moving on to continue pursuing an archaeological career after 15 years digging in Scotland. Eight years later, he still hasn't moved on and 34046 has become a major chunk of his life. He said: “I see it as another archaeological project, the tools of the trade not the trowel, drawing board and finds tray, but the welding torch, rivet gun and paint brush! I didn't realise I could get so emotionally attached to a big lump of metal but that is what has happened.”

West Somerset Railway Association
18 September 2008