Restoration of steam locomotive 5967 Bickmarsh Hall

5967 Bickmarsh Hall was built in 1937 and began her working life in the Midlands working out of the sheds at Chester, Oxley and Banbury. In the mid 1950’s she moved down to Newton Abbott in the West Country. Here she would have helped in summer with all the numerous holiday expresses and reliefs that passed through on their way to and from the popular resorts in Devon and Cornwall. In 1960 the locomotive moved on to Westbury and then a few months later to Old Oak Common in London. For her last year she returned to Westbury once again before making her final journey to Barry Scrapyard following withdrawal in July 1965.

Bickmarsh Hall was the 187th locomotive to leave Barry in August 1987, she was stored at the Pontypool & Blaenavon Railway along with four other locomotives awaiting restoration. She arrived at Northampton & Lamport Railway in January 2008 where restoration commenced.

She has recently moved to Llangollen & Corwen Railway where works have commenced on the cylinders, extension frames and wheelsets. The plan for the next 12-18 months is to finish overhauling the cylinders, complete structural repairs to the main frames and reattach the extension frames and cylinders. Meanwhile, the wheelsets will go away for tyre turning and crankpin turning prior to re-wheeling.

Funds are currently being raised towards the overhaul of the cylinders, specifically, boring of the piston valve chest and main cylinders.

Bickmarsh Hall has been out of traffic for 60 years. Please support, if you can, to get this locomotive steaming again.