LYNTON & Barnstaple Railway (L&BR)-based ex-Tongaat Sugar Co Bagnall 4-4-0T Charles Wytock (2819/1946) is up for sale.
It was restored by Graeme Walton-Binns and was bought, with a full hydraulic test certificate, by L&BR volunteer John Heys in April 2014.
Charles Wytock appeared in light steam at Woody Bay during L&BR’s September 2014 gala, and hauled its first passenger trains during the line’s May 2015 Spring Vintage Weekend.
Monthly Subscription: Enjoy more Railway Magazine reading each month with free delivery to you door, and access to over 100 years in the archive, all for just £5.35 per month.
Click here to subscribe & save
During an annual boiler inspection in December 2016 doubts arose over the plate thickness at the bottom of the outer firebox.
A full boiler survey in April confirmed the plate, and a small area at the bottom centre of the boiler barrel, was thin, and identified a suspect weld repair on the firebox back plate, leading to Charles Wytock not steaming this year.
The problems are repairable, but a new welded (rather than riveted) boiler appeared a better option than patching the original boiler. In the absence of a long-term steaming agreement to justify the expenditure the decision was made to sell the loco.
Read more in January’s issue of The RM – on sale now!
