Friday 19 March 2021

Boiler progress update from Riley's Engineering

CSPL have issued Riley’s with authority to start work in the deconstruction of 2807 boiler and work started straight away!!

The old smoke box tube plate was removed, this involved cutting around where the longitudinal stays were secured.


To remove the tube plate the bottom of the old front barrel section had to be cut.

The next picture shows the team at Riley’s working on the front barrel section in readiness for its removal and replacement.

The ends of the longitudinal stays and the remains of the tube plate can be seen inside the front barrel section.


The Front boiler barrel section removed


Looking back into what remains of the boiler barrel, the bits of cloth are covering the end of the Longitudinal stays


Preparing the back head!

In order to enable the section below the Firehole door to be removed, these are the stays inside the firebox that need careful removal first


Keep coming back to the blog to see further updates from Rileys as well as updated from the CSPL team once HGO restarts at our based on the GWSR




Wednesday 10 March 2021

Boiler Overhaul Agreement: Cotswold Steam Preservation Limited (CSPL) in partnership with Ian Riley’s Engineering


CSPL are pleased to announce that after a particularly challenging period for everyone due to COVID lockdowns, via Zoom meetings and many emails, the scope of work to overhaul the Boiler of 2807 has been agreed with Ian Riley’s Engineering Ltd (Riley’s)

This is a huge milestone and will now allow CSPL and Riley’s to move forward and focus on the specific work required to complete the boiler overhaul.

The high-level scope of work has been defined as follows:

·         Replace the front boiler barrel section and smoke box tube plate for new

·         Replace the back head from just below the fire hole door down to the foundation ring

·         Repairs to the foundation ring

·         Work to replace sections of the smoke box and smoke box door plate

·         Complete set of new tubes

·         Various other items to facilitate the above

Brian Gamlin the CSPL Chairman commented:

“ With not being able to visit Ian and his team the process has taken longer than expected, this has been frustrating for all. We are incredibly pleased to have got to this point and reaffirm that we made the correct decision to award this work to Riley’s. My thanks go to Ian, Greg, and Andy from Riley’s and to Gilbert Kitchen the CME for CSPL for their hard work so far”

Comments from The Team at Riley’s:

“Riley's are delighted that CSPL chose to trust us with the boiler work for 2807. The Pandemic has meant that no face-to-face meetings around the boiler have been possible. But CSPL and Riley's have worked together to overcome this, and we are very pleased to have agreed a scope of works and to have the positive support of CSPL that will enable us to start work immediately.”


As we release this information CSPL are planning to restart the HGO on the 31st March and will work closely with the Gloucestershire Warwickshire Steam Railway (GWSR) over the coming months to get back to an “almost” normal pattern of working. Before lock down the major strip down of the main loco frames was completed. We still have a few little things to do but we can now focus on, and see, the major milestone of putting things back together. We have a long way to go and have been impacted by COVID but the CSPL team are an amazing group of volunteers that will work extremely hard to get 2807 back into steam as soon as possible.

The Board and Directors of Cotswold Steam Preservation Limited. (CSPL)










Posted by Brian Gamlin (Chairman)

Thursday 4 March 2021

Planning the HGO restart!

Just a quick update from CSPL to say that with the HMG lockdown exit plan we are looking to restart the HGO on the 31st March. The HGO team are starting to organise working parties (rule of 6) from the 31st March and we will work with the GWSR as things move forward over the next few months.

Please keep watching for updates about the wheels sets, currently at South Devon Railway for tyre and journal re-profiling. Also for a pending announcement re the boiler work to be carried out at Ian Riley's Engineering.

Continue to stay safe and think positive about 2021 and beyond

Lets get 2807 back looking like this!!

2807 at the North Yorkshire Moors in September 2014