FUNDRAISING for the Great Western Society’s project to recreate a Hawksworth ‘County’4-6-0 passed the £1 million mark in early April. Progress on No. 1014
County of Glamorgan at Didcot Railway Centre, as elsewhere, has been delayed by the coronavirus pandemic, but work is continuing on the principal motion components such as the connecting rods, coupling rods, extension rods, slide bars, crossheads and pistons.
The various cut steel sheets and angles that will eventually form the tender tank have also been delivered to Didcot ready for assembly. No. 1014’s new high pressure Standard No. 15 boiler is being built by Heritage Boiler Steam Services (HBSS) on Merseyside, where completion is expected in the early part of 2022.
The barrel and ex-Stanier‘8F’ firebox have been united, and major items yet to be sourced include the superheater header and some backplate fittings.