THE completion of No. 6880 Betton Grange is now scheduled for the autumn, with Tyseley Locomotive Works (TLW) commissioned to finish the work in the absence of volunteer parties being given access to the inside of the works shed.
Owning group, the 6880 Betton Grange Society, said the project has been hampered by the Covid-19 pandemic, and, more recently, by the need to complete TLW's commitments to its own Vintage Trains requirements.
The main outstanding task on No. 6880 is the superheater assembly, with pipework and cab fittings taking shape. More labour will be directed at the newbuild 4-6-0 from late summer with a concerted effort made to get it across the line 'sometime in the autumn'.
It will be steamed for the first time behind closed doors for donors and supporters before moving to a heritage line for running in. A hired tender will be paired with No. 6880 while volunteers construct a new one.