THE Nene Valley Railway’s (NVR) restoration of Hudswell Clarke 0-6-0ST Derek Crouch (1539/1924) has received a significant cash boost following the awarding of a £20,000 grant by the Association for Industrial Archaeology (AIA).
The project is being undertaken by the railway’s Small Loco Group, which had previously completed a full cosmetic overhaul of the ex- Wissington Light Railway loco, and which recently completed a similar project on former Nassington ironstone Hunslet 0-6-0ST Jacks Green.
Since the restoration was green lit by the NVR board, the Small Loco Group has been working hard to get the locomotive back in steam in time for its 100th anniversary in 2024. Currently the loco is in a stripped-down state in the NVR’s Wansford workshops; a recent milestone being the
removal of the loco’s cylinder block, which is to be renewed having been declared unfit for further use. The old cylinder block was found to be cracked and wasted in crucial areas.