Introduction

The tender tank is the largest item to date that had been conducted as contract work, mainly due to the kind generosity of a sponsor who has funded the construction of a brand new tank. The tank is nothing like the original as there were considerable design considerations to take into account to allow for regular reverse running on the Welsh Highland Railway. 

Tender Tank - May-June 2011

Construction was done by Brunswick Ironworks of Caernarfon, a fabricator who is vary familiar to those following the rebuilding of the WHR through their bridge construction works. Workstarted in earnest in May 2011 with the cutting out of a number of the components. By early June the sides had been erected and some of the baffles fitted as can be seen from the pictures below. 

Progress Update - June 2011

Much more work had been carried out by the time of a visit just after the June working party as can be seen in the photo's below.

More photos in The Gallery

All the internal baffles are in place and the structure of the coal space is now becoming visible.  A couple of weeks later only minor progress had been made on the actual fabrication due to staff holidays at Brunswick's. This can be seen the the photographs in The Gallery taken on the 7th July 2011. Also on that page are some shots of progress later in the month when the driver's side tank top was being fitted.

Progress Update - August 2011

At the beginning of August the tender top to each side of the bunker was complete. On the 23rd August the body was complete and was receiving it's final internal inspection of the welding with the intention of giving it a 'water test' in the not too distant future. It won't be too long now before the tender appears at Dinas as a very visible indication of progress on the loco.

You can follow August's progress in The Gallery.

At the end of August further progress was very clear, in fact to the point of the tender looking almost (constructionally) complete. The new rear cab on the tender was clearly visible giving a physical reality to the CAD views seen on the home page and in the dedicated CAD views page. 

Progress Update - September 2011

Tender on display at Superpower.

The tender was made available for display at the Welsh Highland Railway's Superpower event on the 10th an 11th September 2011. Whilst there were still a few jobs to complete the Tender body was given a coat of grey undercoat at Brunswick's on the Thursday before the event and prior to its move to Dinas the following day. The pictures below, and in the Gallery, show the tender body on its delivery trailer at Dinas. It was kept on the trailer as the tender was returned to Brunswick Ironworks for some minor finishing work to be completed.

The tender body on display at Dinas during Superpower 2011

After Superpower the tender was returned to Brunswick Ironworks for some final finishing off including the painting of the interior. It will be returned, either when it starts 'getting in the way' at Brunswick's or just as soon as 133's tender chassis is ready to receive it. See progress with the latter on the working party pages.  

Delivery - April 2012

This stage of the work on the tender body ends with its delivery to Dinas on the Saturday of the April 2012 working party - 14th April. The tender was delivered on a low loader trailer and was duly craned onto its temporary home on 133's tender chassis. As was described above the tender body had already been to Dinas to be on display during the Superpower 2011 event . The event also coincided with the September NG15 working party weekend and so the restoration team were able to use it as an advertising tool at the event. 

There was however, still some finishing-off work needed at that time, apart from 133's tender chassis not being ready to receive it, so it was returned to the manufacturers, Brunswick Ironworks in Caernarfon, after the event. 

The tender body during and after arrival at Dinas on 14th April 2012

This time the tender body will be here to stay, and being on 133's chassis it will permit the tender to be moved around the railway. This will allow it to be on display at special events and to be in prominent positions during the peak of the summer holiday season so as to act as a publicity tool. With this in mind its first foray away from Dinas will be to the Welsh Highland Heritage Railway's Spring Gala over the 2012 May Bank Holiday weekend.

More pictures of the tender and its delivery are in the Gallery on the Tender Contract Work page.

The tender body will remain on 133's chassis until such a time as the refurbishment and modifications of 134's chassis are completed and it is ready to receive the body.  It is likely to be a couple of years before that is the case. Once the tender is on its own chassis we can then do the final finishing off in preparation to attachment to the loco.

As mentioned above the tender was displayed at the WHHR during their 'Elements' themed Spring Gala on 5th & 6th May 2012. Some pictures of the tender at the event are available in the Gallery, courtesy of Michael Chapman. 

After this the tender went to Boston Lodge for storage and for it to be painted black. This was done during a period of fine weather at the end of May, the results of which can be seen below.

The tender: at the WHHR Spring Gala 2012 &

the body now in black - both May 2012

Currently the tender body is sat on №133's chassis to allow №134's chassis and bogies to undergo a complete refurbishment. This will involve a modification to the chassis's rear dragbox to allow for the modified coupling height needed on the WHR and to the front dragbox to allow for the redesigned cab tender interface. As soon as this is complete then the body will be transferred over ready for attaching to the loco.