Steam Barber

It was reaffirmed at the South Tynedale Railway Preservation Society trustees’ meeting earlier this month that Barber should be modified in a reversible manner in order to make it safer and more suitable for our use on the South Tynedale Railway.

At present Barber is undergoing a significant bottom end overhaul with new pistons, piston rings, cylinder liners and springs and other parts as necessary. The was found to be misaligned with the and this has been rectified. All these works demonstrate the South Tynedale Railway’s commitment to keeping Barber running and in good condition in the future.

It will also mean that Barber can be kept in regular traffic out on the line and have maximum exposure to the public for their enjoyment.

With regard to other work on the loco this involves raising the and chimney height.

The reasoning behind raising the cab is that the loco will be safer and easier to operate. At present the low cab restricts visibility and there is the continual risk of head injury. Crew members can only move about 25cm either side of the cab centre line before their heads come into contact with the roof. In order to get a better view the crew often stand outside the cab and we are not convinced this is a safe practice. The front spectacles are low and partially obscured by the saddle tank. The existing confined cab is hot and noisy. The whistle is unacceptably loud inside the cab. Crews work a full day shift and we have to think about their comfort, wellbeing and safety.

The reasoning behind extending the height of the chimney is that the present low chimney showers the front coach with debris and we wish to alleviate this problem.

The cab modification proposed involves unriveting the upper section of the cab and inserting steel extension plates of approximately 35cm height to raise the cab roof height. The construction will be riveted or bolted back together. If bolts are used they will either be countersunk or dome headed. The roof will be reused. Apart from a small amount of cutting of cab beading there will be no cutting of metal.

The new high chimney can either be of stovepipe design, the same as was on the loco when it was delivered to Alston, or with a copper ferrule as at present.

The whistle will be moved up to the new cab height and a baffle plate inserted between the whistle and the front of the cab to protect the crew from excessive noise levels.

The present chimney will be stored at Alston for future use along with the original stovepipe chimney. It is the only part of the loco that will not be reused.

Contrary to some rumours the escape hatch at the rear of the cab will remain in place.

The modifications can be reversed by unbolting the extension pieces, removing them and lowering the cab upper section back to its original position and re bolting or re riveting.

We consulted with our members about these proposals for Barber and received 44 responses. 30 were in favour of the proposal and 13 against (there was an abstention). Generally those member volunteers who crew or maintain Barber are in favour of the cab proposal. Those who are against the proposal generally do not crew the loco. The more strident critics of our plans on social media tend to be neither STRPS members nor volunteers on the railway. We are consulting with the original Barber grantors of 2010/11 and other bodies that have been involved with Barber over the past half century. Their views, if they have any, will be taken into account in our conservation management plan. The plan itself will take into account where appropriate the ABTEM guidelines booklet and the RIGA charter.

While the STRPS trustees as owners of the locomotive have the right and indeed the duty to make decisions about Barber we are interested to hear what others have to say. We have to strike a balance between safety, utility and heritage considerations.

All charities have to provide public benefit and it is the duty of the. trustees to decide how this can best be achieved. There have been suggestions that Barber is left as it is and plinthed or used only on special occasions. We believe this would be a waste of a valuable resource and a loss to railway heritage. Barber is a sturdy locomotive well suited to our rather hilly five mile north Pennines route and must be kept in operational service. This will ensure maximum public access to the locomotive and the fact it is in revenue earning service will ensure its correct maintenance.

If the day comes when Barber is no longer used in service its conversion back to its original shape will be straightforward.

Barber was built in the early 20th century to work for a particular purpose and it is a tribute to its original design that it is being kept running and adapted to its new role in the 21st century. It is also a tribute to the dedication of the trustees and volunteers of the South Tynedale Railway Preservation Society that they are thinking about a long term and viable future for Barber.

David Granath

Chair of STRPS trustees

29th March 2021

Update on the South Tynedale Railway

 We plan to reopen on Saturday 3rd July and thereafter every weekend and bank holiday until the end of October  We aim to run steam services whenever possible with back up battery electric traction where necessary  Ticket bookings will be online via the South Tynedale Railway website (www.south-tynedale- railway.org.uk) with a small number of casual tickets available on each running day  We are taking measures to ensure passenger and crew safety including screening in carriages, the use of our open carriages where possible and booking groups in bays and not mixing groups  We have successfully completed boiler tests for Barber and Green Dragon. Green Dragon is ready to run  We have commissioned engineering surveys on our structures along the line and this has not revealed any problems  We have outsourced the running of our cafes at Alston and Slaggyford in order that we can concentrate on railway operational matters  As ever new volunteers are always welcome. Please contact Ian on volunteering@south- tynedale-railway.org.uk