The Last Chapter of the First Volume begins............

Thursday 25th November saw 5542 pass its final anuall boiler exam of this 10 year boiler certificate.

 Provided the loco continues to give the reliable service we have come to expect since 2002  it will

continue in service until the end of September 2011. Following the expiry of the current certificate the

 loco willl return to the South Devon Railway workshops at Buckfastleigh where the boiler overhaul

 has been planned for sometime . Work will commence immediately and is planned for completion by

 Mid  2012. Following the major 'bottom end ' overhaul a few years back we are not intending to

undertake anything other than routine work in that area.  The loco has now returned to the Gloucestershire

Warwickshire Railway where it will undertake Santa and New Year Gala duties. We are pleased that to

 date we have acheived 811 days of use since September 2002. We believe our strict boiler management

policy has resulted in  no major boiler repair work being required during the 10 year period. The loco

has operated at 12 different railways since restoration, reaching from the Bodmin and Wenford in Cornwall

to the Churnet Valley, Battlefield Line and Severn Valley Railway in the Midlands and the Mid Hants in the

 South. Just under 50,000 miles have been covered  to date with the West Somerset (493 days) having the

 lions share,  the Gloucestershire Warwickshire (196) and South Devon (60) making up the other major users.