The second volume of Pete Sikes fabulous pictorial record of the LMS Patriot Class. Featuring multiple photographs of each of the class from No 45526 to 45551 in their original form. (Over 100 images in total)
Another superb publication from the RCTS, 'A Detailed History of the Patriot 4-6-0s' by John Jennison in the 'Locomotives of the LMS Series'.
This hardback book has 224 pages featuring many colour and black and white photographs and is all you'd expect from the RCTS with much technical and historical information.
By G. Toms and R. J. Essery. Definitive account of LNWR Claughtons and LMS Patriots, including names, allocations, livery details and scrapping details with contributions from Fred James. Cardback book, 124 Pages, B&W Photos & Drawings. £16.95 + £3.50 P&P
As the regulations surrounding Covid have relaxed work on The Unknown Warrior has started to return to a more normal pace. Staffing levels at the PRCLT workshops have returned to pre-Covid levels, allowing more work to be undertaken. Added to this the overhaul of 6233 Duchess of Sutherland has been completed and the locomotive has returned to service hauling trains on the national network, both on its planned commitments and standing in successfully for another locomotive.
William Cook Cast Products have completed preparatory work on the driving wheel pattern. This work was carried out free of charge after contract discussions. Completion of the casting work is still expected by the end of June. The original wheelsets have now been returned to PRCLT at West Shed for salvaging re-usable components.
The reassembly of the chassis remains on hold as we need more time to complete our assessment of the quality checks needed on existing chassis components. People availability in April has been a challenge. However our certification body Ricardo has provided valuable input and an inspection is being planned. We are also working with key suppliers on this issue.