Restoring a Western |
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Restoring a locomotive over 40 years old will throw up the occasional problem, which at first seems insurmountable. The restoration of D1062 Western Courier was commenced in 1998. It had been repainted at Swindon Works in 1977 and had been the subject of a further light restoration in 1988. It was considered that the time had come for a detailed and thorough restoration. This involved cutting out all of the corroded metalwork and replacing it with new steel, completely rewiring the locomotive and thoroughly rebuilding both of the engines. When D1062 was given a test run however, a nasty grinding noise was found to be coming from the bearings in one of the transmissions. Voith who made the transmission are able to rebuild it and with the help of a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund this hurdle has been overcome.
The restoration of D1062 has been undertaken by a dedicated group of skilled engineers working on a voluntary basis to the highest standards. D1062 has been totally rewired and both of her Maybach diesel engines have been completely overhauled incorporating modifications to achieve greater efficiency and to reduce emissions. The Western Locomotive Association ultimately aims to restore D1062 to mainline standards, subject to funding. This will involve the fitting of the Train Protection Warning System and “Black Box” and proving that the locomotive is mechanically fit to pull passenger trains on network rail at high speed.
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