5637 Steam Loco Group - Heavy General Overhaul Appeal

Hello - my name is Iain and I am a shareholder and Committee member of the 5637 Steam Loco Group.

This is a not for profit organisation which supports the operation and maintenance of the locomotive.

5637 is a steam locomotive, built by the Great Western Railway at their workshops in Swindon, in 1925 - that bit is really important! 5637 isn't a glamorous express passenger locomotive, with a posh name, but a very powerful tank engine that spent its life in South Wales, hauling freight - mainly the black gold - coal!

The locomotive is currently based at the Swindon & Cricklade Railway in Wiltshire. In the past, the loco has also run on other steam railways around the UK. When in operational condition, as well as hauling trains full of happy passengers, the loco performs for its shareholders and guests, giving footplate rides and driving experiences.

As I said, the year 1925 was very important to 5637, as that is when it was allocated to its first depot. Cardiff Cathays took delivery of their new workhorse in late September 1925. That means, next year, we will be celebrating 5637's centenary. Wouldn't it be fantastic if the loco could be in steam for this celebration? Ah yes, that's the bit I've not talked about yet.

Currently, 5637 is a kit of parts, part way through what we call a heavy general overhaul. Steam locomotives in the UK have to have one of these every 10 years in order to get a boiler certificate - our official permission to steam up the loco and operate on railways. Supporters & the owning group of the locomotive work hard to raise funds to pay for this, as well as refurbishing parts off the locomotive. Some parts of the locomotive need to be replaced with new parts - and that is what this appeal is supporting.

Specifically, we need to buy 58 firebars and 6 large tubes.

The firebars are going to cost in the region of £3300 and the large tubes £4700. That's £8000 in total. This is a big ask I know, but every penny will go into completing the overhaul and make that centenary year very special.