Q6 63395
BR 0-8-0 Q6 63395
A Brief History
The Q6 was an unglamorous freight workhorse that plied the tracks of the north east of England for 50 years. Remarkably, along with the J27s, it was one of the very few pre-Grouping steam locomotives to survive right up to the end of steam on British Railways.
Capturing the imagination of countless enthusiasts in the final days of steam operation in County Durham and Northumberland, one of the last survivors, 63395, became the subject of a purchase appeal by the Newcastle based North Eastern Locomotive Preservation Group, which had successfully acquired a J27, 65894, in December 1967.
Following purchase, the locomotive, like 65894, was restored to work on the then fledgling North Yorkshire Moors Railway, being delivered in June 1970, but was withdrawn for a major ten-year overhaul in 1982.
In Preservation
The locomotive was purchased by the NELPG on 1st April 1968 with work starting on the restoration at Tyne Dock. However, the unsafe condition of the building meant that the engine was moved to Hartlepool depot on 4th October 1968 in preparation for hydraulic testing and repainting. The working conditions here forced another move, this time to Thornaby depot, on 17th February 1969. Here the boiler was re-tubed, hydraulically tested and successfully steamed on 18th October 1969. Vacuum brakes and steam heating were fitted for the first time, and on 25th June 1970 the locomotive travelled in steam from Thornaby to Grosmont on the North Yorkshire Moors Railway.
Following its withdrawal from traffic in 1982 the loco was put into store inside the groups Deviation Shed. It was here where it stayed for over 18 years. The locomotive took a back seat due to the fact that, in 1986, the group became custodians of A2 60532 Blue Peter and A4 60019 Bittern. The A2 was restored to mainline running condition and the A4 was restored as A4 pioneer 2509 Silver link before it went on display at York in 1988 alongside A4 Mallard as part of the 50th Anniversary of Mallards record 126mph record run.
Even though the locomotive had taken a back seat it was not forgotten and during NELPG’s stay in No.5 Depot at I.C.I. Wilton, a Manpower Services Scheme overhauled the tender. Work on the locomotive eventually started in the Autumn of 2000 when contractors Ian Storey Engineering removed the small tubes and large flues in readiness for a thorough internal examination of the boiler and firebox.
However, it was to be almost a year before further progress was made when, on 20th September 2001 at Grosmont; the boiler was finally lifted off the frames – beginning what was to be the most comprehensive overhaul in NELPGs history!
The frames then left Grosmont and were towed to the yard at New Bridge, Pickering on 7th January 2002, where they could be loaded onto road transport for the journey to Darlington for overhaul at the groups new workshop in the historic Stockton and Darlington Railway’s Hopetown Carriage works.
NELPG had successfully sought Heritage Lottery funding to part finance the boiler overhaul, which was estimated to cost £100,000. In doing so it also reached a decision to contract out the boiler overhaul to the NYMR, so with the boiler overhaul under way at Grosmont and mechanical overhaul underway at Darlington progress at last was been made. Following completion of the mechanical overhaul in April 2005, the frames returned from Darlington and were put into store in the groups Deviation Shed while the NYMR completed the boiler overhaul. The big day eventually came in October 2006 when the boiler passed it official hydraulic test, a few weeks later it passed the official ‘off-the-frames’ steam test in the presence of an Insurance company official. The boiler was lifted back onto the frame on the 1st November 2006 to allow the final reassembly to begin.
A ballot of NELPG members decided the livery – the majority vote chose the later BR livery, which the locomotive wore when it was outshopped from Darlington works in September 1965.
2007
The locomotive finally entered traffic on 6th September 2007, nearly 40-years to the day since British Rail steam in the North East finished on the 9th September 1967.
The rest of 2007 was spent hauling service trains on the NYMR, including a number of special photo charters.
2008
2008 saw the Q6 continuing in traffic at the NYMR. The locomotive was moved to York to feature at the National Railway Museums event titled ‘1968 & All That!’ on 27th May.
The rest of the year was spent on the NYMR with the locomotive completing 10,000 miles since overhaul by the end of the year! In December, the locomotive visited the EWS Wheel lathe at Crewe Electric Depot for tyre turning.
2009
The locomotive spent time at the Great Central Railway at Loughbrough operating on many days including the Winter Gala and some photographic charters until returning to the NYMR in March. The rest of the year was spent on the NYMR with the locomotive performing well.
2010
Winter maintenance on the locomotive was extensive, meaning the locomotive wouldn’t be seen in service until the 9th June. The locomotive once again performed well on the NYMR throughout the year.
2011
Winter maintenance consisted of a piston and valve exam and tyre turning to the leading and trailing tender axles. The locomotive performed well on the NYMR for the whole of the 2011 season.
2012-2014
Winter maintenance consisted primarily of work to the locomotive axle boxes. The locomotive entered traffic at the end of May but was stopped in August with cracked stay holes. The boiler was sent to London North Western at Crewe for repairs (which would see new copper and steel sides fitted to the firebox), all small tubes were renewed and some welding was carried out to the foundation ring.
The boiler was then returned and fitted to the frames in 2014 ready for service., the locomotive re-entered traffic on the 13th August and ran the rest of the year on the NYMR.
2015
Winter Maintenance was carried out on the NYMR with some axle box work being carried out along with a piston and valve exam. The locomotive ran the rest of 2015 on the NYMR.
2016
Winter Maintenance consisted of a piston and valve exam and other minor repairs. The locomotive ran on the NYMR and left to visit the ‘Flying Scotsman Shed Bash’ event at Locomotion in late July.
The locomotive ran on the NYMR until the new year including a number of photo charters.
2017-2018
The locomotive was stopped once again for a boiler re-tube. Maintenance included renewal of the flue tubes and re-ending of the super heater elements to enable them to be refitted to the header. This work enabled a new boiler ticket to be issued which would take the locomotive to 2028. The locomotive tyres were renewed at the South Devon Railway.
2018
The locomotive re-entered traffic in September, with a guest appearance at the Severn Valley Railways Steam Gala. The locomotive then returned to the NYMR, in use throughout the year including use on Santa Special trains in December.
2019
The locomotive was repainted into its original North Eastern livery as T2 2238 to commemorate 100 years since it was built. The locomotive ran on the NYMR and also visited the Mid Norfolk Railway for a gala in June.
2020
Winter Maintenance included a re-bore of the cylinders and some minor axle box work and new smoke box main steam pipes. Owing to the outbreak of Covid-19, it was decided to carry out a boiler lift as the locomotive was not required.
2021
The work on the locomotive continued with all axle boxes being examined and the boiler being returned to the frames over the summer. The locomotive returned to traffic on the NYMR in the September.
2022
The locomotive returned to traffic in April following a period of light winter maintenance. This was followed by a successful season on the NYMR.
2023
After a period of light winter maintenance, the locomotive re-entered traffic. However, on the 15th May, while departing Grosmont with a service train the right hand cylinder suffered a major failure resulting in the loco being stopped.
2023-2025
As part of the work to renew the cylinder the old cylinder was removed and sent to the Boro’ Foundry at Stourbridge. They scanned the old cylinder and used this scan to produce prints which would form the completed mould that the new casting required. The new cylinder was cast and machined, with fitted out new valve liners. The cylinder was delivered to Grosmont and fitted in 2025 with the locomotive returning to traffic on 15th July 2025.
2025
Owing to the S&DR200 celebrations, the locomotive attended 2 events to Celebrate 200 years of railways – one at Locomotion in late May, prior to a return to traffic, and one at Hopetown Darlington during September and October. It spent the summer and autumn running on the NYMR.
