The Holden F5 Steam Locomotive Trust is pleased to announce that the order for the frame plates has been placed with Tata Steel of Cradley, West Midlands. The steel plates will be specially rolled to 1 inch thick as specified on the original drawings and laser cut to the required profile. In addition to the frame plates we have also ordered the mid-frame stretcher and the rail guards (the brackets on each corner of the frames to “catch” the locomotive in the event of a derailment) cut from the same material.
This, as we are sure you will agree, is a major step in this project and will be a fantastic start to the year 2012, the 150th anniversary of the formation of the Great Eastern Railway Co.