Thomas the Tank Engine Blog

August 2015….Belgrave workshops. The occasion? Re-uniting the first of the NG/G16 engine units with it’s driving wheels. Of course these things don’t just happen, and the event was preceded with…

One of the biggest issues facing a tourist railway such as Puffing Bilły, is keeping in reliable operating condition a fleet of steam locomotives designed over 125 years ago; the…

Aside from the distraction of all the recent exciting deliveries, a multitude of work carries on in the background. In the engineering office, work is currently focused on the design…

  Following hot on the heels of the boiler being delivered, the workshops at Belgrave have now taken delivery of the first of the two engine unit frames from Jack…

216 NQR, in it’s current form, was recently deemed to have reached the end of its working life. Originally flagged for restoration, we found the condition of the underframe to…

The postman’s been and it’s finally arrived! After several years of hard work our brand new Garratt boiler has been delivered, ready for fitting out and assembly into NG/G16 Number…

Two firsts in one for the blog; not only does it feature our first video, but also the first opportunity to feature Puffing Billy’s carriage workshops at Emerald. Shot using…

Well OK, it wasn’t really 3A! December 2014 saw the 60th anniversary of the Young Sun Specials, and to mark the occasion a series of special events were planned, including…

  The avid reader of this blog may recall mention of another new boiler,  for Puffing Billy’s smallest 2′ 6″ gauge locomotive. Number 986, or ‘Carbon’, has now had the…

  With the boiler progressing at the contractors, focus in the workshop is on getting the boiler cradle unit ready to accept the boiler when it arrives. The aim is…