Thomas the Tank Engine Blog

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…

Following a ‘D’ exam and re-wheeling of the engine units, G42 is reassembled for return to traffic. Above, the boiler cradle is lifted from its maintenance stands using the 2…

Photos from the boiler makers in Sydney have arrived showing the latest progress, and things have come a long way since last time. Above and below, the inner and outer…

Commonly unseen, the inner workings of our G class Garratt have recently been on display during the engines  ‘D’ exam. This is the most thorough of the 4 locomotive examinations,…

June’s NG/G16 workshop day (held on the third Saturday of each month if you’re interested!) was another busy one, with the growing number of volunteers working on a variety of…