THE ROYAL DEESIDE RAILWAY

BON-ACCORD PRESERVATION

(Latest News & Pictures By Bill Reid)

Somewhere in darkest Deeside (Aberdeen) work continues on the preservation of Ex Aberdeen Power Station locomotive "Bon-Accord" and two GNSR coaches. On Tuesday 11th of September I was lucky enough to be invited to their workshop and view the work. It was a very enjoyable visit.

3rd CLASS COACH

A classic Great North Of Scotland Railway (GNSR) wooden 3rd Class coach starts to come back to life

STAFF AT WORK

Sanding a panal from Bon-Accord ready for painting

Another panal recieves a bit of attention from a blow torch

Pipe Cutting Machine                                                                     Ground Frame Levers

Batteries from Ex Kittybrewster Battery Unit that ran between Aberdeen and Ballater. The unit should be up and running before long

Ex Caledonian Railway Lampposts soon to be seen in Ex GNSR territory

GNSR LUGGAGE VAN

This van is being produced from two such vans. The original body was destroyed in a fire and a replacement body is bing fitted to the bogie. Work is making good progress.

The back end is complete and ready for repanaling

Thanks to work going on inside, the light shows up the guard's side window

The interior too is making progress and looks quite smart

The two side openings at the far ends are for pets, which can be loaded in through the doors into kennels

BON-ACCORD, like a jigsaw puzzle, starts to take shape

Brand new boiler and parts make the loco look very solid

The excellerator and handbrake are in place

A new firebox door is in place. The lever on the left is the reversing gear

The Smokebox and Smokebox door. How long before someone has to clean the ashes out of this chamber. The
door needs to be a firm fit as the pressure inside draws the fire and forces the exhauste up through the chimney

The 'Saddle' type water tank, which is completely new, apart from the handrails. The Steam dome and Saftey valve caps are fitted

 
The cab looks rather small and cramped, which it was

Driving Wheel, Piston Rod and Brake Gear. Proving that you need to be able to stop before you get going!

Bon-Accord's Chimney looks neat and trim. The Top Hat of the Loco World

Bon-Accord's nameplate awaits fitting. The next time I see it, and Bon-Accord they should be running on the
Deeside line at Milton Of Crathes in all it's glory

My thanks to Royal Deeside Railway member, David Allan for inviting me to their work shops and allowing me to take pictures

Contact: Bill Reid reidcrcwdr@aol.com

Royal Deeside Railway web site at: http://www.deeside-railway.co.uk/

Bon-Accord Official Web Site: http://www.bon-accord.org.uk/