Steam Locomotive Information

Here are the notes for Southern Railway No. 541 (30541), a 0-6-0 located in Hele, Devon. If you have additional information about this locomotive, and would like to share it, click the Add Note button.

Posted: Nov 11, 2024 @ 14:11:35 by Russell Newman
The overhaul on the sole surviving ex Southern Railway Q Class 0-6-0 No. 30541, is progressing well at Leaky Finders in Devon for the Bluebell Railway and its owners the Maunsell Locomotive Society. As good progress has been made on overhauling the boiler and chassis of the locomotive. Fabrication of the new outer wrapper side sheets for the firebox has been completed, and work is continuing with reaming the many stay holes, with approximately two-thirds now complete. A new firehole ring has been drilled and will be ready for fitting after repairs to the inner firebox platework have been completed. On the chassis, work has concentrated on overhauling and repairing the axle boxes, horn faces and wedges, and new steel plates have been fitted to the horn faces and wedges. After the axle box crowns were removed, the axle box holes were welded and machined and Magnetic Particle Inspection was used to detect the presence of any surface cracking. ntensive work on re-riveting the frame stretchers, angles, and bracketry is now 99% complete. A new replacement tender tank is being fabricated by the 4253 Group, at their base at the Kent & East Sussex Railway and by the end of October it was approximately 70% complete. The front of the tank, tool lockers, and shovelling plate are complete and have been painted in protective ‘green’ paint. Inside the tank, the baffles and bracing are both original and new and have been welded/riveted in place. Fabrication of the tank’s rear section is complete and ready for fitting. Much of the original beading on the top edges of the tank has been repaired ready for reuse and fitting when needed. Meanwhile at the Bluebell Railway’s Sheffield Park workshop, staff and volunteers are in the process of fitting new drag boxes to the tender frames, with the front drag box fabricated and bolted in place ready for riveting. They are also progressing well with other repairs to the tender chassis. The tender and loco brake rigging has been cleaned and painted by Maunsell Locomotive Society volunteers ready for it to be re-bushed, the outside of the tender frames has been de-greased, and the inside face of the cladding dome cover has been cleaned and painted. Funding towards the cost of overhauling the tender and provision of a new tender tank is coming from the Maunsell Locomotive Society, which has set a target of £40,000 for its Q Class 541 Overhaul appeal.

Posted: Jul 7, 2023 @ 11:07:09 by Russell Newman
The sole surviving ex Southern Railway Q Class 0-6-0 No. 30541 has been relocated to Leaky Finders at Hele in Devon, where its overhaul will take place at as Leaky Finders has been contracted to carry out the overhaul on the locomotive for both its owner the Maunsell Locomotive Society and the Bluebell Railway.

Posted: Jun 26, 2023 @ 15:06:00 by Russell Newman
The Bluebell Railway has approved the sole surviving ex Southern Railway Q Class 0-6-0 No. 30541 to be overhauled, which will be fast-track and funded by its owners the Maunsell Locomotive Society with the aim of having No. 30541 back in steam again within the next 12 to 18 months.

Posted: Feb 23, 2023 @ 09:02:16 by Anthony Sims
The Bluebell Railway has announced that No. 30541 has been withdrawn from service as of December 2022. The locomotive has been suffering from firebox defects which have forced its early withdrawal.

Posted: Jan 21, 2023 @ 09:01:02 by Russell Newman
The sole surviving Southern Railway Q Class 0-6-0 No. 30541 is being repainted back into Southern Railway Black Livery with her original number No. 541 again for the first time since when it last ran in that livery in 1992. The change back into Southern Black livery is part of marking 100 years of the formation of the Southern Railway which was part of the then Big Four Railway Companys grouped in 1923.

Posted: Sep 3, 2019 @ 09:09:30 by Jack Spencer
Q class 30541 is the third visitor at the Severn Valley Railway Autumn Gala on 19th-22nd September. With a distinct Southern theme, this will be her first ever visit to the line.

Posted: Oct 26, 2015 @ 15:10:41 by Steve Frost
A late example of the classic British inside cylinder 0-6-0 freight locomotive. The class was introduced in 1938 and was the last type to be designed by Richard Maunsell before his retirement.

Posted: May 9, 2008 @ 14:05:19 by Phil Horton
The second album photo shows Ex Southern Railway No. 541 (BR no. 30541) heading a train for Sheffield Park, at Horsted Keynes, Sussex in October 1991

Posted: May 9, 2008 @ 05:05:50 by Phil Horton
I can provide a colour photo of this loco in steam at the Bluebell Railway. If you are interested please remove the present photo and I will download mine. Phil


Southern Railway 0-6-0 No. 541 (30541) Hele, Devon, UK	Location: Leaky Finders Status: Overhaul