72010 Hengist

16/10/2026

**Radial Arm**
The Radial Arm pattern is taking shape. The Jenga-like blocks in last week’s post were assembled on the CNC router bed, then machined to create the pattern’s smooth contours. These images show the transformation from rough blocks to the machined form, ready for final finishing and painting. See the video below. We still need your on-going support - please go to www.72010-hengist.co.uk Thank you!

07/10/2026

A giant game of Jenga? Not quite… 👀

These profiles will come together to form the pattern for the casting of 72010 Hengist’s pony truck radial arm — a component measuring around 2m × 2m, with a finished weight of 650kg. A person alongside gives a sense of just how big it is!

From our 3D CAD model to the pattern makers’ CAD/CAM work, the design is taking shape as a pattern and cores. Next up: assembling these giant “Jenga” pieces, ready for the CNC router.

Big pieces. Precision engineering. Another step towards Hengist.

More to come… 🔧

www.72010-hengist.co.uk

03/10/2026

We are at the GCR Autumn Gala this weekend. If you want a chat about progress please feel free to approach any member of our team. We'll be happy to provide the latest information.

02/10/2026

**Leave a Legacy. Help Hengist Steam Again**

For 72010 Hengist, every donation and every act of support brings us one step closer to seeing this remarkable locomotive steam again.

But a legacy can do something truly special. By remembering Hengist in your will, you can help safeguard the future of the project and ensure that the skills, craftsmanship and determination behind her construction continue for generations to come.

No matter the size, a legacy gift could help fund vital components, engineering work and the many thousands of hours needed to complete Hengist and keep her story alive.

For everyone involved in the project, that support means more than we can easily put into words. It's a vote of confidence in what we are building and a wonderful way of helping to create a piece of railway history that future generations will be able to see, hear and experience for themselves.

Your legacy could become part of Hengist’s legacy.

Thank you for believing in 72010 Hengist and helping us bring steam to the rails once again.

As a charity, we need to raise £4M to build the lost Class 6 Locomotive 72010 Hengist Steam train to preserve it for future generations, using 21st century engineering to make it cleaner & greener to run on heritage and mainline rail networks

29/09/2026

🚂 Fantastic Support for 72010 Hengist! 🚂

We’re delighted to share that Ecclesfield Parish Council has awarded us a local grant of £1,950 to support the construction of the Reverser Wheel for 72010 Hengist.

It’s fantastic to have the support of our local council as we continue the journey to build the next BR Standard Class 6 steam locomotive.

Community involvement is very important to us. We do all we can to engage with local people, whether that’s welcoming volunteers to the project or giving local students and children the opportunity to learn more about engineering, railway heritage and the work that goes into building a steam locomotive.

A huge thank you to Ecclesfield Parish Council for supporting Hengist. We hope there will be many more opportunities to work together in the not-too-distant future.

Of course, there is still a long way to go and we need your on-going support to keep Hengist moving forward.

If you’d like to help us make railway history, please consider making a donation through our website:

👉 www.72010-hengist.co.uk

Every contribution helps bring 72010 Hengist another step closer to steam.

Thank you for your continued support! 🚂🔧

23/09/2026

**Update** Wheelset - Cannon Axle Boxes
The CAD image of the assembled 6’ 2” diameter wheelset weighing just under 5 tons shows the size of them. The cannon axle boxes are just one part of the wheelset.
While the castings for the cannon axleboxes progress at Norton Castings, the drawings for the finish machining and welding of the hard wearing manganese steel liners have been prepared by Keith, one of our CAD Modellers, who has reverse engineered the axlebox from Timken General Arrangement Drawings, produced the 3D CAD models and finally 2D drawings for the machinist. But before we release them, we review and check – better to eliminate problems at the drawing stage than when it is made. All part of the ‘unseen back-office work’ that takes place away from our base at Diamond Group Engineering in Sheffield.
We still need your on-going support, please donate whatever you can Thanks! www.72010-hengist.co.uk

18/09/2026

**The Geoff Turner Legacy Fund**
Our late Chief Engineer, Geoff Turner, left an incredible legacy to help place Hengist on her wheels.
The fund is going well, but we still need your support to complete this important milestone and continue the vision Geoff cared so deeply about.
Every donation, large or small, will help bring Hengist one step closer to standing on her own wheels.
Read more and support the appeal here:
https://www.72010-hengist.co.uk/geoffturnerfund
Thank you for helping us keep Geoff's legacy alive.

In March, we sadly lost our much-loved Chief Engineer, Geoff Turner. Geoff dedicated countless hours to the construction of Hengist, sharing not only his exceptional engineering knowledge but also his unwavering passion for preserving Britain's steam railway heritage.

16/09/2026

This week our Monday Gang went to see 82045 at the Severn Valley Railway, Bridgnorth on their working day which is also a Monday! 82045 is a new build Class 3 BR Standard prairie tank. We were warmly welcomed by the 82045 team, who are the stage of manufacturing and fitting all the myriad of small parts that are essential to complete engine. It is always good to talk and share knowledge and experiences, specially with other new builds.

With no if's and buts, 82045 is going to be the 1000th BR Standard steamed and 72010 Hengist the 1001st.

Please keep supporting Hengist to make sure we are! Please donate at www.72010-hengist.co.uk

11/09/2026

**Support Hengist – and get something great in return!**

Our new Hengist online shop is now open, packed with merchandise for everyone who wants to show their support for this incredible project.

From our new T-shirts (on sale next week), hats, mugs, pens and much more, every purchase is another way to get behind the building of 72010 Hengist. Whether you’re treating yourself, adding something to your railway collection or looking for the perfect gift for a steam enthusiast, there’s plenty to choose from.

Most importantly, every purchase helps support the work needed to turn Hengist from an ambitious engineering project into a working mainline steam locomotive.

So wear the name, spread the word and help us keep building.

👉 Visit our new online shop and explore the full Hengist range:
https://standard-steam-locomotive-co-ltd.sumupstore.com/

08/09/2026

**Another important step forward for Hengist!**

We’re delighted to share that the first of our three coupled-wheel cannon axleboxes has now been successfully cast by Norton Cast Products in Sheffield.

The photo shows the axlebox almost exactly as it emerged from the sand mould, following an initial shot-blast. You can still see the risers used during the casting process, the thin ‘whistlers’ that allow gases to escape and the rectangular test piece which will be analysed to ensure the steel meets the required physical and chemical specification.

There’s still plenty of work ahead. The casting will now undergo carefully controlled heat treatment to improve its mechanical properties and relieve internal stresses. It will then be fettled to remove the risers and other casting aids, before undergoing Non-Destructive Testing and, finally, proof machining.

It then goes for final machining to exact size and welding on of manganese steel liners. Only then will it be ready to become part of a completed wheelset for Hengist.

It’s a fascinating process — and another example of the extraordinary amount of complex and detailed engineering that goes into building a new steam locomotive.

Of course, engineering of this scale comes at a considerable cost. Every contribution, large or small, helps us turn newly cast components like this into a complete and working locomotive.

If you’d like to play your part in building Hengist, please visit our website and follow the link at the top of the page to donate.

www.72010-hengist.co.uk

Thank you for Helping Hengist Happen! 🙂