The 2857 Society has signed a formal agreement with Riley & Son of Bury in Greater Manchester to mechanically overhaul Great Western Railway 2-8-0 steam locomotive No. 2857, normally based at the Severn Valley Railway.

Current plans are for the boiler to be removed at Bridgnorth for attention in the Severn Valley Railway’s boiler shop, whilst the bottom end of 2857 will be transported to Bury in April 2026. Volunteers will undertake the overhaul of 2857’s tender, along with Severn Valley Railway staff.

Several major tasks need to be undertaken, all of which will be costly:

• All the tyres on the eight driving wheels are at their permissible limit, and for 2857 to run again, they all need to be renewed, which will cost about £60,000.
• Although the boiler is in relatively good condition, all the tubes need to be replaced, which, depending on estimates, could cost between £20,000 and £30,000.
• The tender needs a new handbrake,
• A new fall plate is required.
• The bottom end requires a complete mechanical overhaul.

A fundraising appeal was launched in January 2025, aiming to raise £285,000 is now open to fund the overhaul.

The 2857 Society anticipates that if all necessary funding is obtained, the locomotive could return to traffic by 2030, a target date that the society has long aimed for.

2857 was built in April 1918 and had a working career on the Great Western Railway and Western Region of 45 years, during which it recorded a total mileage of 1,276,713 miles.

Its last day in service was Monday, 2nd January 2023, when it hauled ten carriages comprising nine ex-Great Western Railway coaches, and an ex-British Rail kitchen car, with a total weight of 320 tons.

In June 2022, an extension was granted for 2857’s boiler certificate, which allowed the locomotive to continue operating for another six months..