In February we reported on the withdrawal of WD 2-8-0 90733 following the failure of one of the flues after which examination revealed a further 7 flues were not in the best of health. Accordingly 8 new ones were ordered, although re-instatement to traffic would take some time.
Anyone visiting Haworth yard saw a somewhat forlorn 90733 peaking out from the goods shed.
However fast forward 2 months and 90733 is seen in Haworth Yard in steam and ready for action.
Work completed during those 2 months was the replacement of 8 flues with brand new flues that were made and fitted by Riley and Son, although the removal of the superheater and the flues and the replacement of the superheater was done by KWVR volunteers. The work also included some remedial work on the regulator and the fire grate.
90733 will be back in action this weekend 16th & 17th April
Keighley and Worth Valley Railway News (www.kwvr.co.uk) 
I real pleased to know one and only WD Austerity 2-8-0 loco is still being loved and looked after by a good team of guys I would love too come and see her and the loco shed
Do you know that these Austerity locomotive like working on a light fire and was build too do so , you need to let your men know this and heavy firing dose no good at all , but damage too the fire box tube plate and keep the dampers near closed has light fire can lift the fire into the tube plate I have fired these locos At Goole Shed we had 38 of them and first too be fired by me was 90091 then 90094 and 90099 then on too 90132 Horis Blackers loco all these locos worked coal trains out of goole siding with 90 16 ton wing-cutter wagons going out light and then on too royton yard too pick up loaded 60 wagons 960 tons for back too goole and our goole men tried too keep the locos clean too the last day of working I member a man by the name of Ron Fenton he made the fire lighters for the locos they were made out of wooden stick on the out side and wood shavings and taller wax on the inside and string round the hole lot six of them made a good fire on a bed of coal with coal light over the top by the time you got too the last loco you went back too to first for more coal on the fire too keep there going for a long time happy days
Interesting comment. This has been passed on to our loco department. Thank you.
Great to see this unique loco repaired so quickly. Back in 1943-45 when 935 were built they were rolling off the production line at the rate of more than one a day! This must have been the most intensive period of loco building in British history. The WD 2-8-0s became the largest class to be built in Britain in the C20th. The last time I saw any was at Wakefield on 1 April 1968, 90611 and 90642, just before they were sent for scrapping. Also there was 42574, probably the last of the Stanier 2-6-4 Tanks. At the KWVR 41241 and 30072 were being prepared for the reopening just a few weeks away!
A class of loco that was unloved and dismissed by trainspotters at the time is now a star on the Railway.