The latest updates and images from the 762 Project

LYNformation 10 is now online, bringing exciting information on the latest developments with the project. November's Component of the Month is also now listed on the sponsorship page. Take a look...

Lynformation 7 is now online, with exciting news of two chances to see LYN this month, PLUS a new component of the month...

September's "Component of the Month" is now online, plus LYNformation 7, and details of two special events for LYN this month...

LYNformation 7 for September 2013 is now online. The latest news on the components being built, and some interesting events to attend this month...

Heritage Railway Magazine has today posted the news that the newly constructed boiler for the Lynton & Barnstable Railway Baldwin locomotive No. 762 Lyn has been successfully hydraulically tested at Bennett’s Boilers and has passed with flying colours...

Lynformation 5 - for July - is now available - quicker than last month's! We hope to get August's edition to you in the first half of the month...

Sorry for the delay to last month's LYNformation, due at the beginning of June, but it is now available. July's will be along soon...

The latest 762 Club project news, including The Drivers Club, the latest orders placed, photos of the boiler, and manufacture of the front cowcatcher has started...

Photo: Accucraft Official Works photograph of 762 LYN

Accucraft, the well known manufacturer of live steam locomotives and rolling stock, supported the L&B May Gala at Woody Bay. To celebrate the success of their L&B portfolio of products they very kindly donated to the 762 Club a live steam model of ‘Lyn’ (inclusive of radio) to help raise funds to assist the building of the new locomotive.

The 762 Club is holding a silent auction of the 1:19 scale locomotive and controller and is inviting sealed bids for this superb product. The recommended retail sales price for the locomotive and controller is approx. £1,375. The silent auction is open until 31st May and then the winning bid will be announced with the monies raised going directly to support the manufacture of locomotive components now well underway.

Graham Langer of Accucraft said, “As well as producing a limited edition model to raise funds for ‘Lyd’, it gives us great pleasure to be able to help towards the construction of another iconic L&B loco and we look forward to seeing ‘Lyn’ at Woody Bay very soon”. Jon Pain from the 762 Club added “This is an incredibly generous gesture from Accucraft and one which will greatly benefit bringing ‘Lyn’ back to the L&B when we will have pleasure in inviting Graham and his colleagues onto the footplate”

To enter a bid please email Jon Pain (jonpain@waitrose.com) or post your bid to him at 26 Oaklands, Bideford, North Devon, EX39 3HW. The closing date for entries will be 31st May 2013. We regret UK bidders only.

To view Accucraft products please visit their website www.accucraft.uk.com or call them on 01694 723799.

Photo: Jon Pain thanking Graham Langer of Accucraft on behalf of the 762 Club on their generous donation of a live steam model of “Lyn” (seen in the picture) to help raise funds for the construction of the full size version.
Photographer: Martin Swainson

A very special and exclusive club has been opened! With a total membership of just 50, the 762 Drivers Club was first created to allow existing members of the 762 Club to get their hands on the regulator of “LYN” and to spend a whole day driving and firing 762 on the Lynton and Barnstaple Railway.

Now that process has been concluded, there some places which are being made available to the wider railway fraternity.
With the build process being accelerated, and the boiler practically completed, 762 “LYN” is rapidly coming together at the works of Alan Keef, in Ross-on-Wye. With the drawing and modelling over 80% complete, a first steaming date of 2015 is a distinct possibility, so attention is now beginning to be focussed on how to celebrate the completion of this unique new build locomotive. With kind permission of the Lynton and Barnstaple Railway, a full days driving and firing “LYN” has been arranged so that each member of this exclusive club can get to be one of the first to experience the thrill of taking hold of the regulator on the beautiful and iconic North Devon Railway.

Each member experience will begin at 7.00 am and a full day of instruction, firing and driving “LYN” will conclude at 16.30. Lunch is provided as well as places on the train for your family and friends to enjoy the day with each Drivers Club member.

Each membership costs £1,000, and all proceeds go to completing “LYN”. Full details of joining the Drivers Club can be found on www.762club.com

For further information, please contact Peter Best at peterbest@spslimited.co.uk or on 07703 200442.
May 2013

Regular L&B supporters will be aware of the stunningly beautiful book recently released by Technical artist and L&B supporter Stephen D Phillips. Steve was at the L&B Gala in May and very kindly donated a copy to the 762 Club to help in the construction of “Lyn”.

The book is a twenty year labour of love for Steve and images are reproduced in a variety of scales although Lyn is definitely being made 12” to the 1’! The meticulous level of detail within the book has to be seen to be believed, and it will appeal not only to L&B enthusiasts, but also those that have an interest in history or technical illustration.

The 762 Club, given its location near the entrance to the gala, was pleased to signpost a number of visitors over to Steve where they could buy a signed copy for themselves!

The book will be an invaluable reference source as we enter the final stages of locomotive design, and we look forward to seeing the resultant completed locomotive and welcoming Steve onto the footplate!

“The Lynton & Barnstaple Railway Measured & Drawn” by Stephen D Phillips is published in landscape (230mm*305mm) format, hardback by SD Publications Limited, 27 Waresley Park, Hartlebury, Worcestershire, DY11 7XF. Email stephen.phillips45@btinternet.com 252pp priced £65 + postage UK £9 (ISBN 978 0 9572 101 0 3)

Photo: Jon Pain (R) receives a signed copy of “The Lynton & Barnstaple Railway Measured & Drawn” on behalf of the 762 Club from author Steve Phillips Photographer: Martin Swainson

The April edition of LYNformation is now available online, with details of a great new opportunities to join in with this unique project.

As the pace of development increases, we have launched "LYNformation" - a monthly blog to bring you the latest news from the 762 Club. Issue 1 is out now!

Work continues on the construction of many of the parts needed to build LYN. Newsletter No 6 - sent to members a few weeks ago - is now available on-line. See also the recent developments with the CAD drawings, and the latest photos of components at Alan Keef.

The 762 Club is making steady progress with the construction of the new Baldwin locomotive. A new photo in Gallery 6 shows the finished components made by Alan Keef Engineering for the internal regulator; parts include the regulator quadrant, main steam valve and associated operating linkage with bearings.

These items were despatched to Bennett Boilers this week to be fitted to the boiler. It is planned than in the next month the boiler shell will be complete, and work will then focus on fitting the inner firebox. We will provide an update when this major milestone has been achieved.

762 Club Director Jeremy Martin says:

"We always require additional funding support to keep the pace of the build moving, as can been seen from the updates over the last few months the project is making solid progress. Please help maintain this progress and contribute either through the membership route or think about sponsoring a part. It will be great to see “Lyn” at the head of the new rake of heritage coaches."

... is the title of an article by Gary Boyd-Hope which appears in the July-August edition (Issue 404) of STEAM RAILWAY Magazine. The article, over three pages, explains the 762 Club plans in relation to several other new-build projects, as well as giving a historical perspective to the loco, and some of the modern innovations that are being incorporated into this 21st century locomotive.

As work progresses on the boiler construction, a few more photos have escaped from Bennetts' workshop - this time courtesy of Ian Gaynor and Phil Kent...

With construction of LYD's boiler and firebox well underway, a number of items are available for sponsorship - including the boiler itself, for a mere £45,000!

Just added to the sponsorship items however, are a number of smaller items: over 300 boiler stays are required, each priced at £14, along with a range of other items from £100. Keep a look out though, as other items will be appearing on the sponsorship list very soon, at prices to suit all pockets!

Much work is being done in the background, but there is also now some concrete (well, steel) evidence of some of the recent construction efforts - The 762 Club Gallery has three photos, taken yesterday, of the boiler, currently under construction at Bennett Boilers.

Look out too for the latest members' Newsletter - No. 5 - now available from the news page.

More news and photos of progress are promised soon.

The following generous offer was recently received from one of our L&B Trust overseas members:

"Lyn Baldwin is keen to fast-track membership numbers in the 762 Club from the
current 180 to 200 by the end of May 2012.

To help increase 762 Club memberships, Lyn will pay for one full adult
membership in the L&B Trust (renewal or new individual membership) for each
person (or their nominee) taking out a new 762 Club membership between now and midnight BST on May 31st 2012. If you have already renewed your L&B Trust
membership for 2012, then Lyn will fund your 2013 renewal.

In addition, IF 200 762 Club memberships are achieved by 31 May 2012, Lyn will
chose, at random, one of the new Club members (of those from 181-200), or their
nominee, to receive a free individual Life Membership in the L&B Trust.

(By "taking out a new 762 Club membership" we mean either paying in full or
committing to an installment plan and paying at least the initial installment
during the time period noted.)

Yet more goodies! For the purchaser of 762 Club membership number 190, and
200, Lyn Baldwin will give as a gift two free first class tickets on the L&B –
but only if both these membership numbers are taken out before midnight BST on May 31st 2012.

Help us get the Yankee onto L&B metals to pull the heritage coaches!"

As you can see, "Lyn Baldwin" is a keen supporter of the L&B and the 762 Club project in particular, and this is the fifth such offer that has been made over the past few years. Please do consider taking it up if you can, and if you want any more information, please get in touch by email to: webmaster@762club.com

762 Club Newsletter 4 contains the latest updates on the construction and design of LYN, including CAD drawings of various parts, and an interesting story of a Baldwin recently discovered in Burmuda!

The 762 Club membership now stands at 175 - half of the maximum 350 places available (for £762 each, payable as a one-off amount, or at £30 per month). This is a tremendous achievement, particularly in light of the current global financial situation, and even better, the equivalent of around 17 additional members has been raised through the sponsorship of key components. In the meantime, detailed design continues, and orders for more components are being prepared and placed with the project's chosen suppliers.

In April the first wheel for Lyn were cast at the Trefoil Steel Company in Tinsley, Sheffield. Ordered via Peak Patterns, the first two wheels - a driving wheel and a bogie wheel - were cast from the patterns made in 2009.

The castings were featured in Heritage Railway Issue no 150, and can also been seen in our website, in gallery 6.

The increasingly mysterious Lyn Baldwin has come up with a new Lyncentives scheme! The 762 Club is now tantalisingly close to having sold 175 memberships (50% of the total). Another 7 memberships will get us there. To encourage sales, "Lyn Baldwin" has pledged to sponsor the Coal Rails (valued at £600) if those extra memberships are taken up by midnight BST on July 31st 2011! Let's make sure we have a L&B loco to pull those L&B coaches we've been hearing about recently!! Martin Ball

As a charity, the 762 Club is able to take advantage of Gift Aid - giving us 28% more from your generous donations.

Due to changes in the tax rules, however, from 6th April this year, the amount we can claim will be reduced to 25%. Still a very useful bonus, but not quite so good for us!

If you are considering making a donation soon, if you can get it to us before 5th April, we will be able to get that extra 3%, and as a well known store says, "Every little helps".

To qualify, you must be a UK taxpayer, and complete a Gift Aid declaration in favour of the 762 Club, so if you would like to let LYN take advantage of this government generosity, and you haven't already done so, please fill in and return the Gift Aid form. Once this is received, we will be able to reclaim the tax on all your donations for the previous six years, so it can soon add up to quite a sum, even at the new, reduced rate.

As an added incentive, Martin Ball has again come up trumps with his latest scheme, and a worthy successor to "Lyncentives"

Martin says:

Lyncentives 1 was extremely successful, with (after Gift Aid) upwards of £9000 raised. With the April 6th change to Gift Aid, I'm launching Lyncentives 2 – The Search for More Money (with apologies to Mel Brooks). This time we're going to concentrate on the Sponsor a Part section of fund-raising for Lyn.

For each pound paid in full to sponsor a part by the end April 5th, I will put 20p (i.e. 20% extra) towards an unsponsored part (rounding up of course). This Lyncentive 2 part will be shown under the name of Lyn Baldwin so we can all see what the campaign produced. As I live abroad and don't qualify for Gift Aid, I can sponsor this extra part after April 6 without loss of funds.

I look forward to seeing the list of sponsored parts growing!

Martin Ball

Martin Ball has been a firm supporter of the Lyn Project since it was launched. To encourage even more people to join us, he has made the following very generous offer:

"Good news Lyn fans! 138 membership allocations have now been sold! Only two more and 40% of the membership places will be sold; only 37 more and 50% will be sold.

As an incentive, I will donate £76.20 for each new membership purchased (including both full payments and subscriptions) by the end of February (from 12.01am 13 February until 11.59pm, 28 February, 2011).

My donations will be rounded up to enough to sponsor some parts, or for a new share if enough is raised this way!

C'mon folks - the boilers on order, now we need enough for the rest of her!!

Martin Ball"

Now that the 762 Club is a registered charity, by signing up for Gift Aid UK taxpayers can also allow the project to claim a further 25% from the Inland Revenue - making it even better value!

Many thanks to Martin for his very kind offer!

The 762 club is pleased to confirm that its application to be a Registered Charity has been ratified by the Charity Commission for England and Wales.

This completes the restructure communicated to members during 2010.

Further details of The 762 Club, including how to support and join this exciting project, are available on the website.

Following a detailed tendering exercise, Bennett Boilers Ltd. of Highbridge, Somerset, have been selected to provide the boiler for the new Baldwin 2-4-2 Lyn for the Lynton & Barnstaple Railway. Final assembly of the locomotive will be by Allan Keefe Ltd.

Bennett Boilers have recently constructed a similar boiler for Baldwin 4-6-0 No. 778, for the Greensands Trust. More details are in the Newsletter recently sent to 762 Club members, and available on the club website after Christmas

Photos of Lyn's cab - as seen at the L&B Gala two weeks ago - are now available on the 762 Club Gallary. Also, several new items have been added to the sponsorship list...

The weekend of the 25th to 27th Sept saw the 762 Club represented at the hugely successful Lynton & Barnstaple Railway’s Autumn Gala. Colin Rainsbury, Peter Miles and Jon Pain were on hand to communicate the activities of the 762 Club answer question and show progress to date.

The recently completed wooden cab was on display as well as the previously made wheel patterns for both driving and pony truck wheels.

A significant amount of interest was expressed by visitors to the gala and a number of new members joined and further sponsorship pledges made. A number of existing members dropped by to say hello.

The weekend demonstrated the impact of a true Lynton & Barnstaple heritage train with Lyd and ex L&B coach no 15 working operational trains. With the Essex Groups heritage coach project well on the way this event was a gateway to the 762 Club starting to commission the build of some of the major items required to construct Baldwin 2-6-2 locomotive Lyn.

All members of the 762 Club recently received a copy of the latest newsletter, detailing recent developments such as the award of contracts, cab construction, and catalogues some of the technical improvements to be applied to the new locomotive - taking advantage of the past 100 years or so of steam technology development - without altering the external look of LYN.

The 762 Club has agreed terms with Alan Keef Ltd for the final assembly of the Baldwin 2-4-2T locomotive for the Lynton & Barnstaple Railway. The assembly work will be carried out at Alan Keef's facilities at Ross-on-Wye. Patrick Keef, who has considerable previous experience working with Baldwin locomotives, will be involved throughout the project.

More information is included in the July 2010 762 Club Newsletter, recently sent to members, and to be published on this website shortly.

The order has been placed for construction of the cab for ‘Lyn’ with AWH Joinery ltd in Luton. The cab will be constructed to the designs & details of the original, in American Ash with hardwood windows and steel infill panels. Drawings were prepared using the original general arrangement drawings plus information culled from photographs taken at various times in the life of the original loco.

Using the demountable features incorporated by Baldwin Locomotive Works the new cab can be stored easily and, more importantly, moved around to various locations for display. The first of these will be at Woody Bay for the Spring Gala. The metal roof covering will not be added until the cab is assembled on the locomotive but the tongued & grooved timber roof boarding will be in place. Hopefully the driver’s seat will also be installed.

The opportunity to sit inside Lyn’s cab, looking out on the Lynton & Barnstaple Railway for the first time since 1935: who could miss that!

The steel bunker should be ready to accompany the cab in the next few months, certainly in time for the Autumn Gala.

Many thanks to all who assisted with photographs and especially to Steve Phillips who provided construction details and advice.

Thanks to the addition of the Google automatic translation facilities, all pages of the site are now available in over 50 languages. Not all text can be translated into all languages, and some of the translations may not be 100% accurate, but we hope that as a result, many more supporters of this project will be kept up to date as the build progresses.

Much work has been taking place in the background, and at last there is evidence to show for it! The casting patterns for Lyn's wheels have recently been on display at Woody Bay. There is much more to do yet, but this shows a solid start.

Following recent suggestions from a supporter of the project, the 762 club website now has an updated format news page, with RSS syndication, which will allow supporters to be informed on their own computers as soon as news is added to the site. For more information about RSS, see HERE

Today, issue 366 of "Britain's biggest selling preservation title" carries an article (page 22) entitled "L&B Baldwin ready by 2012?". Headed by a photo of Lyn in 1927, the article outlines the fundraising and technical progress made to date, and plans for the future. It also introduces the parts sponsorship scheme and reward programme introduced here a few days ago. The article goes on to ask for anyone who may have parts from the original locomotive - scrapped in 1935 - to get in touch.

During July, members of the 762 Club received a copy of the first edition of the 762 Club Newsletter, containing lots of - well - news on the progress made so far, and plans for the future. The newsletter is now available online, as a PDF file.

‘Eastleigh 100’ is aiming to be one of the biggest railway events on the 2009 calendar. The Surrey Area Group of the L&B will be sharing space with the 762 Club to gain more support for the project. In 1928, Lyn came to Eastleigh for overhaul, and returned to Pilton the following year - 80 years ago - in the configuration that will be used for the replica.

Published six times a year, Narrow Gauge World has rapidly established an international reputation. NGW has filled a gap in the market by bringing together news, views and features that could not easily be accessed elsewhere. World-wide in content, it captures the colourful, sometimes eccentric and often impecunious character of its subject. In Edition 63,May/June 2009, The 762 Club and the project to build a replica of Lyn,features, on page 34.

An article in this local newspaper explains about the project, inviting members of the public to join.