A decision was taken to replace all the small boiler tubes as it was felt they were unlikely to last the full 10 years of the boiler certificate and would be better replaced at his time in readiness for the loco’s centenary year in 2018. All agreed that a failure in that year was not an option!

The right leading horn block, monitored from earlier years, was found to have cracked through a bolt hole.

The loco was taken out of traffic in September for an intermediate overhaul, thus missing the 2017 Gala Weekend. The cylinder covers were stripped down by volunteers, who inadvertently managed to break the special stud which had been fitted in 1983 to protect a minor crack in the casting. A repair involving fitting a new smaller stud down the centre of the special was successfully carried out in November.

The cylinders were bored out in November and had to be taken out to 19 7/8” diameter to clean up, causing worries that the castings for the new liners may not have been ordered big enough. In the end they were ok – just!

In view of the requested reduction in mileage due to the worn cylinders and the stoppage in September, the 2017 annual mileage came out at only 5,278 miles.