08/09/2026
The final part of where money gets spent is of course on restoration. The festival has often had signs up asking for donations to help the N7 steam again, and The N7’s getting closer to being finished, while the boiler still is being worked on it’s getting towards the end of that process and the boiler can come back and be reinstalled and the engine rebuilt. Speaking of boiler refurbishments, one of the Saddle Tank is also currently boiler less as that is being refurbished, this boiler is over 120 years old so it’s quite amazing that the boiler is still able to be used. Yes, it’s been repaired and refurbished over time, but it still is 120 years old.
The final couple of shots in this series are of things that done behind the scenes but the works often isn’t seen by the beer festival drinkers. One of the coaches that we use as a place for you to sit is what’s referred to at the museum as the education coach. As one volunteer said, it had a terrible case of “Coach acne” where the paint was blistering and flaking, so it’s been sanded back, repaired where needed and is undergoing final preparation ready to be repainted.
You can also see the black of the Boston Coach in the Restoration Shed where we have some seating and the BR Mk1 CL that was out front last year. The Boston Coach spent several decades stored at the back of the Restoration Shed, in a rather sorry state, and its been decided that to return the Boston Coach to passenger service at the museum would require considerable structural rebuilding as well as reinstatement of the side corridor and seven compartments. That would really result in more of a replica than original coach! The coach has survived in its present form for 70 years, which is over twice as long as it was in passenger service, so the intention is to restore the outside of one side, but conserve the rest, so as you walk around you get an idea of the work involved and then put it on display in the Museum’s new Exhibition Hall.
For details on the beer Festival and how to buy tickets see https://chappelbeerfestival.org.uk
If you want to know more about the museum and plan a visit see https://earm.co.uk
