Discovery is lucky break for Talisman
A scheme to recreate a classic steam engine has been given a boost after the man leading the project tracked down a collection of the original parts to a secret location in the New Forest.
It means the recreated steam engine will have a direct connection to the original, giving it extra prestige.
Alex Sharphouse and a small team of enthusiasts are building from scratch Talisman, a Fowler B6 Big Lion road locomotive, with support from Shrewsbury-based Morris Lubricants. Alex and Talisman have been featured on the BBC’s Countryfile programme.
Alex, 36, who lives in the Lake District, gave a public preview of the project by exhibiting his work to date on Talisman at last summer’s Shrewsbury Steam Rally.
His discovery of original Talisman boiler parts has meant that the DVLA has agreed to let him register the new engine as Talisman.
“The paper trail revealed that the original Talisman had been involved in an accident and broke its crank while owned by Pickfords,” he said.
“It was then sold for scrap to Alan Knight and they kept the boiler parts. It was then used in a nursery to steam sterilise soil before ending up covered in nettles for around 40 years. A collector rescued it around 20 years ago with the intention of restoring it but, sadly, he recently passed away.
“It’s fantastic that we’ve been able to buy these parts, which are a direct connection to the original Talisman.
"In terms of the project, it’s probably not going to save us much time because we still have to clean the parts and make good what is worn out. When you are making something from scratch, you use drawings, but it’s a massive boost and also quite intimidating to have an original part in front of you to work to."
Funding from Morris Lubricants helped get things off the ground, and work is expected to take another two years at a total cost of £250,000.
Morris Lubricants’ managing director Andrew Goddard said: “Helping Alex to acquire these original Talisman parts has helped the project gain a lot of provenance. He’s still going to have to make a lot of the engine from scratch but the parts that have been retrieved will be used, which makes it a partial restoration.
“If you are going to make an iconic steam engine, Talisman is the one most enthusiasts would choose. It’s the steam train equivalent of recreating Mallard and we, as a company with a heritage in steam, are very proud to be associated with this project. We can’t wait to see it operational."
Alex is looking for more major sponsors to join Morris Lubricants, particularly as a television company is planning to cover the story. Prospective sponsors can contact Alex on Tel: 07802 388961 or alex@jfowler.co.uk
