Bluebell Motive Power

does anyone here have an idea of when 21c123 (blackmoor vale) will be completed.

 

You're in danger of sounding obsessed there, that's 3 times in as many days! Given previous answers, I'd suggest the answer would be "No."...

 

Sometime between a week next Tuesday and the heat death of the universe.

Probably nearer the latter than the former.

 

No , but the Bluebell policy is to have only one at most of the larger engines (21c123, 34059 and 92240) operational at a time. 34059 should return to steam next year, therefore since the Bulleid Society are raising funds for the overhaul of 21c123, it is likely to overhauled to replace 34059 so I estimate 8 - 10 years.

 

That, of course, assumes that 34059 will be replaced by 21C123 rather than 92240. I gather than 92240 is in pretty reasonable condition and returning it to steam will therefore be a quicker, cheaper affair than tackling 21C123. Still, all sorts of factors can intervene before the choice between the two will need to be made.

 

Wasn't there something in one of the magazines recently about possibly trying to get the loco in steam by 2021 I think it was unless I'm imagining things. I guess it depends on the funds the Bulleid Society have available and what locos are ahead of it in the queue.

 

The immediate workshop programme is 73082 (which has been in steam in the yard), 34059, 928, 80151 and No. 65, with restoration of a Terrier (probably Fenchurch - the 15oth anniversary is 2022 and it feels important to have her running for that) and another medium loco (TBA) after that. Somewhere in amongst that 27 and 32424 will fit in.

After that - to be seen: it depends on the balance of funding and where the gaps in provision are seen to be at the point you make a decision. By design, the balance of the fleet is moving to larger locos, but we do need at least three medium locos available at any one time in order to run the current service: realistically, 65 will just be a replacement for 592 and I assume the "other medium loco" will more or less replace B473, which still only means standing still. So there will be the need for another medium loco to replace 263 in about 6 or 7 years just to maintain the status quo. I can imagine one of B473 or 592 jumping straight up the overhaul queue when they come out of service.

As I understand it, one of the benefits of the new maintenance shed (for which the railway has just obtained first round lottery funding as part of a bigger project) will be freeing up space in the main workshop to allow work on more locos simultaneously, since minor running repairs can be carried out in the maintenance shed without having to take up space in the main workshop.

Tom

 

It has been suggested that the most likely medium sized loco to be overhauled after the O1 is the Dukedog.

 

Indeed, though not absolutely confirmed (I just went back to read through all the loco reports to see what we had said )

My gut feeling is that 65 will effectively replace 592; 9017 will quite likely be the replacement for B473 and then one of 592 or B473 will be turned round quite quickly to replace 263. But that is me speculating, not inside knowledge.

Tom

 

Ooh! Yes please!

 

It certainly makes sense, since the last overhaul was very extensive on the mechanical side (including replacement of most of the frames), so hopefully the next one should be somewhat easier. I suspect it is probably in competition with just turning 592 back round, but fleet rotation is also desirable where it can be managed.

Tom

 

As long as you promise to repaint the tender when you get it back.

 

Wouldn't mind seeing BR standard 75027 in steam again which last run in 2007. Unlike the Dukedog which has only been out of service for around four years.

 

What colour is it now? Lined black?

Have to say the Dukedog is a very rare example of a loco that I preferred in black. The GWR livery always looked very dull: I think that colour really needs lining to "lift" the livery, which it didn't have in plain green.

Bl**dy cold in winter, as well...

Tom

 

It doesn't feel that long since the dukedog was last running, which other locos can be cycled in within that power bracket? If you need three and your choice is 592, 65, 263, 3217 and 473 you will be either running or restoring them almost constantly...whereas for bigger ones you have, what, eight and three massive engines? I can see why the standard two is a good idea!

 

It would look good in black hauling the Wealden Rambler.

 

Maybe you should borrow a different tender for a bit of variation? I suppose the subtleties of GWR tenders are maybe too much for the average photog to want to pay for a photoshoot ticket though. There are a number of tenders that would provide minor variations on the theme, mostly, it seems on the WSR. Unfortunately none of the very short tenders sometimes seen with the class have survived.

 

488, 27505, and 30064.

488 likely to require a new boiler barrel and new wheels.
30064 requires major boiler work.

 

I think that's the point - in the medium bracket, you basically need 3 (or ideally 4) out of 8 (the others are the NLR tank, Yankee tank and the Adams tank); in the large/ giant category you have potentially 13/14 or so - 2 Bulleids, 5 Maunsells, 6 big standards, with Beachy Head on the way - of which you ideally need about 4 running at any one time. So they cycle round less frequently, a point that sometimes gets forgotten. If your aim is to keep only one of 34059, 21c123 and 92240 in traffic at any one time, then on average those locos would spend about twenty years out of traffic between operational spells.

The issue with medium engines is that the Adams tank is likely to be very complex to overhaul. The NLR tank seems a bit low key; maybe its time will come. So it comes down to having 3 out of 5 running. As you say, the Standard 2 would be very useful, or else bite the bullet on one of the three tank engines. I suspect the p/way would prefer the Standard 2 to either the Yankee or NLR tanks, on account of the leading / trailing trucks.

Tom

 

Or else just use the C class tender and recreate the "C dog"

Tom