Tyseley Single Wheeler.

Brilliant news, can't wait to finally see it finished, though the part of it being able to run on the national network got me. Would it be that much capable of pulling trains at that high of speed? I know the singles had a reputation of high speeds, thanks to their usual huge sized driving wheels, but all the same it would be quite limited wouldn't it? Not that I object mind you, I'd love to see such a machine on the main line, and most likely it'll just be restricted to running between Birmingham and Stratford Upon Avon.

 

It will be news when some clear, unambiguous and detailed statement comes from Tyseley. Until then comments such as "I should imagine", "I'm guessing", "it might be" and "surely it has come about because" can only be guesswork.

So yes, as S.A.C. Martin said: "Let's calmly await events and see what happens."

 

The Tyseley Single Wheeler is a fascinating concept and with a matching train behind it would become a famous must see train. It is easy to understand Mencken's early support for it. It probably will happen in it's own good time which is anybody's guess at present. I think Tyseley is too deep into the project to just drop it. New builds have happened several times in the shops around Britain not to mention the locomotives in such incomplete condition out of scrapyards they might well have been considered "new builds" within certain limits. Your steam programs are arguably the best in the world Try being a steam advocate in the USA and see what real frustration is.

 

Without looking it up what were the average trains in the 60s & 70s on the LNWR? 200 tons? I'm sure it'd pull that given the adhesion , & thats the deciding factor , adhesion .Presumably Tysley's adding steam sanders? Will be interesting ,but its pure speculation yet.
Welcome RW Grant to the world of railway preservation this side of the pond!

 

The article suggests the news about the Bloomer is just a part of Tyseley's new 'vision for the future'. I think there may be more in that of great interest as well as the plans for the Bloomer.

 

Frankly I regard anything like this I see quoted in HR as hot air until the facts speak for themselves. The quoted writer/editor has, in the past, been known to not let the facts get in the way of a good story. Which was the reason I stopped subscribing to said tabloid-esque rag years ago.

I never forget the photo of Prince Edward on the NVR, which was captioned as HR's editor being 'with' His Royal Highness but which, in fact, showed said editor loafing about in the background of a shot of HRH. The caption would more accurately have said something along the lines of 'a desperate attempt to bask in reflected glory...'

 

I personally (and it's a personal opinion with no disrespect intended for anyone) found the information regarding the 3 LNWR tender frames interesting and informative but much of the rest of the article seemed to be somewhat vacuous, with little "hard information". The possibility of such a loco "going mainline" to me seems a little like an April 1st piece but, I should remind myself that these 2-2-2s were quite large for their time and built for, what was then the LNWR main line. I've always felt that this class of loco is a real missing link in the story of British railway development and I do hope that this engine is completed and steamed.

 

This is good news; I've wanted to see the Bloomer finished for a long time. I await the publicising of a fundraising appeal...

 

I remembered that I'd seen a photo of another "Bloomer" somewhere and, sure enough, this (non-working) replica has now resurfaced. See link: http://www.heritagerailway.co.uk/re...ed-again-after-decade-inside-wolverton-works/
I know that this is a replica but are any of the parts original, the tender chassis for example?

 

As far as I remember, the non-working Bloomer - named Wolverton and numbered 1009 as if to follow the last of the class - was all built new and doesn't include any old parts. But I might be wrong about this; Tyseley's Bob Meanley was in charge and could give you the whole story.

It stood outside Milton Keynes station from 1991 to 2006, and was then taken into Wolverton Works for repairs and a repaint. A smokebox-front handrail was added early in 2010, but it still lacks a smokebox door grab-handle and its present plain black paint needs to be lined out in 1873-6 style, as it was originally.

 

To return to the other - the working - Bloomer project. All I can find about it on Tyseley's website is a passing mention down among the long detailed instructions about how to send contributions to the Castle class Defiant fund. It merely says that "670, the reproduction Bloomer" is part of the "Tyseley Collection", which is now "owned by 7029 Clun Castle Ltd."

 

So, is tysley going to finish it or what? Any news from them?

 

See the magazine extract posted in this thread on April 5th.

 

So far, apparently not.

Merely eye-catching stories in three or four magazines - rumour, hearsay, gossip.

So, lacking any detailed statement directly from Tyseley, there is no point at all in getting excited about this.

 

Yes, I do so agree.

 

Excited is surely the wrong word. I am always pleased to hear news, official or not, about this project and there is no reason not to discuss it in a discussion forum.

Additionally everyone in the railway heritage world knows that statements predicting "it could be ready in two years", whether official or not, often later turn out to have been over optimistic so I wouldn't worry at all about that bit.

 

If there were no truth in the magazine article wouldn't someone from Tyseley have poured some cold water on it by now?

As for when, that will surely depend on how much money is still needed on top of the "substantial gift", how quickly that can be raised (which will be very slowly indeed unless and until there's a clear positive announcement from Tyseley) and what other work anyone is paying them to do.

 

I saw some reference to a future strategy plan in one of the mags, and that the bloomer was mentioned in it - does anyone know if this plan will be published at some point, or have I missed it?

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From Steam in Trust - The Vintage Trains Magazine Summer 2017 : -

" Following a generous donation specifically for the LNWR 'Bloomer' replica 67 , the budget plan for 2017 includes fitting its driving wheelset. A fundraising appeal for the completion of the loco is at the planning stage and will be launched later this year."