Heritage Line Loco Power Requirements

LMS 2MTs and 4MTs, GWR Prairies of both sizes, older stuff from other sources, all would sensible.

As for carriages, I travel on a tourist railway weekly amongst "normals" and make a point of talking to them. Yes some have a passing interest in the motive power but what really interests more of them are things like droplight windows, grained woodwork and adverts for Bluthner pianos, views of Fordingbridge and the like. All obviously authentic samples of a former age and the reverse of "samey". There are a number of tourist lines that can or could provide similar experiences but, after fifty years of railway preservation, rather fewer than might be hoped.

PH

 

Not all railways have been going for fifty years Paul but you know that.

 

But a lot have been going for forty.

PH

 

And? Even back in 1977, where would a then newly-formed railway acquire additional LMS 2MTs, 4MTs and GWR Prairies, beyond those that reached preservation anyway? (*)

However much you keep wishing that heritage railways used more "appropriate" rolling stock (loco and C&W), you can't get round the fact that such stock has not been available, even in derelict condition, for more than half a lifetime. It's possible for existing items to change hands, but not for new ones to be created - unless you are proposing a large new build programme of BR standards and pre-nationalisation rolling stock, which I can't see being remotely viable.

Tom

 

It's certainly too late now.

PH

 

It's been too late for decades Paul, and we'll say it 'till we're blue in the face because it's true!

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Quite so. Apart from the very early standard gauge lines, railways had Barry and industry as a source of locos.

 

Didn't it only run about 3 times?

 

It ran for 3 periods, but that amounted to most of the summer. I forget how many days it was, maybe 40 something? @andyb will probably know.

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I am absolutely not belittling fun. I am 100% behind fun. For me, it is all about fun. What I don't like is people trying to justify something because it is "operationally necessary" or "efficient" or "authentic" when really it's being done for fun. Fine, let's do it if people want to, but acknowledge why.

 

And at 40 ish days in its first year in traffic it probably did attract a few extra folk to visit. Wind that forward a couple of years and any novelty will have worn off so that few if any EXTRA folk will pay to travel purely because this particular loco is scheduled to be in use.

 

Just noticed that I am supposed to have said "their (i.e.Shearings) customers wouldn't go near a preserved railway if the company did not take them there. Actually I said some of their clients would be no- where near a tourist railway if they had not been brought there. Note how the omission of "some" changes the argument significantly. Please don't misquote.

PH

 

Oh I agree, I was being silly really when I said it, only it reminded me that some folk *did* visit specially last summer.

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Certainly not too late though to take a long hard look at what still exists versus what is actually out there working.

Taking just one of the reasonably ideal classes - the GW 51/61xx the following still exist:

Not working (2017 season) 4110, 4121, 4141, 4150, 4160, 5164, 6106,
Working (2017 season) 4144, 5199
Recently "scrapped" as a parts donor for 4709 - 4115
Scrapped mid 1970's - 4156
Converted to tender loco - 5193 (not working 2017)

So out of 12 which survived past the end of WR steam 2 have been sent to oblivion in the preservation era & this year only 20% of those still surviving are actually working, one of which is effectively confined to Didcot depot.

More engines simply are not needed. More effort and perhaps some redistribution is.

 

Comes back to an idea I had a while ago about nationalising the heritage railway industry.....

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The answer to all
this is quite simple, a conversion programme of austerity saddle tanks to tender engines. The simple saturated 0-6-0 tender engine was the back bone of the steam age in the UK and where operating today they continue to rack up the miles without fuss and look the part to the general public...

 

Well what have we learnt from 139 posts. PH does not like big engines and Bulleid Pacifics tend to be colliers friends. Other than that not a lot and big pacifics were known for their coal consumption yonks ago, esp on Tilmanstern dust.

Well I like big locos but I also like small locos. I also like running loose coupled freights just for the fun of recreating the past which has no direct revenue stream.I turn up because I want to have fun, it might be 8 to 12 hours of slog but first must be fun. If SVR wants to run a pacific on a 4 coach driving experience it will do and yarboo sucks to the lot of you