35018 British India Line

Stir, wind up, whatever you like to term it, you must be so pleased with yourself. Well done, full marks, you are truly a master of deceipt.

 

As I live in the area, I will be turning up to see it. Perhaps I should even take my camera!

 

No, it started out as a bit of fun, people got 'carried away', it escalated because people were biting, and here we are. I'd like to think Mr Smith/Shuttleworth and all the lads at Carnforth have had a damn good laugh about it (I know I have), and do you know what...............we still don't know for certain what colour it will be. I just hope it's a mechanically reliable damn fine addition to the main line, a nice replacement for SG

 

Agreed. My "disdain" for things GWR is well known but if 6023 was due to pass through my local station, I'd be down there like a shot. At the end of the day it's steam, no matter where it was built nor what colour it's painted.

 

Indeed, just a quick question as your post caught my eye and you may be able to answer something which perplexes me, I am intrigued how people have disdain for companies which in the whole ceased to exist before they were even born always struck me as very odd?

 

A black bird in the hand is worth two green ones in the bush?

Or something....

 

So roll on Saturday, sure she will break cover for someone passing Carnforth between now and then to put the people out of their misery.

 

I've no idea. We all have our favourite loco designs and I suppose this translates into an admiration of the company that spawned them, leading on to a dismissal of other companies.
Then you have those who don't do narrow gauge/industrials/overseas steam - take your pick - for some strange reason.

 

Are they ever..... Sure someone will find some reason to criticise the paint finish whatever colour it ends up

 

Dunno they have had a bit of a shunt round in the last week or so (extracting the grotty 37 which has gone by road up to Scotland I suspect) and thus the front of the shed is fairly visible from the Barrow line. Leander has been there last couple of times I have passed (can only see tender and cab but its enough) and as that's where they tend to prepare things who knows, sadly don't think I have any plans for a trip into Lancaster this week or I could check on passing.

Likewise at the southern end for a period the frames of 34073 were very visible from the mainline but now screened by stock moves, its often a question of knowing when to look when passing.

 

Taking your inside knowledge into consideration I'm delighted if the rumours were unfounded and green is to be the final choice. If this was a deliberate "wind-up" as you put it I don't think critics of a potential non-authentic livery can be blamed. Mr Smith does have past form for such anomalies, so those who expressed concerns can hardly be blamed and certainly not berated.

Anyway whatever the owners motives may have been may have been by applying TOPS numbers, black livery, back-cycling lions etc may have been I'm certainly very happy to give both David Smith and all at Carnforth the very considerable credit they deserve for their overall achievement of a successfully completed restoration.

I suppose one positive that may have resulted are the many additional posts and forum views generated which doubtless have brought increased ad revenue for this site.

Every cloud etc....

 

Disdain for GW is perhaps understandable as, compared to contemporary designs from other companies, their locos are inferior from a crew perspective in my experience. A black 5 is light years better than a hall to work on as an example. GWs do seem to steam well though.

 

Whilst I agree (!!) with your sentiment, I think the folk purporting Mr Smith as a misanthrope devising plans to upset people was unwisely motivated. Perhaps he colluded and laughed along. I hope so, but there seems to be little positive to be gained from his supposed supporters perpetuating divisive misconceptions.

 

Eh? hmn, well, whatever it is that you have said, I'm sure you're right.
The 'big day' is coming, there will be joy in railway land. I'm off down to Castleford on Saturday morning to have a look.
I had to look up the meaning of 'misanthrope'..............

 

watch out for the AA fire on the approach, and circling fighters tally ho

 

Absolutely. Clan Line's recent performances have shown just what a Merchant Navy can do. If 35018 can emulate the sort of runs her sister engine has been putting in recently, there will be few complaints, regardless of colour scheme. When I visited Barry in 1974, BIL was the most conveniently-located MN for photography purposes and I've always had a soft spot for her since then. I've enjoyed the videos of the test runs and just hope that when the engine has settled down, with any early teething troubles resolved, that we'll see her back on her old Southern stamping grounds from time to time.