2999: Lady of Legend

It wasn’t aimed at jimc - but more a general comment about how any debates about anything here are rarely an opportunity for open minded exchange and nearer to several bald men fighting to the death over a comb.

 

Yes but its my right to comb my hair that is important....

 

What colour is the comb?

Keith

 

Whatever the merits of the engineering - or as seen otherwise - I guess it should be applauded that we have another locomotive that is not in someone's linear scrapyard or in bits and pieces awaiting restoration. Quite a few years coming but at last it is available for anyone to see.

 

Deep chrome green?

 

Bruns-wig?

 

Maindy Hall could have been available 30 years or so ago if Didcot had not gone off on this ego trip.

 

Apparently there are ten* Hall Class locos preserved, so one less for a special is no problem to me.
* Apart from the red one I don't know what state the others are in. I have been on Dumbleton Hall some years ago.

 

With additional copper. Apparently the hair restorative powers of metal are well known. At least this I assume is why so many people are wearing tinfoil hats.

 

I'm trying to upload a file with out success. I'll try it as a new post

 

Maindy Hall was a Barry wreck and probably still would be today, people would not be motivated to contribute to the restoration of yet another Hall

 

We all know this, but one can't let the truth get in the way of bashing the GWS.

 

I'm not convinced it would have been.

Nobody appears to be in a rush to return 6998 (last steamed mid 90s?) and 5900 (late 80s early 90s last steamed- not sure?) to traffic, so I would be very surprised if Maindy Hall would have been high on the priority list if she didn't become a saint.
Bickmarsh Hall, Cogan Hall and Wooton Hall are all still yet to steam too and whilst there are teams working on 2 of them there is no national outcry from the preservation movement to see them in operation in quick time!

Chris

 

I think your talking absolute BS, as far as I'm aware Maindy Hall was bought with the intention of conversion to a Saint way back in the 1970's, wasn't there a plan to rebuild it in the 1980's that was shelved? To say it's an ego trip is rather disrespectful in my opinion, hand on heart I am really looking forward to the first photos of 2999 at Bewdley with a rake of toplights behind it, can you imagine what a sight that would be? Gets my pulse racing.

 

When you say nobody about 5900/6998 you really mean Didcot. They're not interested in these (and other locos in the collection) because the whole focus for 20 years past has just been on the new builds to the detriment of the collection.

 

I'm reliably informed that work on 'Cogan Hall' will start once all work on 6880 & its new tender is completed.

Bob.

 

Possibly so, but it doesn't get away from the fact that a Hall is, sadly, not of much use to the GWS in operational condition as its too big for the site, too common to be that popular to hire out or attract visitors to site and no use for the mainline as they fit in very few locations these days. Most of my formative years were spent at Didcot or on the mainline on the Vintage Train being hauled by 5900, 6998, 7808 and 5051. For purely sentimental it would be lovely to see any one of these to be restored, but the pragmatist in me realises that the 1980's were a very different time to the 2010's and Didcot has moved on (and needs to do so even more) to remain remotely relevant, especially as their traditional audience is diminishing and they need to apply to a new market, essentially heritage tourism.

The Saint is done and I do not understand this desperate need to keep raking over the project (present issues with 3650 aside), bar possibly axes to grind with the GWS hierarchy, times are a changing at Didcot and there seems much more of a plan in terms of motive power, it would be much more practical to do 1466, the saddle tanks/3738 and then possibly one of 4144/6106/6697 to have say one/two small and one medium operational at any time, possibly also rotating 7808/5322 as appropriate and keep 6023/4079/2999/5051 again as a rotational mainline fleet if they still want to go down that line (will the Saint suffer the same gauging problems as Halls). I am not sure how much sway volunteers hold at Didcot, but ultimately if a group came forward with the necessary skills and wanted to restore say 6998 would the board stand in their way, its like the age old argument about new builds taking money from existing schemes, whilst reality is people fund what they want to fund, at Didcot there are dedicated funds so not sure how Peter is apparently robbing Paul?

 

You just may be missing the point here - let's see......
GWS Didcot is a railway museum - like no other and not to be compared with a heritage railway such as G&WR, SVR etc
Of course GWS are interested in all of their exhibits all of which look better displayed as complete if not running restorations rather than rusting hulks.
Of course GWS would like to expand their collection to include some loco types that no longer exist, be it from new builds or in the case of St Maindy, a retro conversion
GWS collection could never afford to have all of it's restored engines running at any one time and I'm sure given some funds, through contributions to the cause, would re-ticket some of the dormant exhibits for heritage loan/running as time and resources allow

 

How long is it since 7808 / 5900 / 6697 have steamed? I've never seen any of them working. I'd particularly love the chance to get a run behind 7808, even if only on the demonstration line, to "complete the set". As it is, I expect my count of preserved Manors will stay forever at eight out of nine.

 

Probably 80's in the case of 7808/5900, I know I have had mainline runs behind them), as for 6697 IIRC she was never entirely restored after purchase direct from BR and a collapsed tube or something put paid to things so that's probably 70's? Edit - confirmed by GWS website https://didcotrailwaycentre.org.uk/article.php/77/6697-56xx-class