West Somerset Railway General Discussion

Here's a good place to start looking: http://www.depg.org/

 

D1661 is inside the Swindon shed and has been rubbed down and undercoated. It will wait to warmer weather and they be painted.

 

Thank you, what I was looking for. Couldn’t remember the name .

 

Ni paul, is all well on the island? 56xx is a Great Western 0-6-2 and is believe it or not a class 5 power loco and a red route loco because of its weight. The design is almost the same as the Taff Vale tanks of a similar wheel arrangement. They were built to work the coal trains in the valleys of Wales. Often nicknamed track munchers they were very powerful but also very heavy and the radial truck for the un-powered pony truck was also a bit of a weight problem. They were numerous in South Wales 5600 - 5699 and 6600 - 6699. They basically replaced most Taff Vale locos. There are 9 preserved. As to 9351 there is nothing mongrel about it. It was a GWR class that was never built but was designed. Ken

 

First confirmed loco for the Diesel gala is a Peak, class 46, 46010. Has this one been here before?

 

I'm pretty certain it hasn't.

 

That's the last of the the Laira allocated 46' s left so it's a top choice 46035 was the last of the class to visit and that was ages ago, it's been out of service for at least 10 years so it was sometime before that

 

Don't think it's worked anywhere other than Llangollen and Ruddington.

 

I've always thought the 56xx class look a bit weird, a prairie with a bit missing off the front, but for all that they are quite nice locos.
As for 9351, it's a very nice looking loco and one I'm looking forward to seeing, and riding behind, again.

 

From a legal point of view I do find it a bit odd how the WSRA as a registered charity could buy into/donate to what is essentially a private group of owners buying 4110 from the WSR PLC as a Barry hulk.

I would have thought, setting aside the legal niceties, that the WSRA becoming a 20% share owner of 4110, is complete nonsense. And contrary to the Coombes Report that clearly criticized all this nonsense.

Ergo you send money to the WRSA to help buy 4110 and don't own anything as a result or have any say other than as a WSRA member with voting rights. The WSRA's shareholding is insufficient to give any say as to what happens to the loco.

If you send your money to 4110 Ltd you become a shareholder and a voice and have a vote and have a direct stake in the loco.

Then the further question, why would you buy a large lump of what is essentially scrap metal without a plan to get it back to a working restored loco.

The whole thing seems quite 'nuts' to me. And in the case of the WSRA buying into a private acquisition of a Barry hulk quite obscure!

To my mind, if the WSR PLC needs urgent funds, it should have instituted a major appeal, same as happened on the SVR and GWSR with embankment slips. The TR/TRPS and Ff R do the same with equally successful results.

I would also have thought the WSRA has more pressing things to consider. Like getting WS Restorations Ltd ( a subsiduary ) into the black instead of the red - though Coombes had a lot to say on this in his report.

Cheers,

Julian

 

I’m not going to quibble with the analysis, but you omit two aspects - time and focus.

Put bluntly, could as much have been raised as quickly, with everything else going on?


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And putting aside the ongoing 4110 saga, it's good to read of the latest progress on reassembling 9351 .
The Williton crew are doing a fine job.
https://www.wsra.org.uk/category/9351-blog/

 

Please excuse my ignorance but what is the 56XX class , would the final version end up similar or even exactly the same as 9351 . I have heard 9351 described as that " bloody Mongrel" . I would never describe it as such . IMHO that loco has been modified to suit the WSR and I do think it has proved it's suitability . Powerful for most service trains other than the incoming charters but we have the Hall and 88 to deal with those . There is a fireman who is a member of WSRA who would recommend double heading Pannier Tanks , if that's not enough just stick another one on at the back . Lol

 

I believe they were designed specifically for the south Wales coal traffic, hence needing good traction for handling heavy trains up and down the valleys, and a pony truck for stability while running downhill (they were assumed to be generally chimney first up hill).

http://www.heritage-railways.com/locosdb/locosdb2.php?RefNo=1360
http://www.heritage-railways.com/locosdb/locosdb2.php?RefNo=1953
http://www.heritage-railways.com/locosdb/locosdb2.php?RefNo=1556

 

See the con rods are awaiting bushes. Will they be traditional or go with Vesconite as used on 5542?

 

Hopefully not.

 

Putting aside the suitability of the material in terms of adequate bearing area the lubrication of conventional bearings has two main purposes. One is a reduction friction. The second, and often forgotten is that it prevents corrosion of steel components. In my experience of nonlubricated bearings it is the latter that caused problems, especially when the bearing is out of use for any length of time.

 

I have seen Vesconite used in marine applications and it is durable and long long lasting. For a locomotive that will be expecting to run for 10 years it would seem the ideal solution. I can see the appeal of traditional, but these machines need to run with as much reliability as possible.

 

white metal all the way thats what we do best

ryan

 

It's an interesting debate though, if we're looking at long term futures for heritage vehicles, new ways of restoration/materials should be championed. If they were still in national service, I'm sure development would've explored new materials.

Just a thought...
Ben