Brighton Atlantic: 32424 Beachy Head

I'd taken it as read that to work you'd need mechanical firing - and possibly oil.

 

Oil firing? And you can always recreate more history by converting a certain H2 to run with sleeve-valves..... (hat, coat, etc)

 

In today's eco-conscious world perhaps it should burn chip fat rather than oil. (Peat, obviously, is right out).

 

Thanks for the clarification on a couple points there Tom, of course the group building Beachy Head have every right to do as they please, certainly when it involves the Atlantic House that they worked so hard to build for the project in question.

I'd imagined too the Villas Group would be busy with No. 27 for sometime yet, although all the same I do hope afterwards they consider tackling engines like Stepney and 488. These engines (much like No. 27 was for a time) seemed unfortunately to be un-favoured for being taken on by the main engineering team at the Bluebell, for just how much work and money is required to restore them, for engines that simply put just don't see much use now these days sadly.

Certainly considering the amount of work the Villas Group is putting in to restore No. 27, virtually a new build in some respects, then going from that to Stepney or 488 would necessarily be a big leap from what they've already tackled.

Just my thoughts on the matter anyway, I hate to see such grand engines and ones so integral to the railway's history relegated to the sidelines due to their ageing problems. Fact is as well, while I understand the Bluebell is not so keen to take on such big jobs, we're starting to get to a point now where more and more engines of all sizes and ages are gonna need major renewal and replacement work to keep them running reliably. It's no good kicking the problem down the road to handle another time, for if you do that, before you know it you'll have virtually no engines able to steam due to just how old and delicate they all are.

I'd say tackle this growing inevitable problem as soon as possible, before it gets out of hand. Several other heritage railways are thinking in this mindset now, especially as far as carriages are concerned in keeping them running, so we should all have that in mind going forward.

 

Meanwhile, back to 32424



(Via http://news.bachmann.co.uk/2019/07/an-atlantic-gesture-by-bachmann-europe/)

Tom

 

Excellent news Tom! Well done to the Bluebell Atlantic Group, and to the generosity of Messrs. Bachmann too!

Richard.

 

I'm not a railway modeller, so I am unfamiliar with Bachmann's range. I had a quick browse to see their model H2. (Couldn't see it) I can't help but think there appears to be a gap in the Bachmann range....there's a couple of GWR 4-4-0's, a GC/LNER 4-4-0 and a midland compound model. It seems that someone needs to thoroughly research a 4-4-0 from one of the Southern region's constituent companies. Perhaps one that could appear in several different eras, especially one of the more attractive pre-grouping liveries....

 

They have made models of the LBSCR H1 and H2 Atlantic locos. As they aren't on the Bachmann website, they have probably sold out at Bachmann.

The models released are:

• 31-910 LB&SCR H1 39 La France https://railsofsheffield.com/produc...rance-lbsc-lined-umber-4-4-2-steam-locomotive
• 31-920 SR H2 2421 South Foreland https://railsofsheffield.com/produc...ntic-4-4-2-2421-south-foreland-sr-olive-green
  
• 31-921 BR H2 31-921 Beachy Head https://railsofsheffield.com/produc...4-4-2-32424-beachy-head-br-black-early-emblem

Sent from my SM-J610FN using Tapatalk

 

Hattons of Widnes are currently advertising 32424 at a reduced price.

 

Like many enthusiasts I am looking forward to the completion of the H2 32424 Beachy head and congratulate the people who have almost completed this beauty.

There have been a lot of posts about what this talented group may be doing next, they seem to favour an SECR Class E, whilst a lot of enthusiasts would like to see an
LBSCR K class. The main point is this group are entitled to spend their time, money, and effort on what they want and it is nothing to do with anybody else !

Saying this I wonder if their could be another cheaper option if an agreement could be reached with the owner(s) of the available Adams boiler. This could be used to build an LSWR T1 class 0-4-4T which is similar in appearance to the O2 and M7 locos. Or more interestingly build an Adams A12 Jubilee 0-4-2. This looks quite different to any other preserved loco with its 6ft 1 driving wheels and tender, four of them even lasted into 1948.

 

You know I had completely forgotten about that old Adams boiler, and now that I think about it, taking that on for a potential new build project does make a lot of sense. After all the primary reason the Brighton Atlantic project got kicked off in the first place, was because the Bluebell had been fortunate in acquiring an old GNR Atlantic boiler that was pretty much the same design as the Brighton examples. So to take on the next project that has a boiler available already would undeniably be a big plus.

Of course this speaking in terms of how things could ideally go, and things we reckon that are ideal or make complete sense don't necessarily add up in reality. For example the man who owns the boiler may simply not be willing to part with it, and of course the team building Beachy Head may not be interested in taking it on either, as we don't honestly know what condition it's in. I'm not even sure if the Bluebell Railway would have much use for a Adams T1 if they were in theory to take it on and build it. I reckon only someone intimately involved with the Bluebell like Tom could answer that question.

That said though, the A12 Jubilees are gorgeous looking engines, and it would fill a gap in preservation by giving us a working example of a 0-4-2 tender engine. So I'd certainly be up for such a project like that, but again the issues I raised before still apply.

 

JMJR1000,

You are forgetting the 2 classic Stroudley LBSCR 0-4-2 tender engines namely the (B1) Gladstone and (D2) Lyons class!

Cheers,

Julian

 

Oh I didn't forget them Julian, I said a working example of the wheel type/design, and those two haven't run for quite sometime last time I checked. Having one in working condition and in steam will always trump having them in museums forever static in my view, hence why I'd love to see a A12 new build if they were to build one.

 

I very much doubt the Bluebell or Atlantic Group would be interested in purchasing a knackered boiler if the end of this thread is anything to go by?
https://www.national-preservation.com/threads/lswr-t1-new-build.65666/page-4

 

Figured as much, but was nice to briefly ponder on at least, a what if or dare I say WIBN scenario.

Pity we may never see a Adams T1 again, but then again they always say "never say never."

 

Ultimately, if anything is to come of that boiler, I don't believe it is down to the Bluebell to make it happen. I'm not sure in any case what condition it is in, and whether using it would necessarily lead to much of a saving relative to just starting from new. I wouldn't underestimate the cost and time benefit of having significant parts for the E already available, notably signifiant parts of the tender.

I suspect we could find about as much use for an Adams T1 as we currently do for the Wainwright H, which has averaged 95 days and about 5,500 miles per year in traffic every year for the last five years - I doubt there is any pre-grouping loco in the country that works more, except our Stirling O1 which does similar; and perhaps the NER o-8-o on the NYMR or one of the Churchward 28xx locos which is a different beast altogether.

But neither of those is operational, and one is decidedly smaller than 12" to the foot scale!

Tom

 

[QUOTE="



I suspect we could find about as much use for an Adams T1 as we currently do for the Wainwright H, which has averaged 95 days and about 5,500 miles per year in traffic every year for the last five years - I doubt there is any pre-grouping loco in the country that works more, except our Stirling O1 which does similar; and perhaps the NER o-8-o on the NYMR or one of the Churchward 28xx locos which is a different beast altogether.





Tom[/QUOTE]

52322?

 

That was just my thoughts exactly Tom, like I said it's unrealistic to expect one railway to just come along and takeover a project and/or item from another railway, because simply put for one it's not their's to take, and for another wishing something to happen don't make it any less difficult a task to achieve. And indeed as you say, with all the parts produced for the other SECR engines over the years, it comes little surprise to me then that for this reason building a E Class is a very practical option to take.

Oh wow that much use huh? I had no idea the H Class was so useful and often used on the Bluebell, but then again I suppose in a big part it helps that it's a smaller medium sort of engine size wise, so can handle most tasks on the railway with enough power needed yet do so economically.

Just curious then Tom, if you don't mind me asking, if you were to put all the engines on the Bluebell into categories in terms of their usefulness and in turn how often they'd be put to work on the railway, how would you rank them? Like say A for most useful, down to whatever letter of category you'd feel like going down to. Just very curious of this, as the Bluebell not only has one of the largest collection of steam engines in the country, but also arguably the biggest variety in terms of size and power. I'd imagine the usefulness of some engines must surely have gone down over time, certainly for the smaller engines, and especially since the railway reached East Grinstead.

I recall much was said on this forum at the time in fact, that much had to be changed in terms of motive power requirements after the extension, with some feeling at the time that the smaller and much loved humble tank engines like the Adam Radial tank and the Terriers considered so integral and special to the railway, were being somewhat coldly pushed aside and treated as though unwanted and irrelevant.

I'll admit too to feeling a little that way at the time, but I have since come to understand that in order for the Bluebell Railway to prosper and take advantage of the East Grinstead, changes needed to be made for the good of the whole railway.

 

I remember being told all the boilers that came out of the saw mill were in very good condition, with the exception of the other Atlantic boiler. Cant remember where I was told or by who.

 

It is possible the T1 boiler may have been in good condition then, but alas it is also very likely whatever condition the boiler was in, being stuck out in the open with little to protect it from the elements has deteriorated it consistently over the years.