Brighton Atlantic: 32424 Beachy Head

Why stop there. Malachite tender.
OK, OK, I'm off to see a man about a dog ... ... ...
Pat

 

Grrrr ....

Tom

 

Some shortening of the frame under the cab required.

 

Well, there's more GNR in it than LBSC, after all.

 

Build your own! I know someone who has a full set of plans ...

(Or else come down in a year or so.)

Tom

 

May I say how refreshing this light-hearted banter is! - a welcome diversion from the incessant and venomous mud-slinging on the WSR thread.

 

On a related note it looks like No. 251 is destined for the new museum / library in Doncaster. So any opportunity to pose it with Beachy Head to show the evolution of the LB&SCR version may be limited in future.

Regards,

Dan

 

I was one of those (many years ago) lamenting the use of the boiler for the LBSCR Atlantic, grumbling about "lack of LNER this, and that" - I am, happily, a convert to the cause and have spent several happy days wandering around the workshop on those days Atlantic House is open. The fact remains that the boiler wasn't being used for anything else.

It has provided a stimulus to one of railway preservation's best engineering projects. It's seriously impressive - if you haven't seen it in the flesh, go and do so before they finish it and start running it, because you won't get the opportunity to see the fresh metal so clean and perfect again!

 

There are certainly serious gaps in the preservation of LNER motive power. But one areas is not short - GNR passenger engines, where there is a full house of Stirling, Ivatt & Gresley examples. But as to GNR goods engines and non-GNR Atlantics ....

I recall seeing a drawing for a 2-6-2 mixed traffic version of an Ivatt Atlantic. Doubtless a non-starter for a new-build project, but we can have yet another pipe-dream!

 

What should be remembered is that, this was a once in a lifetimes chance to put right something many regretted when the Bluebell first started, that is its inability to save the last Marsh Atlantic , Beachy Head from the breakers, it was pure chance that a similar boiler , both in size, and shape, was available, and this meant that a replica could be produced around it, then a tender chassis of the right type, was found, so further ticking more boxes, those in charge of this project have gone about it in the right way, with fund raising to match the stages they reached, so now they are nearing the day when Beachy head will once again have a fire in its belly, and steam in it's cylinders .

 

For those of us who would regard the Southern and its constituents as our favourite railway, in the next few years, we should have three remarkable and exciting locomotive resurrections of various kinds to look forward to. Beachy Head could well the the first of the three to steam, with the Swanage Railway's T3 following hopefully before too long. The third has been somewhat under the radar - 35009 Shaw Savill. Few people can be unaware of the consistent high standard of performance of Ian Riley's Black Fives and I have no doubt that he will produce an equally high quality job in restoring his MN - dare I say it, on a par even with the magnificent Clan Line

 

I won't deny to have been not overly enthused with some of these new build projects that involve cobbling together parts from other types of engines to make an extinct one, namely the Hawksworth County and the use of the 8F boiler that is less then ideal, due to the clear differences and specifications between the two. Though similar sure, clearly there are some integral differences between an 8F boiler and actual County boiler, differences that require major re-engineering.

But I've never had such feelings towards the Beachy Head Project, for the simple reason that though yes originally a GNR Atlantic boiler, in this case it's pretty much negligible as the designs are pretty much identical. Not surprising seeing as the man that designed the Brighton Atlantics, pretty much from what I gather took copies of the GNR drawings and just tweaked it a little, though in terms of the boiler's shape and general proportions, exactly the same overall. So in my mind I see no issue them using it a GNR boiler, especially seeing as (again unlike the new County's 8F boiler) the boiler they got actually gives them a boost in what an original Brighton Atlantic boiler would, being capable of a higher boiler pressure. So really there's no compromise required here.

Personally I've always preferred the Brighton Atlantics' looks over the their GNR counterparts. The GNR Atlantics always looked odd in proportion, the boiler just looking awkward and overly large for the rolling chassis it was placed on.

The Brighton Atlantics on the other hand, perhaps having the luxury of coming after, were far better thought through in terms of their looks and overall proportions, very much looking the part through their working lives.

 

Is 35009 being actively restored now then- I was under the impression she was very much on the back burner?

Chris

 

yes rileys started on her a few months ago, There was pictures of the newly overhauled front bogie on Ian's web site

 

There was a picture on Facebook recently of the bogie wheels after refurbishment. I don't recall seeing anything else, but if the bogie wheels are being done, it would be reasonable to assume that the bogie is also being done

Keith

 

i think you will find that is a V4

 

the parts of the engine were moved into Riley's Barron St Works , so that's a good indication, that work has started on restoring the engine, as there is no rail access, I doubt they would move the frames, boiler, etc into the works, if it wasn't going to be worked on.

 

I’d like to see. Then go one step further and maybe they will build a loco with 1 driving wheel. That would be good to see like dean or Stirling Singler

 

Why? What purpose would it serve?
We already have several single wheelers in museums to tell that part of loco development history.
I can't see why anyone would spend a lot of money to create something that is of no use on preserved railways and is already represented in museums.

Keith

 

There are 2 wheelers to like Henry oakly and the other green one in museums too so you are just picking on my questions again