Spa Valley Railway - Latest News

I’m not a fan of changing a loco’s name. Fair enough, short term, for a special occasion, but long term - no.

 

Permanent changes happened pre preservation though so there is precedence.

 

I assume you mean numbers of volunteers.
Although there is always this option.

 

I still believe a preserved locomotive should retain the identity it had when it was withdrawn.
It’s no big deal. It’s up to the individual(s) who own the locomotive. Same with livery.
Bet you’ve got no plans to rename 34081. You’d have to change your username if you did.

 

Couldn't help noticing a slight softening of your initial position there!

Just to be bl--dy awkward, how many made it to Barry with nameplates still attached?

 

None!
All of the unrebuilds had the surrounding sheet metal cut away when the badges were removed.
34053 and a standard 4MT (76028 I think) spent about six weeks in Romsey down sidings after they had to be removed from the Eastleigh to Severn Tunnel freight because 34053's coupling rods stored in the tender were striking the underside of several bridges in the Chandlersford area.
I can not remember the exact year either 1964 or 1965.

 

Physically the transfers/numbers to replace the ones that came off. The 34095 ones you see on it aren't quite all the same, ok from a distance but up close you'd notice, these were a last minute order as the original order of numbers was a mix and match of different sizes!

The replacement ones for 34053 were due for delivery and fitting this this weekend, however, Douglas needs some very minor work completed (being done this weekend) hence SKP running instead, rather than having the loco mid-way through an identity crisis it was left as Brentor.

Talking of locos and renumbering, 34053 has parts of 34010 Sidmouth, 34016 Bodmin, 34027 Taw Valley and 34028 Eddystone within its motion.

 

It must have been 1965 as 34053 wasn't withdrawn until then.

 

Very likely, It was a long time ago.

 

Terrier 'Knowle' is due to arrive later today, it was collected this morning from Embsay. The loco will be operating on Saturday 17th, Sunday 18th, Saturday 24th & Sunday 25th July, primarily hauling our MK1 BCK and SO, both of which are in BR(S) Green.

The loco should be facing chimney first towards Tunbridge Wells West.

 

Knowle arrived last night and was shunted over a pit to enable an FTR to take place later this week. She’s currently sat next to SKP, which is reverting back to 34053 this weekend.

 

Little and Large!

 

A Terrier and a light pacific at an LBSCR shed, is it? It's enough to melt my cold Sussex heart.

 

Just a little information for you. 34095 "BRENTOR" was a "West Country Class" locomotive that was one of six of the class built in Eastleigh in 1949. The rest were built in Brighton. "BRENTOR" was named after the small village and Tor just north of Tavistock on the edge of Dartmoor. It was on the line from Plymouth to Okehampton which has been put forward for reopening as an avoiding line to Dawlish. It was from this place that my family took our name. So, as you see, 34095 "BRENTOR" was named after a place and not after a person. I would agree that, as a family, we are pretty anonymous!

 

Over the weekend ‘Sir Keith Park’ reverted back to its correct identity, the nameplate colour has been altered to having the black background as once carried by 34053.

 

Also over the weekend ‘Knowle’ went on a few trips down the line on test and crew familiarisation ready for running over the next couple of weekends.

She worked with ‘Douglas’ on the last trip back to Tunbridge Wells West.

 

I understood that the BoB nameplates were all painted in the light blue colour for the RAF - is that not correct?

 

A photo we have of SKP in the 60s shows it with the black nameplates so it must have just been repainted at some stage.

 

Thanks for the info. Good to have a change now and then!

 

Of course in the 60's it was also often quite difficult to see what colour the background was........

But I do like that black on SKP.