6201, her new lease of life.

Steam Railway quoting Clive Mojonnier this month as saying 6201 has now been withdrawn following the discovery of a leak on the throatplate. Boiler lift required, but no clue as to when repairs will start due to current workload of the Carnforth team.

Sad news to hear, only hope it won't be too long before we are able to enjoy the sight/sound of her once again.

 

Can It be welded up or would a new piece of metal be required for a new firebox throatplate?

 

Damn...more tough times for the PES. Sincerely hope they can raise the funds for what sounds like an expensive 'fix.' Still, she is in the right place for fettling I suppose.

 

Is disappointing for PES, 6201 seems to have been stop/start this last ticket and never had good period of continuous running.

 

That was exactly my thought. The 'Northern Belle' workings were great and it's really sad she has run into more difficulty. 'Mend and make do' is possibly not what is best at this juncture and I wonder, as the boiler is coming out of the frames, if they would not be better going for a full overhaul and a new ticket. Lot of money to be raised for sure According to their website the PES only has 178 members, which surprised me.

https://6201.co.uk/index.php/membership/

 

It is implied in the SRM article that it will be a full overhaul given the boiler is coming out. I too was surprised to see how "low" their numbers are, given her status.

 

Well, it should increase by at least one soon, assuming they accept my application!

 

Its been suggested on here, on numerous occasions previously that joining the Masons seemed to be easier than joining the PES?

 

I've found e-mailing the website normally generates a reply.

 

Should be remembered she had the bare minimum done at Tyseley to reset her ticket.

 

And when at prclt they were informed about how much work was required to get it into tip top condition, but obviously didn't have the money to do it themselves so must have done a deal with westcoast. Wonder if westcoast will do this work or if the society will have to find the funds to get her back working

 

I think you will find that the PRCLT were not the first people to identify any of this work. In the end the work never got done by the PRCLT for the same reasons the work was not done at Tyseley or anywhere else......Money!
Luckily for the loco and PES David Smith came to the rescue.

 

I have been advised that the steam operation of the Northern Belle, originally intended for 6201, will now be covered by 60163 on 2/10, 7/10, 16/10 and 23/10; a silver lining to the cloud of 6201's problems.

 

I've never tried to join the Masons (three attempts to recruit me failed), but joining the PES was simple and I have a new membership card to prove it

 

Did you not fancy rolling your trouser leg up?

 

I notice in the issue 524 of Steam Railway that there is a full page appeal for donations to fund the repairs or is it a full overhaul, to return it to full working order.

 

Thinking about 6201 and the PES the other day and their silence does them no good. One only has to look at the communication from the SNG group via Facebook to show how even just a little communication and a few pictures keeps members and the general public engaged, I'm a member of the FRT and they manage a weekly blog http://www.furnessrailwaytrust.org.uk/about/blog/ which gives some engagement and an idea of what they are up to.

Even just a weekly update with a couple of pics of what they are doing, even if it is just stripping her to assess the works needed and comment would be something? At present, as it was last time its just an appeal for money with as little detail as possible and rare updates on progress.

 

Presumably you live not too far from Carnforth, so perhaps you could offer to do it for them to help the group out ? Even just a few updates on here would be good.