Severn Valley Railway Autumn Steam Gala 14th-17th September 2023

Up to 3 guest (currently being arranged) and overnight running returning this year.
https://svr.co.uk/event/autumn-steam-gala-2023/

 

61306 announced as first guest

 

Top guest, will look splendid on the teak set! Have been hoping for Mayflower to visit for a number of years. It's last visit involved no passenger workings and was purely for testing and crew training.

 

Been a while since they had an Easterner?
Still, it will certainly draw the crowds, especially with matching coaches!
Fitted with a headboard of some sort maybe?

 

I always find it rather ironic when much is made of an apple green loco on the teak stock. When the SVR had a resident apple green loco (3442), they painted it black!

 

Ahem, what livery did it carry between 1989 and 1998? 61994 only carried black for the last 3 or 4 months of its last ticket when based at the SVR.
Just Sayin…

 

Surely Mayflower would be better suited to the blood and custard rake anyway?

 

The loco would've been black by the time Mk1s started appearing. Now if the teaks were painted blood and custard...

 

Can see that anytime it takes the Saphos rake out.

 

No air cons in the SVR’s rake though…

 

More authentic on the teaks, the current livery was only a temporary one for the first year after nationalisation, there were teak coaches about until the early 50s

 

I mean we could introduce some element of common sense here, and just have a round trip on the teaks and one on the Blood & Custard set to keep everyone happy! I’m not entirely sure an air-brakes B1 actually existed in the early 50s myself, if we are going for accuracy

 

There is no external visual evidence of the changes to the braking system so not really relevant. I’m not sure if it is air braked, it could just have had an air pump and controls for working air braked trains fitted at the last overhaul.

 

I mean it quite visibly has air-pipes on the front and back end! Either way the point I made still stands. 1 round trip on the teaks, 1 on the blood and custards and everyone is happy.

 

I was thinking of something more visible than that, like an air pump. The air pipes can be removed while on the Valley.

 

Just my guess, the owner probably would not want the air braking system they installed last year to be dismantled, and the SVR would not want to incur the costs of retesting and recertifying it afterwards

 

Removing a couple of brake hoses is not dismantling anything but I don’t doubt it won’t be done.
Does anyone know if the loco has been converted to air braking?

 

No, just been fitted with a pump and associated valves and pipework.

 

Is all this really necessary just to please a few people who have lenses bigger than their genitalia?
Not a pop at you btw Nigel, but how sad is it that some people want to split hairs about something visiting a railway for its enthusiast event?

 

I only asked the question out of interest. Loco owners can do what they like but I think it’s unfortunate that the Duchess and Scotsman have had the braking system of the original taken away. Surely it’s better that whatever is done to meet modern operating requirements should be reversible.
A couple of air pipes under the front buffer beam doesn’t bother me at all, if it did there’s always Photoshop.