[Apr 18, 2024] Severn Valley Railway 2024 Spring Steam Gala (Severn Valley Railway)

3 Timetbale Writers, 3 Timetable Checkers, 1 Booklet Writer and then the remaining 3 form the rest of the committee. The writers swap each gala usually.

 

Think yourselves lucky with that many people involved!!

 

You can rule out gauging runs, yes…but to say a loco that has never hauled a train, hardly ever steamed, not run in and not checked doesn’t need any form of test runs is laughable. It will need test runs, running in, and mileage accumulation.

warming the boiler….a loco that has hardly steamed will need more than just ‘warming the boiler’ before it leaves to come to the SVR. As with newly overhauled locos , a gentle warming of at least a few days will be required, that would probably be done at home base to ensure all is well, even if the valley do the running in. That itself, as shown by Blue Peter is not an instant ‘let’s put a train behind it’!
As for ‘we never plan a gala around one loco, I give you Pacific power…..

 

Ive never ruled out test runs. Just gauging. It will 100% need light and loaded testing that is an absolute certainty.

In terms of the boiler the normal practice would be to warm them through several times whilst out of frame's. And then have a out of frames steam test before putting the boiler in the frames. From then on it’s quite capable to pop a warming fire in the day before its lit up for an in frames test. But in either event as you say that’s something for Tyseley/Grange group to do and not the SVR.

Pacific Power was not a gala. It was a separate event which happened to be on the normal Autumn Gala weekend. The Autumn Gala that year was replaced by the Season Finale Gala in November. Pacific Power centred around 60103 because that’s what it was always going to be that week, no matter whether 1 train ran or 5. But as I say it was not a gala in its own right.

 

TBF Pacific Power was planned around 2 locomotives

 

If you want to be picky it was planned around 4….60103, 60163, 34027 and 34053

 

Forgot about those 2

 

And when exactly do you plan to do this testing? This gala starts in less than 2 weeks and you don't even know if it's going to turn up yet!

I'm still intrigued by what Plan B is - because I think you're going to need it! Who knows - it might even be something better than the Grange!

 

Not my department then so my answer is I’ve no answer! As I said earlier, the Grange group have told us 6880 will be available. Thats the information we are working with at present. Just like all other visitors, we are told they are available.

Plan B is Plan B. That’s all we need to say currently!

 

My guess would be Taw Valley steps into a Grange sized hole

 

What Grange? Never was no Grange booked.

 

What’s he done of note since ‘The Defamation of Strickland Banks?’ Or the film version of ‘The Sweeny’

 

Should I ask how the home fleet is doing ,as recent weeks have seen 75069 and 4930 running a lot ?
13268 repaint on schedule ?813,7714 and 7812 expected to be available too?

 

2968 is in the paint shop with armed guards on the doors to make sure no-one goes in to damage the fresh varnish!

It will be ready.

 

At least it's been out on test to make sure that it works OK before applying the shiny paint job ... unlike a certain other loco!

 

813 will NOT be running now; leaks in the tank have been found I believe (trying to find the post for evidence but struggling!). I understand that 7714 has a few leaking tubes but is due to be rectified in time for the gala. 7812 had a broken spring (or spring hanger?) which from EMF posts over the weekend appears to have been repaired and the removed axle going back in place this week.

 

The notice on 813 over the Open House weekend confirmed this.

 

So yes as has now been established 813 unfortunately has some issues with its tank leaking, suffered from 2 years sat around sadly. So that won’t be putting in an appearance, however there will be something to replace it, keep any eye out on the official pages for details over the coming days (I personally think it’s more exciting than 813, and am very much looking forward to seeing it!).

7714 has suffered an issue with a flue tube and no the are being replaced. Expected in traffic as far as we know for the gala.

7812 (Or rather the tender) was always booked a 4 week slot on the jacks to have work carried out on the tender. This should be completed for the gala as far as we are aware.

 

7812's tender has had all the spring hanger brackets replaced. It is currently on the jacks with the brackets in place and, from what I could see, the wheel sets ready to go back under it. Not too big a job but will need weighing.

 

Possible replacement coming from the SDR.