Sheffield Park Loco Works News

When I saw 'Birch Grove' yesterday the boiler was sitting on a machinery wagon in the workshop. The cladding and insulation had been fitted to the firebox and two of the boiler rings.

Regards

 

Excellent news!! The Bluebell certainly know how to overhaul locos and keep them running!!!

 

Shame no plans to fast track Stepney. Would've been great to have her in steam next year. Same for Bluebell. Great progress on Birch Grove though and look forward to her repaint. She'll look great with 1638 and eventually 847.

 

The team on the E4 are making fantastic progress, and if that continues, and the running fleet doesn't develop problems, then they will be looking at a new project around the end of the year.

They already riveted the foundation ring on 178, leaving just patch screws and stays to do before trial fitting of the boiler in order to fit the tube plate.

Pil

 

That would be good, maybe the LSWR 488, maybe Stepney but if plans are being made for the anniversary with Tornado, I doubt this will happen, maybe 65 straight away?
Great progress is being made on 473 and I look forward to the end result.

Thanks.

 

Ha from what I hear, the words fast track and Stepney do not fit together!

 

Stepney's last overhaul was a 'quicky' and was only intended to let her be used for high days and holidays. Next one is a big one I'm afraid.

 

Rather good update today on the bluebell site with good progress being made on the boiler of 178, saying it is to be trial fitted to the frames in the near future, reinforcing what Pil has already said.
It also reports that 21C123 will be visiting the Great Dorset Steam fair, glad to see she's not forgotten.
I assume 473 passed her boiler test?

 

The E4 has its boiler fitted in the frames, and the cladding on. It's really moving quickly now, and can't be much longer before it's done. Roll on Giants!

Pil

 

Interesting news on the livery of the P class 1178. It was to be outshopped in "Bluebell Blue" but this has now been changed to a Chatham dark red. Something to do with a "push pull" livery.
323 is then due to get its boiler seen to once 1178 is finished. This will be outshopped in the "bluebell blue" livery.
The outside rods were fitted to the E4 last week and it is flying back together very nicely.

Regards,

Dave G.

 

178's livery is still being debated. Nothing is definite yet.

I doubt it will be definite until we start putting the paint on...

Pil

 

Nice to here that 323 will once again get some attention, I doubt it will take that long seeing as the overhaul has started once already, how far did it get.
Would be good to have two P Class engines, the H Class, 65 and 592 all in steam together, now that's a though for a gala!
Just got to get them all done by about 2017.
Looking forward to seeing the E4 going again.
Great update pictures of the E4 on the Bluebell site.

 

Shot here of the H and the E4 in the works last week.
http://crjennings.com/preserved steam bluebell/page 5/bluebell Images 12.html

 

My understanding is that the red livery was a short-lived experiment in SE&CR days. The engine was red, lined in usual Chatham style, and the coaches were plain green - rather than the more normal SECR livery of lined green engines and plain red coaches. Apparently it is appropriate only for one of them - I can't remember which, I thought it was 323.

There's a rather nice painting in the works showing Nettle in Blue, Bluebell in Red and Primrose in improved engine green

There's an update here:

http://www.bluebell-railway.co.uk/bluebell/loco_news/oh_2473.html

and some photos, courtesy of Derek Hayward, starting here:

http://train.fotopic.net/p60460139.html

Tom

 

Looking in the Klaus Marx book, the red livery was applied to 323 as a test, before it entered traffic. It never actually ran in service in that livery. I think the details of exactly what the livery was is sketchy at best, and the livery drawings around the railway are 'artist impressions'.

I wouldn't believe anything about 178's livery, until we start painting it on!

Pil

 

I must admit I was really looking forward to seeing P 1178 steam but when it was announced it was to be outshopped in Bluebell Blue livery I personally was more than a bit gutted. I guess it was decided to paint it in a "mickey mouse" livery for the 50th Anniversary Gala as 323 would not be ready, but now it could be some form of red. I just really hope that once the gala is finished it's repainted as soon as is possible into either SECR, BR or SR livery. I can understand from a commercial point of view why 323 is in blue but please let's not mess about with 1178.

 

Thing is, David, the line doesn't have either a blue P or Stepney in operation at the moment, you needs an extra "pull" for the market formed of parents whose kids drag them all over the place. I'd say leave it blue and paint 323 in something else. Alternatively, paint 323 blue when it returns and then repaint 1178.

 

Hey, I've missed you, how's it going?[smilie=hi ya!.gif]

 

Couldn't this post have been a PM?

 

Nah, 'salright, me and Victor go waaaaay back...

Good to see you too