Sheffield Park Loco Works News

The point surely is whether the rest of us want such posts which are essentially of a personal nature.

 

Doesn't bother me in the slightest, welcome back!

Anyway back on track, rumours round the railway at the moment are that we could have 14 serviceable engines running (including 3 visitors) at once in 2010!

 

It could, yes, but I decided to put it her.

 

I suppose the same could be said of this.:smt060:smt045

 

Current fleet (6), + 473, 263, 178, then I'm guessing maybe 323 & 847..?

 

Sounds great, but what will the other two visitors be then...
I'm sure next year will be great for the Bluebell.

 

I'd say Baxter rather than 323 myself, given that Baxter is slowly getting there by all accounts. I read something in one of the rags about a steam test not long ago, so presumably won't be too long before she's out.

 

Forgot about Baxter, I also recall something about a steam test too so I doubt she will be too long, her boiler looks pretty complete to me when I see it the yard.

 

Small tank engines

Although it will be nice to see the 'P' class engines and 'Baxter' working again I can't help but think that they are really a sideshow: that what the railway really needs are Class 3 and 4 engines; that the SECR engines and 'Baxter' are much too small to haul a paying load; that, in the current financial state of the railway, the money would have been best spent elsewhere.

Just an opinion.

Regards

 

Good point but the overhauls of the P class (and possibly plural soon) and Baxter have been take on by small groups of 3 or 4 (at least I know the P has) and have been long term projects with only two or three working meetings a month, but yet the focus has remained on the larger engines.
I would think the Bluebell have the almost exact locomotives in the works that should be, 847 that will probably be followed by 541 or Stowe and Camelot representing the big weekend service engines, and probably 75027 or 92240 after, at least that's what wikipedia said when I last looked.
The bluebell has only just completed a long term overhaul of 34059, so are obviously taking the opportunity to get a few smaller engines done in the new space.
This all makes perfect sense to me as the Bluebell runs on 3/4 days of the year and I'm sure that you don't want to be running big tender engines and standard classes during the week, as you may have just two Mk1's worth of passengers on most trains, so it makes more sense to have smaller tank engines like the H Class and E4, aswell as smaller tender engines, that use coal and water more economically than the 9f would on them trains.
Also, at the current state the Bluebell is having to use bigger engines during the week, and this problem could be solve with the addition of the E4 and H Class, but what would happen if 672 was to fail for the Autumn Tints, and Bluebell Specials, it would mean having to probably use 592 or another larger engines on the one observation car, hence the sense in having the P Classes and Baxter available also, after all 672 will only be with use until 2011.

In my opinion it makes perfect sense with the locomotives in the Bluebell works at the moment, and I expect a larger engine after the E4 and H class, and 65 should be started next year.

 

Be an ex. industral I don't think Baxter will be much good on passenger trains, I surspect she be on shunting duties like 'Normady' was, suppermenting the 08...

 

Just seen this on the Bluebell Website.

''Andrew Strongitharm has updated his latest photo album with some photos taken yesterday showing amongst other things the P-class, 323 "Bluebell", being shunted into the Loco Works, as seen on the right. With much of the work on the loco already done, and it having the best of the P-class boilers, might we see two P-class locos in steam next year on the Bluebell?''

 

I hope so, overhaul re - started a lot quicker than I thought it would!
Not complaining!

The Thursday shunt is something I forgot, and to be honest any of the small engines could be good on it, but it could provide Baxter with good work.

 

Baxter is totally unsuitable for passenger work! I notice they are fitting it with vacuum brakes and steam-heating capability during this overhaul, so I imagine it could come in quite handy doing the C&W shunting. Good to see work restarting on 'Bluebell'. I hope they put one of the P's back out in the SECR wartime green currently carried by 323, it really suits them IMO.

 

Personally along the lines of liveries I'd like 323 to appear in her Bluebell Blue, especially for the anniversary year, and 178 to appear in SE&CR Lined green like 753 carries at Tenterden, and this is also the colours 592 is in and 263 is due to appear in.

 

There are a number of uses for Baxter around the railway. For example, being small and able to raise steam quite quickly, it can be used for steam heating in winter. This is especially useful during the santa season. The general practice is to commence steam heating at least an hour before departure time; with the first santa trains being quite early, it would mean tremendously early start times if it were necessary to have a large train engine ready over an hour before departure. We have extra long hoses and a splitter connection that enables a small engine like Baxter to heat two rakes simultaneously and relatively economically while the "big" engines are prepared. This was one of the duties carried out by Stepney in its final years.

Subsequently it can also "pose" in the dock, providing a relatively accessible and non-intimidating engine for young children to go onto the footplate. It can do a similar job during "Not the Thomas the Tank Engine" weekends, as well as being a good engine for shunting demonstrations, "driver for a fiver" turns etc during galas. It would also be suitable for e.g brake van rides, as took place the other week along the Ardingly Branch.

I guess it could also cope with Obo specials during Bluebell / Autumn Tints season in an emergency, though the limited maximum speed would not make it a first choice for such duties, as keeping to time would be a push.

Finally, although I don't know if this is exactly official policy, but as one of the first locos to arrive on the Bluebell (in 1960) there must be a desire to see it running in the anniversary season; which I suspect is also the thinking behind the push on 323.

Tom

 

With the boiler work on 178 nearing completion, the 'Loco Workshop Working Group' will soon move on to the boiler work on Bluebell. Now is the chance to get involved if you've ever wanted to see what happens in the loco works. We are the 'easy' way in, as we start from knowing nothing and learn as we go with instruction from the experts. If you want to see 323 running for the 50th, then come and join us!

As for Baxter, I believe he's not much use for shunting due to a lack of braking effort, but is perfect for providing steam heat in the winter...

Pil

 

I believe the addition of the pipes and equipment on Baxter is, as alluded to above, to provide a steam heating facility on service trains in the winter, thus meaning everything can start happening that little bit quicker in the morning (not a bad plan given the trains will soon have an extra few miles to cover).

As to the livery, I expect 323 will revert, as also alluded to above, to 'Bluebell' blue, especially if it is following 178 soonish after that engines completion. That gives scope for 178 to carry just about anything (although I expect a simpler livery such as that, or maybe SR black to go with the goods wagons, simply because of the time element. After all, the less time you spend painting something the more time you have to work on restoring something else!

 

Not really with Baxter. Now a P on the other hand...

Although I personally think they might as well retain the 08 and only use a steam shunter in the summer when people are more likely to be around and make it an extra attraction (perhaps announcing it in advance as the RHDR do when they run trains to Romney Warren Halt). The 08 can then be used in the winter when there's not the need to light up a steam engine, as it saves on wear and fuel costs. Especially if the 08 is based at Horsted (out of sight naturally to appease the anti-diesel brigade).

 

Given that the railway will, within the next 12 to 18 months, have a pool of 80151, 1638, 34059, 847 and 73082 all in service, plus the likes of the H, the E4 and the Dukedog which can manage a fair load (certainly, for example, the new shorter Pullman train), I don't think the railway is especially short.

And the railway does need to have some smaller engines knocking about. During the shoulder season, for example, with shorter trains, pretty much everything is worked by the smaller engines (recently a pool of 672, 473, 65 and 9017) so why bother lighting up a Bulleid to haul the Met set around when a Terrier will suffice? Particularly a gutsy one like Fenchurch.

Indeed having a few of the smaller engines also means the potential for loaning engines out as roving ambassadors to raise goodwill, publicity and much needed dinero for the line? Look at the press coverage the line got for sending that Western thingy to Wales this year, for example.