Boscastle and Taw Valley

Does anyone know the current status of the overhauls of Boscastle and Taw Valley as there seems to be an acute lack of up to date information currently available? Ok, I know Boscastle's boiler is at Williton and that Taw Vallley's is having extensive boiler work carried out by Pridhams. Any current pictures?

 

Boscastle's frames are now at the back of road 3 in Loughborough shed, the wheels etc. have been removed and things seem to be moving on apace. Note that I'm not involved in the overhaul, this is just based on personal observation. The tender is out on loan to another Bulleid (Wadebridge I think).

There's a fairly recent photo (not mine) on wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:GreatCentralRailway34039.JPG

The owning group now have a website - www.boscastleloco.co.uk. Nothing much there yet, but worth keeping an eye on. I daresay they'll be adding details of where to send any donations to, or how to become a shareholder, in due course. There is also a leaflet now available (copies should be at Loughborough) containing these details.

Hope this helps,
Phil

 

For the sake of completeness, it could be added that 34101 "Hartland"'s chassis is about to enter the works at the NYMr, whilst the boiler has been dismantled for extensive repairs and various new pressings are to hand. It will be the main boiler job at the NYMR once work on 45428 is complete, but the loco is probably at least a couple of years away from being finished.

 

Got a few shots of Boscastle at Loughborough a few weeks ago.
http://rickeborallphotography.fotopic.net/p60309173.html
http://rickeborallphotography.fotopic.net/p60309174.html
http://rickeborallphotography.fotopic.net/p60309175.html

There are a few shots within GCR 16th july collection on my site if you rummage around a bit!
ATB RICK

 

In the latest Steam Railway (I think) there was a picture of I think 34027's new Smokebox but nothing on when it's back in steam

 

Thanks for the information gents!

It will be nice to see Boscastle running again with her ex Merchant Navy tender and hopefully Taw Valley again gracing the mainline.

 

Wadebridge does still have that tender and her tender has been in construction for sometime??? What is happening with 34007's new tender???

 

Her new tender is still in the Meon loop at Alton. But I'm not sure where the tender chassis is?

 

williton at wsr

 

Does anyone out there know if 34027 will metamorphosis in to 34045 at some point in the future. I always think that this adds a bit of interest in a loco with a change of name/number. It would be great to she her renumbered has a rebuilt BB and paired with 34059. I would think there would be a few people on the Bluebell that would be up for that?

 

Thanks for that. Do you have any information on how there are getting on with the chassis. I hear they are going to use class 33 wheel sets for the chassis?


Thanks

 

I hope NOT! It's about time we grew up, stopped eternally trying to recreate the engines that have gone (unless you want to build a new one from scratch a la Tornado) and instead to be thankful for those which have survived.

 

Sorry John, I have to disagree with you, again. One of my most treasured video shots is of Swanage on the MHR playing the part of Lapford (and carrying a Pines Express headboard, which is another of your betes noirs, I know!). I think it was the 1996 spring gala, which commemorated the 30th anniversary of the end of the S&D.

As with all these things, it's important not to overdo it, and to make sure that the audience understand what's going on, but otherwise - why not? If I've got a set of nameplates for a scrapped West Country and my friend's got a Bulleid light pacific (if only!), why shouldn't we come to an arrangement and fit the 'plates to the loco for a week or a month? I'd go further. I'd be very pleased to see an unrebuilt light pacific recreate the earlier life of a rebuilt sister, provided the details were more-or-less right (e.g. high-sided tender or not). Personally, I'd love to see an original light pacific in malachite green running as 21C142 Dorchester. It's something I could never hope to have seen "for real", but why not recreate it for a short time? (And since I'm day-dreaming, let's do it at the Bluebell with a rake of Bulleid and Maunsell coaches, to boot!)

Why shouldn't we let the locos that survived represent the ones that didn't?

 

Well, we will agree to disagree on this one. I guess that a short-term renaming/numbering for an appropriate occasion can make sense. I seem to remember Llangollen hired (I think) 80079 for a while and ran it as 80072 on a couple of occasions to publicise the restoration of that engine. Don't know if it raised much for the restoration, but 80072 looks lovely now, so they probably won't need to do that again.

It's when an engine adopts a false identity semi-permanently that it gets a bit sad e.g. 34027 as 34045, 45407 as 45157 or 73096 as 73080. I must admit, I would love to know what the reaction would be if someone did the opposite of your idea and ran a rebuilt WC in the guise of an engine (particularly one that survived) that was never rebuilt! I think that would cause apoplexy to some people.

 

Must you insult what people do by calling it sad and telling them to grow up?

End of the day, they do the work and own it, if they want it to represent a long lost class member it is their choice. The same can be said for the old livery debates. If you don't own it or have done nothing to help the locomotive then i really don't see what the problem is. If you don't like it, don't go to see it, simple. But if all you can do is moan about it on an internert forum then i don't think it's the loco owners who need to grow up.

I for one like to see long lost classes represented, ok not permanently but for a gala or for charters it's not the end of the world, gives us younger people a chance to see for a short while long lost locomotives pass by... i fail to see why 73096 has been used as an example, she hasn't carried the identity of 73080 for quite a few years?

And the reverse has happened with 34027. Didn't she get renumbered and renamed to 34081 '92 Squadron' for an april fools? Or was it just an edited image?

 

The overhaul of 34027 has been the most thorough of it's preserved career as it was in a very tired state when it was withdrawn (with a cracked cylinder which has now been repaired), a number of years on heavy VSOE's not helping it's condition. It was stripped down to virtually every conceivable component. The boiler has been at Pridham's for some time, much to the confusion of people visiting Bridgnorth who assume that the boiler outside the yard is her's -it is in fact 34010 'Sidmouth's which was bought up for measuring as part of the overhaul of 34027's frames with her boiler being off site. The last SVR news puts the loco at reassembly stage with the wheels and trailing trucks ready to be installed. The cab has also been under repair. I'm not sure when the boiler is due to return, maybe someone closer to the SVR could update on progress here but I would say she is still at least a couple of years off.
As regards to it's identity my preference would be to see it as 34027 on return. It seemed to spend so much time masquerading as different locos last time (including a spell in EWS maroon!) it would make a nice change to see it as itself!

**Please note my information comes from SVR news and forum, I am unfortunately not a volunteer.**

 

I'm hoping to have a mainline trip behind 34027 one day, and visit it on the SVR. Its about time a Bulleid whistle echoes down the Valley again!

 

I would'nt bother waiting for 34027's return to the mainline - latest SVR notices say that there is no intention of running it mainline again - it is being overhauled solely for SVR use.

 

AFAIK the use of class 33 wheelsets was the original intention, however according to the latest posting on the locomotives website this may not be the final option.

Consultation with the MHR engineering department was to be held to discuss the way forward.

Bear in mind that the MHR are good at pattern making, it is not inconceivable that genuine BFB wheels are now made. I seem to remember a gas axed genuine Bulleid wheelset outside Ropley shed some time ago, could this be utilised in some way to help?

Another option would be to see if Southern Locomotives would allow the loan of their patterns.