70013 'Oliver Cromwell' repair update

This has been posted today by the 5305LA boys on their website:

"No. 70013 “Oliver Cromwell”, the NRM’s Britannia, is currently off duty and is still at LNWR Crewe Locomotive Works receiving attention to the firebox. We had hoped that the work would be completed by now and we would be busy putting the engine back together ready to take up her December work. The boiler work will probably be completed by the end of this month, but obviously there will be a lot of work afterwards to get the cladding and back head fittings replaced, the cab back on, and the boiler steam tested before she can return to traffic. Sadly we aren’t quite at a stage where we can be confident of getting the engine back together in time to take up her rostered duties in December. Therefore in fairness to the railtour operators and the travelling public we have decided to withdraw the engine from the trips in order that the operators have time to source an alternative locomotive, instead of keeping going and then having to withdraw at the last minute which might leave everyone in the lurch. We are very disappointed to have to make this decision, but it would be unprofessional of us to take any other action".

A shame that the repair has dragged on but they are quite right to withdraw the loco from it's rostered duties, rather then letting people down.

Hopefully 70013 will be back with us in the New Year, so good luck to the 5305LA team on the repair and thanks for keeping us in touch.

 

Yes, a big shame indeed - can't help feeling sorry for the 5305LA. It also means that the much anticipated Steam Dreams double Britannia trips before Christmas will be just down to 70000 plus another.

Regards,

Dan

 

Be nice to see 70000 and 71000 double heading!

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v1jMjh8XbYI

 

Oooh, very nice, thank you.

 

This will not happen in the forseeable future as Steam Dreams operating company for the trains on 22 December is West Coast Railways 71000 is not currently operated by West Coast.

 

One thing that may have slowed down 70013's repair is that the Heritage Centre has been busy with work recently.

Apart from 70000, Clan Line has been in, 6100 has been finished (I think) - it's outside now, but not coupled to its tender, and AFAIK 60009 is being repaired too.

I suspect they can't do too many things at once!

 

Well if you cant do the job, why take it on in the first place?
There does seem to be a lot of engines just hanging around and nothing happening at crewe.

 

Depends if everyone else is busy, LNWR may have the shorter queue ?

 

70000,70013,6100,60009 and Clan Line. Seems to me that there's a lot happening at Crewe.
It may have escaped your notice but it takes time to overhaul/repair a steam loco. It isn't a case of if you can't do the job, more a case of doing the job properly.....and that takes time.

 

And 80136 is there and numerous boilers under repair.

 

There's also one of the WHR garratts and 80136 is there I think.

 

Ralph is spot on. The HC do tend to get stuff done properly. I was impressed at how rapidly they went from having Britannia's boiler steamed outside, to putting the loco together and getting it out on the main line.

Also of course overhauling and restoring steam locos is an inexact science. It's not exactly like booking your car in for a service. Most likely that when 70013 arrived, it was expected to be started sooner than it has been. The loco AFAIK is now "inside" and so I expect it's being worked on. But a firebox crack needs to be repaired with no small measure of care.

--
Tim
http://tim-fenton.fotopic.net/
http://zelo-street.blogspot.com/

 

Crewe are also doing 6634's boiler which the SVR will need in order to complete this loco. I would suggest that they have a lot of jobs on hand and so are doing well.

 

Theres certainly a lot of engines there kevin but what will become of them all?
will 6100 ever be finished in its current boiler ticket, apparently it now has a broken cylinder cover that has only taken 18 months to be noticed. still its hardly the end of the world after all 6115 had 2 new cyl covers and most of its inside cylinder and motion rebuilt in a few weeks, so if there as good as they like it to be put about at crewe im sure we'll see 6100 out and about in a couple of weeks?
As for an earlier post i would hardly say that 6-7 months after the boiler was lifted in to put what was effectively a complete engine back togeather was impressive stuff, there are several other outfits that have done this in less than 2 weeks!
Lets wait and see.

 

Don't forget that there are only three major loco works in the country......Crewe, Riley's and Tyseley and they all have a long list of work that they are undertaking, the owners who give them the contracts seem to understand more than you do that they have to wait their turn in the queue.
Also would you care to name the 'outfits' that you claim have dropped a boiler back in the frames and miraculously managed to turn out a finished engine two weeks later?
Oh of course!!! I was forgetting Swindon Works, Crewe Works, Doncaster Works and Eastleigh Works.
bongo....now where have I seen that name before?

 

Didn't Riley's do something like that with 45407 earlier this year?

And aren't they carrying out some rectification work on 70000, at the moment? Just wonder why that would be?

Doesn't the Flour Mill do contract overhauls, as well?

 

I think its time we took a step back from the 'my loco works is better than yours' argument that seems to be developing here and return to progress on 70013.