6023 King Edward 11

Glorious!!! God save the KING!!!!

 

So far, I've only seen one photo of 6023 on it's first steaming at Didcot. I can't find any video on youtube of the event either. Did anyone else here photograph the test steaming?

 

Check out Steam Railway Magazine they have a few photos in that

 

The steaming took place on a Thursday - Didcot would not have been open to the public at the time so unless someone working on site filmed/photographed it, it wouldn't have happened. I'm sure some of the team would have taken pictures etc but they may not be minded to post them online - possibly because it may simply not occur to them!

 

Hi,

we were lucky enough to be invited to Didcot to witness 6023's first moves, but yes the site was closed. I have put a link to some pictures we took on my facebook page,

regards George


http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=34949&id=100001144202606

 

I only get as far as your log in page George!

 

I am open to idea's on how to post a link to the pictures on my facebook page that will work, I had not realised that this happen when I posted the link, sorry!,

George

 

The link seems to work ok here, all pictures shown.

 

Hi, I have put the photos on flickr as well, link below, I don't know if you need to join flickr to view or not, maybe the same issue with facebook,

regards George


http://www.flickr.com/photos/george306305/

 

Why not post them directly on here, using Imageshack or other uploader? PM if you want details.

 

Thanks George picked them up using your link to your flicker site. Quite an event to be invited to!

 

Really really really want to say a vid of this beast on the move.... Phil, any chance? I'm sure you have something awesome to share?

 

Repeating the comments in an earlier post, thanks George for the link to the photos.

I'm going to stick my neck out here. If Didcot had retuned 6023 to traffic in 1947 Great Western livery with G coat of arms W on the tender, I don't think they would have made anywhere near as much impression as they have by returning the loco in BR blue. Also, I don't think it would be as popular as it will be in blue (for a couple of years at least). If Didcot returned 6023 in GWR green at it's launch, it would be very similar to 6024. Indeed, for the first period of it's main line career, 6024 ran in 1947 GWR livery. In blue, 6023 will be something very different (and, when finish painted), very beautiful.

 

Couldn't agree more, but might I add, I just wonder if the desire to keep liveries uniform and normally BR or constituent in some way deprives us all of some very interesting and bright liveries.

For example - why not have one of the castles in the experimental apple green? Or perhaps one of the A4s in garter blue? We've had silver link recreated before by Bittern, it was a good draw in its own right as a static display.

I know the 6023 group want to put it back in green eventually, but I just wonder if the blue will become its signature livery to some extent, a bit like SNG has with its own variation on that livery.

 

Agreed. I think blue will become 6023's signature livery. I, for one, hope that it stays in blue for quite a while.

 

Certainly in the short term it looks as if the "Blue King" effect is the follow-on to the "Tornado" effect in terms of attracting visitors to heritage lines. Let's hope that the attraction is financially successful for all parties - but not to the detriment of Tornado once it returns to the main line.

 

I'm all in favour of 6023 staying blue for as long as possible, or even that being its normal colour with possible occasional changes at say the end of a ticket.

However it is being restored by the Great Western Society, and its notable that its being restored to single chimney condition rather than the later BR double chimney condition. I'm guessing that this decision has been made in part with a view to it being able to run authentically in GWR liveries (albeit that the 4 row superheater was only fitted to one member of the class prior to nationalisation). Given that there will be some with the GWS who will prefer a GWR livery to a BR one (I can recall one letter to the Echo complaining about a particular photo containing a number of locos outside the shed with BR reporting numbers as not being GWR enough!) I think its fairly certain at some stage it will go GWR!

Having said that and straying off topic, maybe if 5051 isn't going to be overhauled for a while, it could be turned out as 5021 in apple green as a photo charter partner for 6023? Question is whether enough people would be up for putting their hands in their pockets to fund it!

 

I must say that I am really looking forward to seeing it in Blue when we go to Didcot for the launch on April 2nd.

We are also looking forward to "borrowing" (hopefully!) 6023 sometime in the future for a couple of double-headed charters.

Fingers crossed!

 

Hello,

Could someone confirm that 6023 isnt yet ready for traffic and is still undergoing overhaul?
I assume the first public steaming will be the public launch in April.

Looking amazing really looking forward to seeing her in steam, I remember seeing it at Bristol years and years ago.

Regards
Bluebird.