60019 to become 4464 by April

According to Steam Railway this month, 60019 'Bittern' is being repainted in blue as 4464, complete with 'skirt' etc., in time for April 16th trip to York as Day 1 of the 'Great Briton IV'.

Is this true? Has anyone heard anything?

 

Great stuff if correct; or could it be an April fool?

 

The article does say it may not be true. I think it would be interesting to see it repainted.

 

I definately think this is an April fool joke. Have they got time to do this so called makeover? 4498 is also on this railtour this day according to uksteam.info

I havent seen the article, so I can't comment really.

 

If this is true, it would be an excellent early start to the Mallard 75 celebrations!

 

It would be reverting to its condition as displayed at North Tyneside Museum when in the custody of NELPG. It was liveried as Silver Link in connection with the adjacent retail park.

 

Well I don't think its an April Fool (too early), but the article is not definite about it at all. It would be a great start to the 'Great Briton IV'.

 

Someone I worked with (many years ago) was convinced that Bittern was actually Silver Link.

The inconvenient fact - that the loco had been broken up after Billy Butlin was too tight to pay scrap value for it - never bothered him.

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It would be great if this went ahead, especially if they went on the turn her out in all the different skirted liveries over the next few years. Link to livery poster

And no, before you start, I have no qualms whatsoever as to whether she ever wore all of them or not back then! :behindsofa:

 

Didn't know Billy Butlin was interested in 60014, saw this loco in the scrap line at Doncaster in June 1963. Have a picture of it somewhere. I think the same thing happened with King 6018, I believe restoration was actually started at Swindon, then it was scrapped.

 

Yes, Billy Butlinf was after 60014. Various tales as to why the deal fell through, ranging from the price to the fact that BR wanted the the loco to continue to carry BR livery as part of the sale contract and Billy wanted LNER livery.

 

Silver or lined black works for me:thumb:

 

I read this artcile and in all fairness I think it is the biggest waste of ink ever in Steam Railway.

The article starts off by commenting on the possibility, Roland Kennington comment on "its still green" then the rest is how its not authentic with double chimney, but Scotsman does it.

To me there is no fact to the article

 

Sounds like an April fool to me.
But there was talk of her going into this livery a couple of years into service when she was first out-shopped from Ropley as the owner wanted to see her in this livery.

 

I think that "the owner wants to see it" is probably a much more likely driver than anything else, particularly as the owner seems to have enough funds to make it happen.

 

I see that the cover dates on the Beano are 4th - 31st March, so it's not the April issue.
Whenever they have done a April Fool article it has been in an issue which did at least include the 1st of April. The article is very high on speculation and very low on fact, so somebody must be spreading some gossip around which may have come from someone who has recently visited Southall.
The loco is in the wheeldrop shed in a partially dismantled state for a period of winter maintenance. I am however convinced that what comes out of that shed will not have 4464 on the cabside.

 

What about 2509 instead then?

 

The locomotive made a brief appearance in the film Oh, Mr. Porter!. It was also the subject of art deco posters for the Silver Jubilee.

For a number of years, one of its sister locomotives, Bittern was painted to represent Silver Link in its original silver and grey livery.

Two instances of the Silver Link nameplate are on display at the National Railway Museum, York,

 

I knew that Bittern was cosmetically restored as 2509 several years ago, i just never got the chance to see it, and i would love to see a silver A4. I've never actually seen an A4 in steam, just 60009, 60019 & 4468 cold.