SVR Loco Newsy News / discussions

How long is 828 with the SVR, and when might it be running?

 

The point i am making is there is no point in spending vast amount having a large fleet of locos all in ticket which you hardley use the locos that are serviceable can not all manage the 8 coach trains run at peak times.
So far better to hire in a loco that can assuming taw valley is not in service next year you will see another engine hired in again for next summer.

 

With 46443 and 42968 due to drop out in the next 12 months I think at least 1 loco will be needed for the next couple of years maybe 2. The SVR needs at least 8 locos in ticket to be comfortable and that looks like a distant dream at the moment tbh. Ruston906; a larger fleet will require less maintenance as it isn't as intensively worked (look at Tyesley locos for an extreme example), smaller locos can shoulder the burden at quieter parts of the season allowing the larger locos to be maintained. At the moment the SVR fleet is overstretched and when a loco does need work doing there is little room for others to take up the slack and there is little room for planned maintenance. When one or two have failed this year diesels have had to be used in substitution which doesn't send a good message to customers. The SVR has stated in the past it needs to return at least one loco a year to service with the aim of having 8-9 in service, 1501 & 34027 need to come quick! 92212 has been an excellent guest, but I would have preferred it hadn't been needed.

 

The other option are to manage the expectations of the visitor and greater use of the c timetable saturday option and run the diesel on sat and sunday reducing the burden on the steam fleet this being the cheapest of all option and if its in the timetable in advance removes the diappointment from the travelling public and still giving a heritage trip.
The other option is finding a loco which is in better condition than the rest of the fleet and can be more quickly restored from the nation railway museum this assumes the amount of labour and money remains the same to fund and carry out restoration.

 

This is already happening with the restoration of the taffy tank from the Waterman trust. Diesels again are already being used more, but people visit for steam and diesel hauled trains are less popular, ask any of the TTi's! I personally would not like to see much more diesel use on the line and i'm sure others would agree.
In answer to your question regarding 828, i'll repeat what I posted on the gala thread information I obtained from staff at the gala. She is due to run charters at the beginning of October (subject to injector issues being sorted). I also overheard that she is going to run on the 31st of October, but this is third hand info and I do not know if this is on public trains. After this she is having work undertaken by the SVR on her wheelsets, before returning north around December. Hope this helps!

 

I would say it's about the same as the previous couple of years. Also, in my experience, people are most annoyed at Diesels running at the weekends, while people on weekday half expect a diesel to be running, as other railways are more like this. If a shift to the diesels were to be done then it would probably be best for more to run during the week, possibly a dmu shuttle KR-HY on the current D timetable which is a bit hard for the passenger to use as it is. Of course this assumes there are people passed for the diesel/DMU to operate this.

 

I think diesel running during the week might be even less popular with the travelling public as the majority of people who wish to travel behind them work so can not easily get there during the week.
There need to be a plan in place as the home fleet is looking to be smaller next year than it is now 43106 has not proved to be that reliable so i would guess the are already looking for a hire loco for the whole season best to get in early to get the best deal.
Suggestions are
Perhaps see if 35006 trust would move there loco which is not far from being finsih

 

Not sure 35006 would be popular with the p/way dept or the accounts man with the coal bill! Having had a ride behind 2857 at the weekend something similar would suit the SVR ideally next year, or a return of 92212 of course.

 

Neither are ideal either, a 28xx or a 9F aren't going to be easy on the fuel bill. A nice Black 5 would be ideal.

 

What makes you think a 28/38xx is more expensive than a 5? The boilers are pretty well similar in grate size, but in my view and experience the western is the better engine for preserved line work. They can cope with any size train you want and are happy at 25mph. The bigger wheeled locos just want to pick up there skirts and go. You have to hold them back. I'm off to keighley with 2807 next week. Looking forward to climbing some yorkshire hills.

 

Fair comment on the 28xx, I notice they've got a similar size of grate to the 5's boiler.

 

Footplate charter with Caledonian Railway 828 2 October 2011... The Friends of Locomotive 4930 Hagley Hall had organised a footplate charter with ex Caledonian Railway 828. This was cancelled (Friends’ website http://www.4930hagleyhall.org.uk/) presumably following the locomotive’s problems at the end of the Autumn Steam Gala.

Patrick

 

Not sure re the 9f but 28xx/38xx operators comment rather favourably on the economy of this type be it on the WSR, GWSR or SVR compared to pretty well all of the rest of the fleet.

The 6ft wheels of a Cl5 are really at or beyond the sensible maximum size for 25mph running making it LESS than ideal.

The poor rearward vision past a Stanier (or other similar) tender is a major detractor to the suitability of this type when running tender first as is necessary half the time on most heritage lines.

If we are looking for sheer grunt on busy days necessitating long trains and smart timekeeping the 28xx would win hands down.

 

On what basis do you make that statement? Whilst small wheels are not conducive to fast running, the same cannot be said for large driving wheels being a problem with low speed. If it was, they wouldn't be able to start!

 

We have to look at what the loco would be used for. The SVR are currently hiring for the peak summer season when trains are at least 8 coaches and can load to 10 if dining cars or an obs saloon is added. The line limit is only 25mph, a GWR 2-8-0 therefore seems the ideal machine for short start-stop running with a heavy train at slow speeds, it is after all what they were built for! The good visibility in reverse is also a plus point. If the SVR were looking for a year round hire then perhaps a different loco would be considered, 80080 was always a popular visitor for instance, though the standard tanks did have a habit of slipping. I remember a particularly interesting ride out of Highley behind 80079 once..

 

The statement was made based on 32 years heritage line footplate experience including extensive experience on all the types mentioned.

 

Of course, a similar machine would be the 8F currently cooped up in the Engine House, or 80079. But, there are probably complications and high costs involved in overhauling these two.

 

I think you'll find the days of the inexpensive overhaul are long gone. In "real railway" terms, excluding new builds, all the engines in use today are well past it. As a result serious money will need to be spent on most, if not all, engines coming up for their next 10 year.

 

The star of the show at our recent Autumn Steam Gala was Caledonian Railway '812 class' 0-6-0 No. 828. We are very pleased to announce that No. 828 will make a further guest appearance, before its return north, hauling one of our trains on Sunday 9th October.

In addition to No. 828 we will also be operating 'class 25' diesel locomotive No. 25262 which is a guest locomotive for our Diesel Enthusiasts Gala which takes place on October 6th, 7th & 8th.

Both locomotives will be working throughout the day as part of our Classic Car & Bike Day http://www.svr.co.uk/pdf/specialevents/Classic Car 2011.pdf which takes place on October 9th.

Departure times are as follows:

From Kidderminster

No. 828 - To be advised
No. 25262 - 9.55am, 1.30pm

From Bridgnorth

No. 828 - To be advised
No. 25262 - 11.55am, 3.40pm

Timetable C will be in operation. Normal fares apply.

Patrick

 

Agreed except that an overhaul of a tired ex BR loco which has done further heritage service will still generally be a lot cheaper than building new as it is pretty unlikely that absolutely everything is shot.