Two exiled A4s to return from North America for two years - official

A4 line up

Is this going to happen ? Whats the latest on the locos from overseas ? :confused1:

 

Re: A4 line up

i'll take a £5 bet that it does not happen?

 

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I reckon it'll be easier to take the 4 from the UK over to the US....

I doubt the Canadians will part with 60010 even to share, last time I saw it, it was rusted to the rails and immovable and a big buckeye dent in the front. That said there's a good cause of recriprocal refreshing it before its return to Canada.

60010 is closer to Montreal seaport that York is from Hull docks... So hardly a logistical challenge..Similar story for 60008, they are both in Ocean going port cities.

The Americans would need to demolish its building to get it out !!!

If it were possible it would be no more complex than any other locomotive move.... Put it on an Alley's trailer drive it away to a roll on /roll off ship... Wait a week then drive it to the NRM, off load it.

The only interesting point to the story so far (according to the beano) is the emergence of the ownership of 60008 being by the fella in Green Bay.. Not the US Government, which less complicates any future sales and makes its owner an instant $millionaire if he choses to sell, for $0 outlay.

My preference would be the US send one of its Big Boys and Canada send its Hudson for display at the NRM and put and end to the myth that a 9f is big, by putting it on display inside the big boys tender.

 

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As for whatever reason 'Mallard's' visit to Nuremberg didn't materialise, I'd rate two A4's making a trans-Atlantic crossing as something less than zero.

 

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Perhaps we should wait and see what happens. I believe some very detailed negotiation are ongoing, and idle chatter in forums like this in public are not helpful. This event does not take place until 2013, so lets wait and see. Recommend closure of this thread.

 

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Personally I feel there are better things that money could be spent on that would be beneficial to the surviving A4s, the NRM, and the North American museums in which Dwight and Dominion reside.

 

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I love the contradiction that on the one hand, what we are guilty of in this thread is no more than "idle chatter", but hey on the other hand, it seems that if the important people who were going to facilitate the great A4 reunion got wind of the idle chatter, they might call the whole thing off!

 

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I would be more than willing to contribute, whatever the charge levied by the NRM. Once in my lifetime opportunity - hell yeah !

 

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I have been lucky enough to see both in their respective homes. (In fact I was incredibly lucky to see 60008 and it's coaches on display outside, as they had been positioned ready to have the building constructed around them).

Would I see them in the UK.. absolutely.. would I encourage the trip to go for broke and do some incredibly unique things... Yes....

if they did..
a. imagine a line up at Barrow Hill as well as the NRM... or
b. how about a late night saturday photo shoot at Kings Cross with say 4 of them at the buffers..
c. Maybe 2509 could make a return to give a line up of liveries ?
I'm sure National Geographic / Discovery channel are in the frame for covering the trip.
Perhaps Dominion of Canada may return to Canada in LNER blue looking closer to it's more famous counter part and thus promote interest back in it's home country ?

an expensive trip needs one off thinking.

The costs of this are not unsurmountable.. after all 66s and 70s come to us from the US all the time.
The most complex part is getting 60008 out of the museum building walls that were built around it... (think 46235 in Birmingham)... thank fully the Americans have a more "can do will do" attitude than found in the UK for this kind of task.


As a demonstration of the "can do will do" attitude the Alaska Railroad just repatriated an S160 from display in Seattle, (WA) 1000 miles by pacific ocean to Anchorage, Alaska for restoration to running order.. delivered this weekend.

 

Re: A4 line up

A lot of good ideas though not sure how many are likely.

I'd like to see 60010 undertake what I'll call the Bittern treatment. Painted Garter Blue, Valances added (not sure where another set would come from though), Stainless Steel LNER lettering and cabside 4489 numbers, Chrome trim (maybe more accurate than whats been done to 60019), Canadian Coat of Arms on the cabside. If a suitable Canadian Bell and Whistle can be found as well. Maybe a bit too much for a loco destined to remain on display but she would look amazing.

I think another Railway related Monster Moves following the moves would work quite well. I really enjoyed the 8F's one.

 

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Details of the S160 move please -- link maybe -- live near Vancouver BC-- maybe rush down to see it go by ..............
--- just noticed the thread in International section -- thanks, will look closer ....guess I missed it go up the coast -- Alaska next on the trip list ----

 

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Perhaps it would be possible to organise a swap - 60008 for an S160 - I'm sure the NYMR would be interested and both organisations would end up with something relevant to their history!

 

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If people really want to see a reunion, and are willing to put their hands in their pockets to make it happen, then fair enough - although personally I can't really imagine that I would get much more of a buzz out of photographing six A4s than four.
But I would say this: I've just done a quick search of the Railway Heritage Register, which returned no less than 19 LNER coaches which are currently considered to be "at risk". I don't know how many are awaiting restoration. But the costs of temporarily repatriating two A4s might go some way to restoring one or two of them.
Currently, only the SVR and NYMR can turn out full rakes of LNER stock, and then only one each. Getting some more of these beautiful coaches restored would bring so much more interest and variety to our preserved railways - yet they seem to attract far less interest than the idea of putting six A4s side-by-side. Was that really a very common sight, even in steam days?
To me, two LNER-liveried A4s on the GCR, each with a rake of teak coaches, passing each other on the double track, would be both a more interesting spectacle and a more meaningful "recreation" than a six-A4 line-up.

 

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Brilliant idea, ship anything North Eastern to another continent *runs for cover*.

 

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I had a fairly good look at 60008 in 1999, and one thing that struck me was that it's on scrap tyres.

I presume that it got a set of useless wheelsets before being shipped out.

Whilst Green Bay is a port city it is predominantly a grain port and there may not be the facilities there to move a locomotive. You'd need a road move to the closest port that deals in TransAtlantic shipping which I reckon is probably Windsor - that's a 500 mile loco and tender road move before you even get it on a boat.

 

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It's a good idea, but it needs one minor modification, there's a surplus of western locos & Bulleid pacifics. I think we should send some (99%) away for charity. *runs for cover elsewhere*