Tornado

bittern haveing winter maintenance at southall. FISH7373 81C FITTER.

 

All the mainline locos recently given attention at Ropley have either been there anyway (for a gala or start of a mainline tour) or have needed to use the wheeldrop. I wouldn't expect much change from this pattern in the near future. There's little point incurring Light Engine movement charges if the work can be done "on shed" at Southall between tours, either by the support crew volunteers or contract engineers.

 

That is true Mr steamage plus there is a wheeldrop at southall. some people just don't now the facts. FISHH7373 81C FITTER

 

but have you got a running line to check everythings sorted before you go back on the main line? and anyway its down to the owner of the loco where it gets the work done, some times isnt it just as well to be able to give the engine a good run to bed everything down without having to wrorry about possibly having a failure that blocks a main line this is where engineering centres that have preserved railways near by are in a stronger situation , you can test your repairs under load and fine tune the engine

 

Is there? I didn't know that. Thanks for the info. Is there a limit on the size of wheelset it can handle? I suppose if it can handle an A4's centre drivers (with the big eccentric in the axle) then it will handle any current mainline loco - until Anthony and Steve get GNR No 1 re-certified! ;-)

 

Yes can handle any mainline locos wheels it is the shed at the east end of depot next to main line, the one with 10 ton A frame out side of shed. FISH7373 81C FITTER.

 

Ah, thanks for that. I guess the plan changed then! My source is very reliable and has always been good with info. regarding visiting loco's on the MHR. I just haven't seen him since December which is when he told me about 60163 and Bittern coming to the MHR for contract work.

 

Every body dont forget that 60163 has not got a home as such, they are bit like gypsies travelling round diffrent site,there true home is a long way from here, thats southall, think 60163 stabled at southall quite a few times in the past year. FISH7373 81C FITTER

 

I think 60163's true home is Darlington and it isn't rail connected, so returning Home involves low loaders etc.

 

It's certainly it's spiritual home if not its actual home as such. Tornado travelling as she does around the country has allowed the locomotive to be seen by a great variety of people, so having no actual, cemented home as such is not necessarily a bad thing. Add to the fact that both trust and locomotive have good operating relationships where they stay, and you can see the logic in the, ah, "gypsy" formula, so to speak.

There is an argument I suppose for rail connecting the Hopetown Works if a P2 were to be built or they felt the need to return Tornado "home" for any particular reason, but it doesn't strike me as a priority right now for the trust by any means.

 

Last price quoted to get connected was in excess of half a million pounds to include all signalling.

As you say at that price, it can wait!!!!!

 

I thought that her home base inbetween tours was the NRM after all, thats where she went for attension and the repaint into BR green other places she has stayed have just been for stabling , if she needed major attension i would expect her to return to York

 

I'd say Tornado has 3 main homes. Darlington where she was built (not sure if this is where she'll return at the end of her boiler ticket), York for her trips in the North of England and Southall for her trips out of London and the South of England.

 

On SE-Gen they say that Tornado is destined to depart Southall to Wimbledon PK tomorrow for the wheel lathe? Does anybody have any more info as to why?

 

Simply to reprofile the tyres, would be my thought on that, 34007

Edit - from a post on "What's going on", in the 'LE Movements' thread, this would seem to be the case

 

Digging the thread as I was at Railfest yesterday and the German crew member informing us on the loco on the footplate said that she was originally painted Grey, then Apple Green, then as she is now in Brunswick Green and will then be painted BR Express Blue before returning to Apple Green. Anyone else heard this?

Has a plan changed again as I think last I heard was that she would go back to Apple then then BR Blue as the trust felt that Apple Green was the Brand colour. But is Blue has jumped the queue then thats great as I can't wait to see her in Blue even more so if they get her next to 60007 again (as she is at Railfest) and 6023.

 

Martijn's Dutch!

With regard to the livery nothing has been officially announced yet.... it might make sense to go to blue while the running gear is still painted black....

Foxy

 

Hmm to upset the purists.. maybe it could run in BR Maroon (similar to the Duchesses he he he...

 

I apologise still he was very informative.