4920 Dumbleton Hall

Now I know she is well down the SDR's "to do" list, but is this really an image you should be displaying to the travelling public, located just across from the platform ?: IMG_0442 Jpeg A4 | Flickr - Photo Sharing! , That is just disgracefull frankly, at least cover her up or move her out of public view.

 

Very sad that this fine loco has been sidelined. In the 1990s she was to be seen on the West Somerset and the Paignton - Kingswear line. The management of the time at the latter decided not to use locos that it didn't own and this left her with nowhere to work. No steaming fees coming in, presumably no money available for overhaul.

 

I've seen worse.

 

Why is this one particularly disgraceful?

 

I was thinking the same, Reformed Sniper. Rusting locos are unfortunately a feature of many heritage railways.

 

Chiefly because of it's position as Buckfastleigh - it can't be more than 10 foot opposite the platform, you can hardley miss it, it's not like it's pushed to the end of a sidings mostly out of public view, as you walk through the booking office at Buckfastleigh 4920 is pretty much the first thing your eyes see unless there's coaches in the platform.

Anyway, my point really was not why it's ended up like that, more coulden't it be covered up or moved to a less prominent position ?, shes hardley a great advert looking like that, surely a mystery item under a tarpaulin is better than joe public getting the wrong impression about the SDR.

 

Got to disagree with this - I saw her in that position last autumn and whilst she looks tired I'd hardly say she looked abandoned. Don't really see the point of pushing her out of view - out of sight out of mind?

 

How about arranging a working party with cleaning rags and some touch up paint ?, and a dustbin lid to cover the chimney, stop that rainwater !

 

She has as far as I'm aware and don't quote me been put there on display which is why she's at the head of the wagons as it makes a fairly good picture. Granted a repaint would make her look a lot better but she doesn't look that bad.
She is also cleaned fairly regularly by a dedicated few who like to look after her who go and polish the brass etc and its suprising what a difference just that makes

 

Same can be said for the likes of the awful state of 34016 (which now resembles a grey colour rather than brunswick green) and the Maunsell Moguls at MHR or a couple of the out of ticket engines at the NYMR such as the WD (though this now seems to have a cover over her) & S160? The latter appear to be in far worse visual condition than the Hall. Whilst none of these are sitting in a platform or next to a station they are noticeable to the common visitor as they pass, specially the MHR examples, i can't comment on the NYMR as i've never ridden it. Not a lot they can do about it, someone needs to spend the money to cover them or find the time and money to paint them, if there isn't the money to do so they will look rough and as is obvious, very difficult to hide things out of view on the majority of railways!

 

I haven't been to the SDR for several years but last time I was there she was under cover and viewable from a footpath that runs behind the station. It seems an odd decision to bring her out into the open, it will just be adding £££'s to her long overdue overhaul. We have seen slowly a realisation from railways that storing locos out in the open while cheaper in the short term, is uneconomical in the long term. Even the Mid-Hants, often criticised on here, has sent CanPac to Eastleigh until it can be restored. Lets hope that 4920 can be displayed at the head of a train in the not so distant future, but this time in steam.

 

I was at the SDR about 2 weeks ago. I noticed that dumbleton hall did seem a little run down. But a lick of paint and a good clean should sort her out. I read that the SDR plan to build a new museum complex at buckfastleigh so maybe 4920 will end up in that.
Its a shame that sometimes out of ticket engines are stored outside but of course not everyone has the luxury of something like highleys engine house. In a lot of cases on heritage lines, undercover space is a premium so therefore some stuff has to be kept outside. and of course, its not just locos. ive seen plenty of carriages and wagons rotting away in sidings.

 

Although locos without lagging & cladding look worse than complete ones removal of the water retaining lagging is essential to arrest boiler corrosion if locos are stored outside unsheeted.

Before the SVR Engine House was constructed at Highley out of traffic locos such as 43106 were stored outside with cladding on for long periods of time quietly rotting the boiler itself.

As a result as part of its last overhaul 43106 required part of the boiler barrel to be replaced at considerable extra cost.

Out of traffic locos need to be stored under cover, properly sheeted or stripped of lagging if deterioration is to be slowed down. The only entirely rot free conditions are museum ones with cover & controlled temperature. Even cover such as the shed at Didcot is not a total answer as the effects of condensation will still allow slow deterioration.

 

Sad to see her present condition. Here's some video footage of her lookinh a bit healthier in 1995 on the Paignton & Dartmouth Railway;

4920 Dumbleton Hall - Paignton & Dartmouth Railway - June 1995 - YouTube

 

What a glorious noise!

Glad you decided to share the clip

 

Agreed. Get that chimney covered up at least, or get her under cover. An operational loco with a good coat of paint and well oiled up would survive outdoors better than the hall, why not give it a corner of the loco shed?

 

Does anyone know who actually own the loco? From what i understand DHPS (Dumbleton hall preservation society) bought the engine in 1976 (left barry that year). The loco was owned by Shareholders. Has that now changed?

In the latest Bulliver it mentions that the DHPS members received a letter about whats next for 4920, and a possible sale/swap deal for another loco? It seems madness that a loco society called DHPS would/could sell/swap the engine that is the name of the society? I can completely understand that the SDR has no use for the loco and would want to get something more suited like say 4555 ish size. But it does look like the original members of 4920 who bought the engine restored it then were kind enough to let the sdr use their company to set up the sdr would then loose the engine that they paid for? Join a loco society and end up with a railway and not the engine that they wanted to see in steam. If anyone from the SDR knows more on the ownership but doesnt want to post on here i would be happy to receive a PM.

Kind regards Gavin

 

As Chairman of DHPS it would be useful to update this thread. We have taken steps over the last few months to reactivate the Society as, having initially been instrumental in taking over the operation of what was previously the Dart Valley Railway Buckfastleigh - Totnes branch to operate under the name South Devon Railway, using our own company that owned 4920 and 3803. In the 90's we happily ran the SDR, 4920 was up and running and 3803 was restored by the SDR and entered traffic in 2005. Over the years the direct link between the persons running SDR and the Society Committee was broken. Nobody on the SDR Board was actually a DHPS Committee Member. Some Board Directors had even forgotten they owned the Hall!

Things have now changed. We now have two DHPS Committee Members who are SDR Directors. We have appointed new members to our Committee. The SDR have agreed that 4920 will be removed from the disconnected siding opposite the Station where it has resided since 2009. Far too Long! The loco appears in the SDR's timeline for restoration in 2018, but in the meantime we intend to apply pressure to the SDR to honour its commitment to move it out of the disconnected siding and put it in a position where preparatory work on its overhaul can begin. Some forward planning has already taken place in this respect. One of the things it will need as part of its overhaul is a new back head, and we have already had one pressed in our boiler works and which is now in store ready for fitting.

Our second large loco, 3803, came out of service in the Autumn of 2015 and is back at Buckfastleigh awaiting overhaul. It needs new tyres. It shouldn't be too big a job otherwise and it is intended that it gets its overhaul fairly quickly and goes back on the hire market and also works on the SDR from time to time. This will be very much the pattern for the 'Hall' in due course. The good thing now is that the SDR has been upgraded and can run engines up to 25ton axle weight - not the position when the 'Hall' was last in ticket