the future of A2 Blue Peter ???

Dear all
Does anyone know of the future of A2 Blue Peter?? i know that the agreement between the owners and the NELPG has ended but i have heard no further news since.
thanks
Patrick

 

There were rumours that Jeremy Hosking was looking into BP (according to SR Magazine from around 8 months ago I think) but had made no offer at the time of writing. I reckon SR could do a lot worse than launch an appeal and get 60532 back into steam. I read that around £600,000 is required to get her back in steam (Personally, I thought this was a little low, having said that I am in no way an engineer...)

James at SVN

 

The problem seems to be that the owner desn't have the funds to carry out the overhaul himself, but is not willing to cede control of the engine to anyone who does. If he was the loco would be running again on the NYMR by now (and presumably on the main line as well). I must admit that I thought that making him a Trustee of Jeremy Hosking's L&G Charity was probably in order to bring 60532 into that stable, but it doesn't seem to have worked so far.

 

Just bought a tenners worth of euromillions tickets, heres hoping.............

 

:scared: A tenner? on lottery tickets? Us poor pensioners struggle to buy food. :wink:

If you win can I come and live with you?:couch2:

 

Even if someone did run an appeal to overhaul it, it's a waste of time till somebody can be found to run and maintain it who the owner is happy with or the owner chooses to sell.

 

Hi all,
Just wanted to note something from the article that was wrote on the ending of the contract on the NELPG website:
'The NELPG has enjoyed a long and harmonious relationship with the Drury family
and it is pleasing to report that this is very much set to continue. Termination
of the 1986 Agreement is a sensible first step towards new arrangements to
ensure the future preservation and operation of the locomotive which, it is
expected, should in some form involve the NELPG and its expertise on the A2.'

so though nothing has yet come to frutrition, the nelpg still want to be involved in the upkeep of the A2. We should hear something in the next couple of months I'm guessing
Matt

 

Would the A1 Trust be interested in becoming custodians of 'Blue Peter'? Lots of common parts and an excellent shed mate for 'Tornado'.

 

Would the owners of Blue Peter be interested in the A1 Trust becoming custodians of the loco? That's a more important question.

 

How can you say that the general public would not be bothered about Blue Peter running on Heritage lines? Before Tornado came on the scene, Blue Peter was second in the popularity stakes with the general public, with Scotsman being No. 1.

 

I think there's a shortage of class 7/8 power on the mainline right now and a pent up demand forming in the next few years.

Most of the mainline work currently falls in the hands of 70000, 70013, 4464, 60163, 34067 and 46115, with 35028, 71000, 46233, 5043 doing slightly less... That's 10 core engines working circa 3-5 class8 railtours a week across the country in the summer months.

The profit margin of class5's ergo the demand for them on mainline trips is becoming more limited, but the market is growing, with need for longer trains.

with 5029 on the bench, 6024 and 6201 bowing out, should 2 or 3 engines suddenly need unplanned maintenace as last year we could see diesels and cancelations again, even the vsoe had to go diesel last year.
true they are being joined by 60009 and 34046, and by 60007, 4472, 6100 and 6023 at some point.

All of the core locos, 70000, 70013, 4464, 60163, 34067 and 46115, we're relatively new to the mainline, or overhauled around 2007-2010, which means 2014-2017 they will be dropping out for overhaul in a short time frame.

It is also obvious some new markets are growing, London and Bristol to Weymouth and Swanage are doing very well, and I would hazard a guess if sufficient class8 MN's were available, a twice or thrice weekly summer schedule from the capital would do well... Maybe that's why there's a sudden flurry for 35009, 35018, 35027 and rumour on 34016.

On the basis of all that there's a space for 60532, maybe timed around 60163's first overhaul or that of 4464.

 

Yes, it was to do with a TV programme, but is not a lot of Tornado's public following to do with a guy called Jeremy Clarkson and his TV programme? To get Mallard into the public spot light, should it ever work again, would be an interesting project for the NRM's publicity arm. It would certainly benefit the rail connected heritage railways if it were to visit any of them.

 

Hmm, maybe that's a thread on its own..

Most famous engines in preservation ? 4468, 4472, 60163, 6100...what follows ?

 

Of course the world moves on but Blue Peter, the TV programme, is just as popular as ever and there's no reason to suppose that today's youngsters wouldn't be any less impressed by a locomotive of the same name as were their parents.

 

You forgot Thomas. I'd put it just in front of 4468...

 

6100 & 4472 might qualify for 'most infamous' thanks to the events of the past few years.

 

I thought the BBC were planning on cutting down the number of episodes, allegedly because of lack of interest? The problem with relying on associations with popular things in the media is that they eventually wear thin.