5668 to follow 4253 to KESR

Well it's now absolutely official-5668 has been acquired by 4253 Locomotive Co. Ltd and is moving to the KESR as soon as is practical. It will remain in store until 4253 is completed with some remedial work to take place.

In the meantime work on 4253 is proceeding apace and is well on schedule with its projected restoration time-line. Home

 

The Westernisation of the KESR continues apace, just have to flog those Terrier things now

Seriously it's good you guys are looking ahead, while GWR are not authentic, they will deal with anything you can chuck at them.

 

They are authentic. K&ESR has been buying used GWR locos since about 1914.:smile:

 

Being a Colonel Stephens railway, it is merely perpetuating his locomotive policy which was to purchase whatever superannuated motive power he could get his hands on for his lines, so arguably almost anything is "prototypical" in that sense!
Interestingly I read in "Lines of Character" that Stephens did actually purchase new locomotives for his lines before WW1,typo notably an eight-coupled tank built by Hawthorn Leslie for the K & ESR, so you could argue that 4253 has a precedent in some ways.

 

It would be even more entertaining to see all the GW locos on the KESR turned out in dark blue with KESR lettering, similar to "Bodiam" - that would get a few people wound up!

Tom (off to hatch a plan to restore our Adams Radial tank in dark blue as "EKR No 5")

 

Tom, if you are going to see the Adams Radial restored to working order, we REALLY dont mind what colour you paint it ....!!!!

 

It wouldn't wind me up - a representation of what a Colonel Stephens line would look like, had it survived to the present day, would be something different and IMHO much needed. The ex GWR railcar in a K&ESR livery would be very authentic to my eye.

 

Never mind liveries; the most important point is that another "forgotten" ex-Barry hulk now has a working future - albhough we won't have to be worrying which colour 5668 is going to be painted for a good few years yet.

As for the "Westernisation" of the K&ESR, from what I've read, it seems like the Robertsbridge extension will result in a run that is beyond the ideal range of the faithful Austerities. If you're shopping around for suitable motive power to handle a 28-30 mile round trip, which has the power and adhesion to take 5 coaches up the steep gradient from Rolvenden to Tenterden and which can cope with the tight curves and axle loading limitations (although the latter has been increased significantly since Col Stephens' days), then you don't have a lot of choice. Although not part of the Southern Railway, the K&ESR was part of BR(S), but there aren't many Southern engines that fit the bill, and those that do are not for sale. I would guess that LBSCR E5 or E6 radials or a Z class would have been the best Southern engines for today's K&ESR. However, with no such locos sent to Woodhams and more than enough ex-GWR locos to meet the needs of the preserved lines situated in former GWR territory, engines like 4253, 5668 and 6619 are the only realistic choice unless some very generous benefactor offers to fund a new build. As 46118 has pointed out, this is a continuation of the Col. Stephens policy of picking up appropriate engines from wherever. I for one am pleased at the acquisition of these locos. I'm looking forward to sampling 6619 in action this year, and will be following the progress with 4253 with interest.

I do hope that the Austerities won't disappear when the Robertsbridge extension is completed. I'm assuming that they won't even though the arrival of these Great Western newcomers will probably mean that they will have a somewhat lower profile in the future. Somehow, the K&ESR wouldn't be the same without them.

 

I'd like to see these GW engines in one of the KESR liveries.

Regards

 

Good news. I wonder if she'll be souped up in the same way as 6619?

And yes, KESR goods blue would look nice. It looks nice on most things.

 

Careful - painting Great Western engines in blue! 5668 hasn't even arrived at Rolvenden yet, but some of the more died-in-the-wool GWR fans on this forum are probably already having a fit.

 

Paint it in the same livery as the King is in now, as a "never was". That'd be fun.

As one of the 4253 group, I believe this is a good deal for all concerned, and I'd like to thank the previous owner for allowing us this chance. I also hope this deal will actually shorten the overhaul of 4253.

 

How about the USA tanks (and their local derivatives) available in the former Yugoslavia?

 

Its interesting to see that the locomotives from the "mini-Barry" Rippingale collection at the Pontypool & Blaenavon Rly seem to be going to pastures new. I believe that the plan at one time was to retain 5243 and 5668 at the P&B as they represented really good examples of GWR steam loco stock that were common in S Wales. However, this seems to have changed and personally I'm delighted that new life is being breathed into these 2 GWR tank locos. I'm very impressed with the restoration progress on the 2-8-0T but I've always had a soft spot for them!

 

W'eve already got 2 of those Michael-and there are more in Greece!

John P you have captured a most sensible view with your particular approach. You hit the nail on head with your KESR motive power heritage appraisal. The venerable Col Stephens, if he still ran his empire today would more than likely have a similar stud of locomotives to that you would find currently at Rolvenden. The KESR because of it's general independence would be historically accurate if you ran anything that would steam within its precincts.
The Austerities no longer reign supreme but will not be disappearing- they have a place in the line's preservation history during which they have earned this entitlement as deservedly as the Terriers in their own sphere of operations.All will be required to carry on with the stirling work they have always carried out.
When the extension to Robertsbridge becomes reality - 6619,4253, 5668 (and don't forget 1638) will all be flying the Western flag down here in the South East and will ultimately be seen on many trains in the future. In the shorter term-Norwegian's out in the spring and DS238 is coming along nicely-so there will be a fair mix of regions and origins whatever happens.

 

Austerity, am I right in thinking that 25 will be finished long before DS238, or have I caught a touch of Seagull's senility again?

 

Or perhaps the experimental apple green livery which was applied to some of the Castles?

Incidentally, would that Polish 0-8-0T which is for sale at Wansford, or the two Tkhs at the Spa Valley be suitable?

 

I really do doubt it. The 0-8-0 has such a short wheelbase, despite being 8 coupled. While it would go round our curves with no problem, I suspect the overall ride would be akin to going over Niagara Falls in a washing machine that was set to spin. (i.e. Not a lot different to a trip on a USA tank!)

I did look at the TkH locos when they became available, but I believe they are down on tractive effort compared to the Austerities and USA tanks, and would ride just as badly. However, not having been on one, I can't say if they are particularly hard riding at "speed" and over distance.

Incidentally, the odd thing is that they would at least be in gauge! Because of the Norwegian loco, our infrastructure is made to the wider gauge. Seems strange when you think that the line was probably originally built on a "oh, just stick it there" basis!

 

Thanks, Fireline. Is there anybody from the Nene Valley around here who can comment the 0-8-0's ride? I recall that 25mph is its top speed and that it was designed to be worked at much lower speeds than that, so I'd imagine that at full tilt the ride would be pretty lively.