Halls - unloved, unsung?

That's good news about 6989, it's one that's seems to have slipped under the radar. I'll nail my colour to the mast and say that I thoroughly enjoy watching, listening and admiring Halls. Watching 4936 leave Hampton Loade during the SVR's autumn gala at night was magical, they've got such a tremendously deep 'bark' and have a strong, sturdy look to them. I'm a bit disappointed that I haven't got a good shot of 4936 during this month's Santa trains on the Valley, yet. One more weekend to go...

 

I've always preferred the look of the earlier Halls ever since owning a Hornby 'Kneller Hall', but perhaps I'm just 'Court'ing critisism...

 

perhaps not, but the whole presence of a hall is much more impressive than a little industrial. This isn't just Halls, as a general rule, I'd sday the public prefer "big" or "proper" engines, ie ones with a tender, than tanks. I believe my Grandparents rather unwittingly went on one of the first public steam train rides on the GWSR back when it was Cadbury No. 1, and all my Grandma had to say about it was "it was just a rubbish little tank engine, rather boring!"

I'd still love to see Cadbury restored, seems rather unique. I'm sure the GWSR could let it visit, but, it seems it is left to watch Tyseley turntable for the ret of its days...

 

We seem to have run out of puns for the minute... Hall-elujah!

Richard.

 

Maybe not..
The aggressive one. Foughtham Hall
The Lickey Banker replacement. Pushem Hall
The gourmet one. Taystead Hall
The greedy one. Eaton Hall

 

I remember visiting the City of Swindon to shop at the Designer Village many moons ago, there was a Hall on display there, can't quite remember the number, but I think it was "Spendit Hall"

I like the Halls, they sound fantastic and are good solid locos, though as others have said they perhaps fall between two stalls - a bit wide and heavy for many preserved lines, and limited route availability and (slightly) low on power for many main line runs. The SVR and GWSR are good homes for them though, they really look the part there.

 

You Canton say that

 

Did anyone metion the POLICE liveried Hall on anti-vandal patrol?

Evening Hall of course

 

Then there's the Three Musketeers' famous motto:- "One for Hall, and Hall for one"

Richard.

 

Thanks for all these replies, which I have found interesting.

I found Stu in Torbay's comments particularly interesting, as the PDSR struck me as the sort of line that could use a Hall. However, it seems that a Manor is better suited to this line. It's a bit like comparing a Bulleid Light Pacific to a Merchant Navy on a heritage line - they look similar and have names, but a WC/BB can do anything that is thrown at it, (even on lines like the NYMR and WSR which are long and steeply graded) yet does not have such a big firebox as an MN and is much less voracious with coal. Also, for the main line, as I mentioned (and others have agreed) a Black Five wins hands down simply because of wider route availability. Still, hats off to Tyseley for searching out some interesting itineraries for 4965.

Yes, 7903 does seem particularly well-suited to the GWSR. It also sounds good, While the line does not boast the gradients of some other lines, I've certainly enjoyed listening to its bark getting away from Winchcombe on the short climb to Greet Tunnel.

As for the humorous comments, I remember a thread on this forum about 3 years ago where people suggested possible names for hypothetical new-build members of certain classes. We had "Bouncy Castle", "Home on the Grange" "City of Milton Keynes" among others, but as this thread shows, the Halls were head and shoulders the winners for extra names whch, for some reason the GWR didn't use!

 

All illustrates how dire "class" names can be when the inspiration runs out. At least the L.N.W.R. realised this and stopped naming the "Claughtons" but relaxed this in order to give a rude gesture to the officious courtier, Sir Charles Cust. Thus the royal train was once double headed by "Vindictive" and "Sir Charles Cust"!

P.H.

 

Then there was the great gathering of all the remaking class members at Swindon for which the Beatles even wrote a song: hall together now

That taxi will be for me.

 

The LNWR had a weird way with names. Who'd name a loco "Problem" or "Experiment"? It was an Experiment-class loco that was derailed at Shrewsbury, which caused lots of uninformed speculation (quelle surprise!) in the press at the time.

Tom

 

Names are only ever any good if they are weird or thoughtful, imaginative or humorous. Once they get to the handle crank, sausage machine stage they need to be done away with.

Thus the best are IMHO the Chatham Railway "Enigma" (humorous) or virtually all the North British Atlantics (imaginative). This is why I am so underwhelmed by the calling of the proposed P2 "Prince of Wales". Nothing at all against the POW personally but it has all been done before on locomotives and ships etc. What was needed was a dash of imagination which it did not get.

PH

 

But the London, Chatham and Dover Railway must take the biscuit for naming two of its 2-4-0s Flirt and Frolic!

 

To be fair, I'd have doubts about Cadbury's No1's ability to move load 6 at a constant 25MPH over 10 miles...

 

Yep, though she handled the train alright, personally I thought she made heavy weather of it, certainly think Rood Ashton or even Foremarke would have done better, some loco's just perform differently for no obvious reason.

 

4936 has certainly been very well received by crews at the SVR. Just a shame she cant stay for longer.

We all know the usual Bugger hall.