South Coast Steam and S160 3278

Hi,

Does anyone perchance know if South Coast Steam are still operating as an overhaul company? My brother was driving past the gates this morning and said this was all he could see in the yard.

I have childhood memories of travelling behind Franklin D. Roosevelt on the MHR a long time ago, but I understand they didn't part on the best of terms?

 

Not sure of the status of south coast steam. However the owners of 3278 and the MHR came to an agreement fairly recently that would see the MHR making staged payments towards its current overhaul. No operating location once the loco has been overhauled has been decided yet AFAIK, but a return to the MHR seems unlikely.

Also with the completion of this settlement, I believe the MHR no longer have any outstanding Legal issues, with owners of locomotives, either based still at the MHR or formerly based there.

 

Hello,

I was going to Portland today and was passed by a low loader with a USA tender on the back, moving away from Portland. So I drove around to South Coast Steam Ltd and saw 'Franklin D Roosevelt' on the back of another low loader. Please see image below:



I would of asked about where it was going, but didn't have a chance. Does anyone know where it's off too?

Kind regards,

Mookie.

 

Not sure where its off to, but it looks like the overhaul is fairly well advanced from the picture.

 

You can tell that an overhaul is well advanced from that photo? I'd call that impressive!

 

The last time I saw 3278 at Portland, the frames were resting in the yard in a sorry state. It certainly is quite a way through the rebuild stage now. The boiler has a new smokebox and the superheater elements are in, just visible through the steam pipe apertures, in the photo. It will be interesting to see where the overhaul is completed and also where 3278 will run once finished.

 

That cabs still in same place it was when I went there 2 years ago

Sent from my RM-914_eu_euro1_327 using Tapatalk

 

The overhaul does look well advanced. The RH motion other then the eccentric rod which is hidden by the van is in place including combination lever and union link, you can see the end of the connecting rod and the leading coupling rod, screw reverser mounted on the side of the firebox, some surviving examples have this fitted others power reversers, there appears to be a stand for a brake valve, and there is brake piping and an exhaust for an ejector and air brake reservoirs under the footplate. Interesting comparing staying of the firebox to Hungarian examples, very few flexible stays in 3278, compared to a significant proportion of such in Hungarian boilers. If work is going to continue it could be seen complete quite soon, nice work.

 

Bought by wcr for exclusive use on Jacobite!?

 

So would it be transported to Carnforth?

 

The Greek S160's (like 3278) came second hand from the Italian State Rlys. IIRC, following a series of firebox failures, the FS began a programme of replacing the fireboxes formed of thicker plate (3/8" up to 7/16"). Could this be the reason for the different staying? Power reversers were only fitted new to the final batch(es) of S160's. There are 2 current threads on S160's, with lots of links to good photos, on the U.S. "Home Machinist" site - look under "USATC S160 consolidation" and "steam railroading returns to Alaska" Ray.

 

When I took this photograph, there was a spare firebox in the yard and it looked as though it was cut off 3278.

 

Maybe it's gne the Churnet Valley and blended into the background!

 

It was not at the churnet valley when i was there on wednesday plus with 5197 under overhaul i don't think there would be room for it. With the recent cash injections from the MHR prehaps it is moving to a contractor for the work to be completed?
But this will make 3 s160's operational in the UK for the first time in about 10 or more years and by 2015 if you include 5197 and one from the ruddington selection we could have 5. But i hope we find out where this one has got to.
many thanks
Patrick

 

3278 was still in Portland on Wednesday, as that was when I took the photo. The tender pass me on the way in to Portland, that why I dropped round to see 3278 on a Low loader still in the yard. The photo was taken around 4pm

 

Yes, there were a number of firebox failures in Italy and it was found that there was a design fault with the firebox stays which had a too coarse pitch thread which enabled scale to penetrate. The stay would overheat and the thread strip resulting in firebox collapse - just like the three examples that happened here during WW2. This Italian experience is referred to in the book "Locomotives at War" by P. M. Kalla-Bishop originally published by D. Bradford Barton.

Question:- Have, or are, South Coast Steam gone or going into liquidation?

 

No. Still listed at Companies House as current.