Dinmore Manor

7820's first revenue earning days have been completed without a hitch, starting with 2 sell out days for the 30742 charters group as promised, grateful thanks are due to them for having faith in us to deliver, it was a close call! before moving on to hauling her first passenger services in nearly ten years over the weekend. She is provisionally rostered to work services over the Easter weekend.

This would be a timely point to publicly thank all of those who have helped to get 7820 up and running again, DMLL volunteers and shareholders who have once again done us proud, many GWSR volunteers who have worked alongside us tirelessly since 7820's arrival to have her available for traffic as soon as possbile. 7903 Ltd and the Bluebell Railway for the loans of tenders as required. The support of our many contractors and suppliers including: Riley & Son (E) Ltd, Tyseley Locomotive Works, South Devon Railway Engineering, Severn Valley Railway Engineering, West Somerset Railway Plc, West Somerset Restorations, Locomotive Maintenance Services, John Hancock Engineering, Royal Sun Alliance and countless others for everything from a cork to a washer. As can be seen, an industry wide effort, we look forward to working with them all again in the future with our many other projects.

Regards,

Mike Solloway

DMLL



Photo courtesy of Kirk Heath, taken during an unfortunately gloomy 30742 charters event on the 4th of April. Plenty more are appearing on our Flickr group: https://www.flickr.com/groups/1541509@N21/

 

She looks fantastic, well done to everyone involved! Just annoyed I wasn't there this weekend :-( nevermind, I'm sure I'll see her out and about soon. pity we couldn't have put one of our newer maroon coaches near the front, that one's paint work's nearly had it! At least we're getting there with that rake...

 

I'll be keeping an eye on the GWSR loco roster for the month. I've got a couple of complementary tickets as a thank you for supporting the "Bridges for Broadway" appeal. A trip behind 7820 is a good of using these up.

 

Ray from the steam loco blog has put some of his pics up along with a write up of the two days, for those that didn't go to the charter, here. some excellent photography, dinmore manor looked great and lovely rolling stock (except the bits I painted )

 

7820 in action on the 2nd charter

 

GWSR roster updated. 7820 in use throughout the Easter weekend.

 

I have uploaded two galleries including 7820 from the Easter weekend.

The first showing shots from Friday with 7820 running services with 5542:

http://khardy.zenfolio.com/p273793612

The second is from 7820's return to steam special during the Evening with stunning weather conditions:

http://khardy.zenfolio.com/p184625909

 

Its amazing just how good a manor looks with a plain black coat of paint and an early BR logo. Not sure if that's resistance to the monotony of BR green talking, but I can't think of a GWR class I've ever seen that it doesn't look right on.

 

Which goes to show how very personal livery preferences are, because I couldn't disagree more myself. I cant think of a single GW class that I think this livery looks acceptable upon. That said I am not in favour of everything being BR green. Variety is the thing I think, but not certainly not BR black on a GW loco. As I say my personal opinion.

 

I think I always prefer the oldest livery a loco could realistically wear, in this case, gwr green (yes I know it was built in 1950, but it was gwr design). I think it is definitely a crime ti have any pregrouping loco in BR colours.

 

I think we already have sufficient offences on the statute book, though in fairness this new offence would be easier to police than some we have.

 

Looks the proverbial muts nuts to me, only livery I'm not keen on a Manor is GWR green as it looks a bit bland, though that may be my mind saying they were better machines once modified under BR.

 

Well Alex, you'd better send the police down to Swanage (30053), Rolvenden (32670/8) Didcot (5322), Bodmin (4247) Havenstreet (W24) Grosmont (63395) and Barrow Hill (41708) to name but a few, while I'm sure the owner of the L&Y 0-6-0 will be relieved he repainted his engine from 52322 to 12322 in the last few months! You might even find that the DMLL could end up in the dock in a decade's time if 2874 is done up in the same livery as 3850!

Seriously, there's no doubt that some of the old pre-grouping liveries look really stunning with their elaborate lining. Caley 828 on the Strathspey or the Bluebell's SECR-liveried trio of 178, 263 and 592 spring to mind. However, the Bluebell does have some suitable stock to run with them. Even if the LBSCR bogie first LSWR brake 320 or the "Mets" are from a different company, they do look the part.

However, the Bluebell is in the privileged position of having begun its carriage collection when these old coaches were still in use, even though it has subsequently retrieved a few coach bodies to augment its vintage fleet. Later lines have had to rely largely on Mark 1 stock. It is unsurprising that some such lines have opted to try to recreate an era (usually the 1950s) by painting locos, carriages and stations appropriately. This sill doesn't make for 100% authenticity, as services on the 1950s on these secondary lines (as they then were) would most unlikely have comprised non-corridor pre-1948 stock, with the Mark 1s being used primarily on main line services. However, some people feel that this compromise is less inauthentic and therefore preferable to featuring an engine sporting a pre-nationalisation livery hauling BR-built and liveried stock. That's a perfectly valid position to take.

However, the Isle of wight Steam Railway doesn't come into this category, using entirely pre-grouping stock. I don't think that repainting Calbourne into BR livery has proved unpopular and this raises another issue. There is only one preserved O2. Should it be a hard and fast rule that it may never be allowed to portray the final 18 years of its working life? By contrast, with 9 Manors preserved, counting the static but complete 7808 at Didcot, you can enjoy them in GWR green, BR unlined black, BR lined black and BR lined green, thus offering a chance to see a reasonably full livery history.

Seriously, I am pleased that a number of lines which have relied largely on Mark 1 stock are now attempting to build up rakes of pre-48 stock. The West Somerset and Great Central are two lines that spring to mind. While Mark 1s are a lot more pleasant to travel in (if clean and well-upholstered) than most stock on the national network with the horrid plastic interiors, many "Big Four" era carriages are much better still. If we want to see more locos in pre-48 liveries, let's have more old coaches to go with them.

 

You can't beat BR maroon Jubilees and 8Fs.

 

Stanier Mogul in the same shade of fuchsia that Galatea is in , with 'James' and '5' on the side please...

 

I'd like to see a maroon standard tank....

 

I'll see what I can do.

 

The 8F is rumoured to be EWS red...

 

7820 is going to NNR for most of August and staying to attend the NNR Grand Steam Gala.

http://www.nnrailway.co.uk/page.php?pid=5

 

As 'ykin01' has pointed out 7820 is off on her travels for the first time in this current ticket to the NNR. More here: https://www.facebook.com/DinmoreManorLocomotiveLtd

Original picture courtesy of Ray O'Hara.


Regards,

Mike Solloway

DMLL