90775

Does anyone know why the loco's status on the NNR website is 'Stored out of Service'? Such a beast of an engine!

 

90775 does need some work.
There are 21 months left on the ticket and there has been a few problems with the firebox in the past.
A lot of remedial work has taken place on the firebox and boiler and locomotive in general since it came into the M&GN Society's ownership.
With such a short time left on the ticket, combined with a desire to do the job properly and not just fire fight it is felt that any additional expenditure on 90775 now cannot be justified. Naturally with the B12 taking up time at the moment too and limited resources in terms of people it is hard all round.
It was likely that the WD would have been sidelined for a few years in any case if it had seen it's ticket out as the J15 will be needing an overhaul a few months after, and as we know where we stand with the J15, having been in our ownership for nearly 40 years now, it is felt that a quick return for this would be more prudent so that we can concentrate on overhauling the WD fully and to the best possible standard without any distractions.
She will return but will not be rushed.

Alex Galpin
M&GN Society Secretary

 

Is much of this generic to the Austerities as a whole? I seem to remember that the Severn Valley had firebox problems with Gordon, and at the time mention was made that when built they only had a life expectancy of 10 years, hence some of the engineering was not as involved as might be found on other locos. At 50 years plus, they have certainly exceeded their expectancy, and maybe some of the economies made in their construction are being found out.

Great locos, but I always feel that they are out of place on small branch on passenger trains. Long, unfitted freights is where they should be at!

 

ouch! Being a relative late starter while I always like seeing steam engines it wasn't untill 2005 I finaly got hooked, as such the WD and J15 have always been an highlight for me when visiting NNR, unfortunetly the B12 sat most of the time out while I was just starting to get used the Battle Britain when the ticket ran out. So for the WD to go without a fan far, or last chance to see her in action is shock.

What ever you do don't let her sit rusting like NYMR WD, what a waist, I wonder if I will ever see her steam?

 

I was told the spare firebox is somewhere along the NYMR dumped. It isn't even worth recovering because it is scrap. 90775 currently has 3 people regularly contributing £30 between them a month. That is not enough to overhaul a loco. There seems to be so much affection for this loco but nobody wants to dig into their pockets and donate some money. I'm sure if anyone wants to donate towards the WD the society would be most grateful. www.mandgn.co.uk

 

When the Mid Hants (Or its loco department) brought the locos back from Greece, there was at least one new inner firebox included - which loco was it fitted to?[/quote:2voq5ibc]

I believe that two, possibly three, spare fireboxes came from Greece. One was sold to the SVR and was fitted to Gordon when it was last overhauled as i understand it.

The one that the MHR had for (601/90775) was sold to the Essex Locomotive Society when they purchased 90775 and was fitted to that loco when it was overhauled at Grosmont, NYMR.

What i am not sure of, is if Dave Milham aquired a firebox for Dame Vera Lynn at the Lavender line and whether or not he sold it on to Clifford Brown when he bought that particular loco for use on the NYMR.

There was also a spare firebox for the MHR`s S160 as well, aquired from Greece.

 

Yes, a spare firebox was fitted to 90775 at Grosmont - not 100% sure it was one that came from Greece. The old one is, as afar as I know, still stored alongside Grosmont headshunt.

Grosmont MPD fitted a new out wrapper to 3672 before it entered service on the NYMR - one of the biggest firebox repairs done at the time. I can't recall whether a new inner box was fitted or the old one reused.

Steven

 

I'm fairly sure that if either of the WDs received "Gordon"' old firebox it was 90775, not 3672. Incidentally, someone comented on the limited design life of these locos; that may have ben the case but the quality of the repair on 3672 was such that it ran over 100,000 miles in the course of its 10-year ticket, with all the boiler work being done in house at Grosmont. It was mechanically very tired at the end, but that is not surprising! The boiler was said to be "not too bad". I think when it came to 90775 the NYMR overhauled the chassis and the ownrs took responsibility for the boiler.

I look forward to the return of 3672!

 

Snap! Hope it's started soon.

 

Sadly I don't see that happening until at least Tracey, Hartland and 80135 are finished, plus Repton will be withdrawn around 2012 and there is the S160 as well and little 29 to finish.
But I hope that DVL will steam again on the NYMR in the not too distant future

 

Anyone know when the next joint line is out?

maybe a raffle could be organised, the last railway development one raised 11k.

 

The next Joint Line is at the printers.

And there is a raffle running at present, again for the 'railway development fund.' You have to bear in mind that 90775 is M&GN not NNR, and that it is an NNR raffle!

 

Er... aren't there two working in Greece?

Yours pedantically,
Phil

 

I think Dame Vera received a complete new outer firebox. I've a vague recollection that they were only going to renew part of it but then found that the modern boiler plate specification was different and so weren't happy about welding the one type to the other. If anything was recycled from Gordon I'm pretty sure it was the inner firebox on 90775.

 

3672's outer wrapper was brand new - shaped at a local engineering firm in East Cleveland.

If Gordon's inner box was used on the NYMR, it was on 90775. can't remember if a spare inner box was used on 3672.

My memory has somewhat failed me on this which is why I was a bit vague earlier on.

Steven