Tornado

Looking at the entry for 60163 on Wikipedia (Not very reliable I know!) I noticed they have it down as running in grey undercoat until the Autumn when apple green livery will be applied. Couldn't find info on this anywhere else today and if I have read about it before I can't remember reading it. Is this correct? If so she will look a little odd at the GCR event in May.

 

I believe that's so that if they find anything wrong and have to lift the boiler or whack it with a really big sledge hammer etc, they won't have to ruin their lovely apple green gloss paint!

 

I had also read that somewhere else the final paint was due to be added when she is formally named sometime in the summer.

 

Didn't the great unmentionable one (the sole A3) run in grey undercoat on the mainline for a test run? I remember seeing a pic of it in such a livery on the cover of the RM in 1998/9

 

Yes she did: http://railrover.fotopic.net/p26986045.html

 

From the GCR website

"We are now expecting Britain's brand new steam engine, Peppercorn A1, no 60163 "Tornado" to arrive in June. We will be programming a full range of events to celebrate the tremendous achievements of the A1 Steam Trust - please watch this space for details. The previously advertised events with this engine (including those published in the flyer insert in Main Line 134) are now withdrawn."

 

Any particular reason?

 

Presumably because Tornado won't be there

 

In the new SR is is said they need another 50k for the cost of finishing

 

This is mostly due to the increase in raw material costs in recent months.

Regards,

Dan

 

its a right pain in the bum [-(

 

50k for finishing it off - Thats got to be a typo surely?

 

Not according to the latest SR. Copper and special steels cost, so does the labour to fit them. Apparently they make borrow Blue Peter's main springs short-term.

 

If true, I'm a bit surprised that the main springs weren't ordered and manufactured at the same time as other adjacent parts on the frames.

 

There you go again Eightprat, (sorry Eightpot), all these negative waves. If you put as much energy into positive thinking as you put into the negative, you could be president of the whole Railway movement by now.

Would it suprise you to know that the money was not available at the time?, or can,t your brain handle that?.

Regards
Chris

 

Calm down everybody so Tornado wont be ready until June.Remember that this is the first loco that has been built from scratch so having to wait a couple of months is really no big deal.

We should be praising the A1 loco trust for getting this far a magnificent acheivement.

 

update: http://www.a1steam.com/update.html

 

Its called delayed gratification. People are too quick to throw their toys out of the tender. If you are that desperate to see the A1 running, write a cheque for £50k, if not, be patient. It will certainly be worth the wait !

 

I wonder whether the springs issue is linked to problems the Bluebell has experienced with new springs for the C Class and the Atlantic.

 

No it,s not actually. The springs issue is down to the poor state of the track itself. The Mid-Hants track is fortunate in being built on chalk, wheras the Bluebell,s is sadly built on clay resuting in much "clay heave".

Regards
Chris