44781

Why did this lovely piece of kit end up in essex?

 

Wikipedia is a bit adrift here. I am working from memory and am prepared to stand corrected, but 44781, a "Five Guinea Special" loco was reported (I think by Railway World) to have been purchased by Gerald Pagano with the intention of basing it at Carnforth. The film deal was struck but BR wanted an exorbitant sum of money to retrieve it (it had already been re-railed and shunted into the local goods yard). Speculation at the time revolved around someone quoting the price wrongly but in spite of strenuous efforts to resolve the issue, Mr Pagano was sadly left with no alternative.

The film was set in Malaya; not a lot like Essex and some LMS coaches were also involved. The loco was fitted up with dummy side tanks and a huge headlight.

David

 

You obviously knew someone on BR: everyone else had to pay FIFTEEN guineas!

But your memory of the events surrounding 4781 are pretty much in line with mine.

 

It did not end up in Essex ,Bartlow is in Cambridgeshire albeit right on the Essex border

 

Fair enough

 

Perhaps one positive of it being scrapped after all, imagine the confusion you'd have between it and 44871!

 

Oh come on they're getting on for nearly 80 and the big railway still cant do without them! Im sure Mr Riley would love another 5!

 

He and many others!

 

Do you think the NRM would let us have 45000 back? You really cant beat a black 5 although a Stanier Mogul does come a close second!

 

OOPS: brain fade. I did know BR people, but no one able to get me a discount! I wonder how many how many people out there remember what guineas were??

David

 

A pound and 5 pence?

 

Twenty one shillings!

 

To be honest, 5000 wasn't the best of the class, far from it, although it did a job well enough.

As to comparisons between a Black 'un and Stanier Crab, 2968 is actually a stronger engine than a Five. At high speeds, the Black 'un is ahead (litterally) but with secondary passenger, excursions, parcels, fitteds, etc., there was nothing to choose. If you had a choice on a heavy mineral, though, a driver would choose a Crab, either Horwich or Stanier, over a Black Five.

2968 can move a lot faster that people think, though!

 

Much the same with a class 47, go anywhere do anything.

 

2968 packs a punch I think it suprised a few people when it went mainline. It does make a lovely Racket going up Eardington though!

 

Even though Im not a big fan of Brush type 4's I will agree with you on that point.

 

I had to do a double take of your profile picture when I read that! Similar looking loco from a small thumbnail haha

 

Haha! HS4000 to me is the one that got away ruddy hell could you imagine that having a crack at the bank at Goathland?! Falcon's another that would have been nice to see live to fight another day I was told by a senior DTG member that they wanted Falcon, but BR had some sort of agreement with Brush that it would be disposed of when they'd finished with it. Shame really the diesel prototypes are criminally under represtented in preservation.

 

'Hawk' was offered for preservation and turned down, allegedly.


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