61264

The new edition of the Railway Magazine reports that 61264 is to be based on the NYMR for the next five years, in return for financial assistance with its overhaul. It'll be main-line registered for running to Whitby and Battersby and is expected to arrive back on the line in time for the peak season..

An excellent outcome for the NYMR that will see a class of loco that was a regular sight on the line in BR days perfroming there regularly again.

 

Thats fantastic news! A B1 will both assist the overall compliment and bolster the LNER fleet. Hopefully they will be able to stave off the problems they had last year with having to run 'steam replacement diesels' due to the lack of available steam.

 

It is shaping up to be a good year on the Moors. Ian Riley's two Black 5s are due to arrive for a three week stay in the middle of April that could see the NYMR with five working Black 5s available and a regular fleet of around 14 locos for most of the year - hopefully this will be enough to keep the diesels at bay, although there is slightly more timetabled diesel mileage this year.

 

Will its mainline duties be confined to the Whitby line or can we expect to see this superb engine out across the network?

She performed superbly on the Great Eastern on her brief return there a couple of years back and it woudl be great to see and ride on her back on her patch again.

Stan

 

The speculation on the NYMR unofficial forum was that it'll only go mainline for the Whitby services.

 

well I hope they let her out for a visit to her real home back at the GCR.

 

Not wishing to get into politics but wasn't 61264 'evicted' from the GCR along with Brocklebank Line a few years ago?

 

I don't know the full details of the agreement but I would expect that it would be able to go out on loan if not required for NYMR services, just as 60007 and 63395 are. RM reports it has been offered 6000 miles a year on the NYMR, so that should keep it fairly busy.

 

Wouldn't it be good to see her around the NE lines during her sojourn in this area.
Newcastle-Carlisle perchance?

 

A B1 looks great in the West Highlands, would be fantastic to see her back up at Fort William again - if possible.

 

It would, but it wasn't fitted with OTMR in its previous ticket. AS the NYMR have had to step in with a loan to help complete the overhaul, it's probably safe to say the owners don't have the wherewithal to fit it at the moment, and it isn't needed on the EVL.

 

Is the B1 group & WCRC settling there differences too unlikely ? 61306 is unlikely to ever go Mainline so would be a shame to think 61264 is lost to the national network over some dispute.

 

Comment in Steam Railway suggests she would be available for occaisional forays further afield on the big railway...so there is hope. She would require full fitment of OTMR though so can't see it happening quickly and of course differences would need to be sorted between B1 trust and WCRC unless air brakes are fitted.

 

Would be brilliant to see 61264 become a regular on the whitby services. I have long since held a view that the NYMR could easily get a better selection of traction more akin to its history if it signed longer agreements for locomotives. Having the B1 there would be a perfect mixed traffic engine able to work the Whitby services. Ideally in time youd want the whole fleet able to get to Whitby, but thats a goal that might prove difficult given RA and a debate for somewhere other than this thread.

 

Irrelevant to most visitors though. All they care about is that there's a steam loco on the front. The trend is actually for locos to be moving to the ownership of the railway, eg 45428, 80135, 76079, D7628, or be placed in trust to it as with 3672 or 30926. A B1 may be a good loco, but if one came on the market, I suspect that it would command a higher price than a 5MT, S15 or even a Bulleid - all of which are just as capable.

I'm struggling to think of much else "authentic" out there to be honest as well. The other B1 is never likely to grace the moors in present ownership, the Q7's gone back to the National Collection (shame!) and the V2's never likely to turn a wheel again.

As for the rest of the fleet, we need a larger group of Whitby registered locos, but there's still going to be a need for machines to put in the hard miles over the NYMR. 3672, 63395 and maybe the S160 again for example.

 

Was at Barrow Hill on Saturday looking around it, certainly looked like it was in the process of having OTMR fitted.

 

I hope so, she is a splendid engine and the mainline scene would be a much brighter place with her.

Stan

 

I agree with a lot of what youve said. A B1 would command a higher price, but I think thats due to there are less of them than say a Black 5. The NYMR doesnt have many engines that are authentic when you think about it. B1s ran on the line in BR days along with a wider selection of BR standards. Your right to name some of the regulars that have become synominous with the NYMR during preservation, such as the Q7, Q6 and engines from other regions like the Black 5s, Repton, and S15.

Personally, we all know preservation has moved engines from other regions around the country and that some have established themselves in other areas - like the S15 and Repton, which although loved by some are loathed by me. This isnt because of where they are from entirely, but more about the engineering and quality compared with others. Joe Public is none the wiser about the steam engine on the front in BR Green, but when SOUTHERN is plastered all over the side then youd have to be an idiot for thinking that its in the wrong place.

Some of the best engines on the line are the selection of Black 5's that have become linked to the line in preservation rather than BR days as they were not exactly frequent visitors to Whitby. Yet these are the versitile engines that the line needs and can be adapted to run on the line to Whitby alongside other engines. Dont get the S160 though - melt it and build a B16!

 

The S160 is actually authentic for the NYMR as it worked the line when based at Neville Hill before it went to Europe !!!!