No 246 Morayshire

Whats the latest status with the Shire? Hope she is back soon and is able to do a tour around some of the ex LNER lines around the UK in LNER Green (as she should be)

 

I'm afraid there is no official comment at this time.

As a personal comment, the overhaul continues and we are working with the Llangollen Railway to aid completion of the project. Hope to see the loco back at Bo'ness in the near future.

 

Help the Scottish Railway Preservation Society finish the overhaul of unique Gresley designed D49 No. 246 'Morayshire' after she was evicted by the previous contractor mid-overhaul. We have recently authorised a new contractor to undertake a hydraulic test on the boiler and are looking to recommence work on the bottom end when funds allow.

You can make a donation to the 'Back on the Rails' appeal here: www.virginmoneygiving.com/fund/246Morayshire

 

Lets hope the work carried out is better than what the Patriot boys found when they looked...

 

Which I have just done, thanks for posting the link.

 

Deleted

 

No reading between the lines needed on the SRPS Steam Group website page

Discussions with Llangollen Railway to resolve issues, it says.

The appeal page has a £100k target

Patrick

 

SRPS Press Release - Morayshire – ‘Back on the Rails’ Fundraising Appeal

Donate here: www.virginmoneygiving.com/fund/246Morayshire

D49 No. 246 (62712) ‘Morayshire’ came out of service for her 10-year overhaul in 2015. In 2016 the SRPS agreed a fixed price contract with the Llangollen Railway Company PLC, with completion expected in March 2018. Additional boiler work was agreed and this extended the completion date into 2019.

Despite the contract starting well, during 2019 issues emerged with the price and meeting target dates on the contract. The SRPS worked with the Llangollen Railway to reach agreement on how the contract could be completed, to no avail.

In February 2020, with two weeks’ notice and without the agreement of the SRPS, ‘Morayshire’ - completely dismantled and with an incomplete boiler - was evicted from Llangollen to avoid the Llangollen Railway PLC from going into administration. The locomotive is now in storage in the Midlands until work can recommence. The SRPS have engaged with the Llangollen Railway to understand their proposals around this dispute and how it can be resolved but have also taken legal advice in the instance that the matter cannot be resolved by negotiation.

With the SRPS’s finances fully committed before the demands of the Covid-19 closure and under even greater strain now, we are launching the ‘Back on the Rails’ appeal to help fund the completion of Morayshire’s overhaul. It is estimated that in excess of £100,000 is needed to complete the locomotive, with work being completed both by contractors and by staff and volunteers at Bo’ness. Once complete the ‘Shire’ will run at Bo’ness and also be made available for hire by other heritage railways.

 

According to the Bo’ness and Kinneil Railway Facebook page work on Morayshire to restart imminently, but your help needed. Facebook page here for full details (doesn’t seem possible to copy and paste): https://www.facebook.com/BonessKinneilRailway
Or see previous post for the direct fundraising link.

 

Where is Morayshhire at the present time?

 

LMS at Loughborough I believe.

 

From Facebook so don't shoot the messenger:

SRPS Steam Group
2d1tSgehaponsoored ·
Work to imminently restart on D49 Morayshire - with your help!
Independent Inspections of the locomotive have now been completed since the overhaul was abandoned by the Llangollen Railway earlier this year. The priority is now to complete the boiler to a hydraulic test; unfortunately, further rectification work has been identified which will necessitate the removal of the new flue tubes and repairs to the sling stays.

Humm - one wonders what has been going on at Llangollen for another locomotive to require "rectification".

 

I wonder if there has possibly been a lack of adequate project management/supervision involved here. It seems to be a regular issue when overhauls are contracted out to other organisations. We do not know what was involved in the contract either. Best not to go down the blame game route when we do not know enough about what was agreed between the two parties.

Peter

 

It's all a bit odd (as is that other 'new' locomotive caught up in similar circummstances) - I've no idea much about these two cases but it all seams like a total lack of control and leadership but I've no idea how much is centered around the contractors shoulders or the owners (nor do I wish to know) as in the end neither is a good look and I hope they can sort it all out with the minimum of fuss.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

Sorry if this is a dumb question, but is this normal practice? I'd have assumed that overhauling a steam engine is extraordinarily difficult to quote for… (and I note that they'd already extended once).

Look forward to this being completed – always had a soft spot for D49s since owning a Hornby one in my yoof.

Simon

 

I don’t think you can, I’m sure 34027’s owner said during its last overhaul he was always relieved to pick up the post in the morning and not find anything with a West Midlands post mark.
Regarding your last comment my Hornby D49 62750 in BR lined Black looked lovely with my rake of Gresley Blood and custard coaches!

 

I know there is a link above to the SRPS steam group but for anyone who hasn't already done and would like to convert their concern, curiosity or well wishes into tangible support this is the link to the appeal :-

http://www.srpssteam.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Morayshire-Back-on-the-Rails-Appeal-Leaflet.pdf

 

Morayshire’s overhaul was let in two separate contracts:

1. Fully strip down and examine the components of the locomotive. Based on this inspection, a quote was to be provided for a list of works to be carried out.

2. Based on contract one, a price was agreed for the specified list of repairs, including contingency, to be completed. The SRPS agreed, and paid additional sums for, further boiler work identified mid-overhaul.

If the outcome of option one had been that the price for option 2 was too much for the SRPS to afford, we would have re-assembled the locomotive for display in the Museum of Scottish Railways (and there were funds set aside for this eventuality in 2016).

As the dispute is ongoing we cannot say too much more. Amicable attempts were made to find a solution but in the midst of this we were told to remove the locomotive from the Llangollen Railway with a couple of weeks notice.

 

Thank you for the clarification - and appreciate that with a dispute in play, it would be difficult to say more.