35011 General Steam Navigation

I think it failed

Dave

 

I'll put some feelers out there...I know certain members of the S&CR would love it.

 

Not serprised, i'm ex selinge myself, and a former MHR loco man, if the owner is serious, then good luck, dave, if you can you need to get some of your buddies, such as John Butcher on board, and have a serious talk to Frank and Andy, to find out the real pitfalls of un rebuilding , if you can get a serious player behind you, then other doors might open, for instance Ardington might have taken you more seriously had you had backing from either Ropley or Swanage, but if you can find a site and get a team together , you may still be able to do it, but it wont be easy

 

How about trying Shillingstone Railway. It has a new locomotive restoration erecting shop being equipped, but no locomotive currently in it being restored: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.189379927852328.7538.155878084535846&type=1
Steve

 

Spot on, Steve. Without something to make it stand out from the crowd, the risk is that it will never attract enough funds to be restored in any form. Medium-sized locos (roughly Jinty to Black-5 size) will usually find a home and supporters somewhere. Bigger locos will struggle, and the bigger the loco, the more difficult it becomes...

 

I get the feeling with this project if it got started (seriously) they would get a decent amount of backers. You just need to see the Bulleids past and present thread which has loads of comments about people wanting to see an original merchant navy before they die.... If they can do the hard thing and get established many more doors will open.

 

As mentioned earlier, I'd be supportive even if they decided to restore it in its rebuilt configuration, as its exploits in BR days were quite considerable. Aside from the Gifford photograph, I've also read an account of it in Col. H. C. B. Rogers' book Steam from Waterloo of this locomotive doing a similar thing to what that Class 66 did on Grayrigg on GB VIII. It pushed a stranded freight to Wallers Ash loop with a 12-carriage train in tow, reversed, then carried on to London.

As for the restoration project, its making that credibility leap, and that takes time and effort in convincing people. Shillingstone or Cranmore are potentially good bets, the former being apt for 35011 as it was possibly the only member of its class to make a foray over the S&D between Bournemouth and Templecombe on the 'Mendip Merchantman' on 1 January, 1966. However, the shed is presumably for the restoration of 92207.

The S&CR has previous form with Bulleids, for I believe Blunsdon was where the nucleus of what was to become the SLL stud (ie. 35027 and 34072) was once based. Anything going on the MoD Ludgershall Branch these days?

 

Always had a soft spot for 35011 as it pulled us from Eastleigh to Basingstoke on my first spotting trip to Reading in 1961 , so yes would like to see it again restored in either form .....

 

I think 92207 has moved away from the Shillingstone project and is now being restored on a private site.

Keith

 

Correct. It is at a private site in the Poole area.

 

Is that the same "private site in the Poole area" that John Bunch's N and U have gone to for overhaul? Whether it's one site or two, this could also be a useful thread to follow up.

 

I did ask GSN about that, he said he had been told no he couldnt take 35011 there, in my view that would have been a good move, because then, you can try to get supporters from Hampshire,and Dorset and they could strip it to frames and boiler, lift the wheel sets, and then be able to make a start on the frames and wheel sets, things that are quite low in cost whilst you fund raise to get the crank axle and valve gear made.

 

The 92207 'Morning Star' website has disappeared including 'Cunarder' so no recent updates..

 

I thought the private site that 31625 is stored at is near Wareham.
31874 is undergoing restoration in Herston Works.

 

You're living dangerously now. The Bulleid fundamentalists will be out to get you. I say "go for it". A big Spam to accompany the baby Spams would be nice and give us a full set of Bulleid Pacifics. Then all we'll need is a Leader.

 

And if I won Euro millions, that's the project I'd fund.

 

And if I won it soon after, I'd contribute, too... It might as well ruin the both of us!

 

....and a turf burner....


Keith

 

May be a tad difficult to run it on this side of the Irish Sea but I like your thinking. If only Inchicore hadn't scrapped it.