6023

It would though be nice to know that plans of any kind could be made availible to post here at Nat Pres forum.

 

in light of the circumstances,
slightly fraudulent that RYTC are still advertising tours with 6023 on http://www.railwaytouring.net/uk-day-trips/the-pembroke-coast-express
Even after they have acknowledged they don't expect 6023 to be ready and at the time expected Tangmere to fill in. a quote from the email "We are expecting Tangmere to haul on this trip as we do not think King Edward VII will be ready."

 

I have no idea. RYTC are in a dilly of a pickle for the Pembroke Coast Express. 6023 not available and the Tangmere situation. I guess the absence of Nunney Castle factors in here as well.

Really cannot wait for more locomotive availability in the London and Bristol areas. 6023 among them.

 

I believe Didcot's hire fees are pretty much on par with everyone else.
What make it expensive is;
Current Ultrasonic cert to cross Network Rail track.
FTR prior to each move across Network Rail Track.
Cost of move (Top and tailed with through pipe in case a coupling breaks).
Comes to around £1700 per move!! Then there's hire fees.
Back pre nationalisation this was free (well at least a fraction of the cost).

Similar will apply when 6023 goes to a railway to have the new blast pipe / draughting proved (don't want to be proving it up Hatton with 10 on, we need to know it works before booking railtours).

I'd love to get 3650 out again before its ticket runs out but who's willing to pay the £1700 x 2 plus steaming / hire fees?
Being trapped in the "Didcot rail triangle" is an expensive pain.

 

Time was when you could run up to Oxford tender-first with the Vintage Train to test a Didcot loco and return flat out, as in 1980 (5051). Regulator in the roof, up to 70 and myself on the footplate! Unfortunately we caught up with a rattler, otherwise the 70 could have been higher!

 

I remember 5051 stonking through Radley going faster than the Class 50 hauled service train tender first in 1985 with the GW 150 Exhibition Train

 

Daft question time. If Notwork Fail require those certificates, how did the 3 ex-Barry engines get in recently? Was it by this method, or in bits?

 

The 52 came on site in bits, the only non-restored locomotive to come in recently on its own wheels was the saint, this had all the inspections and the boiler added so that the weight higher to avoid it jumping the rails.
Baldric

 

Has any work of progress been made on the king since the last news was posted in early August? Thank you, sincerely for anyone in the know.

 

Someone more intelligent than I can no doubt answer this?

I note she has been steaming since 2011, so is c.4 years into her 10 years between boiler strips? Where does this stand on the 7? year main line certification process, will they be able to get c.6 years (assuming she goes mainline this year) or will it only be 3 years i.e. 7 years from first steaming?

 

6023 has had the necessary examinations to re-certificate the boiler so that the mainline and 10 year expiry dates coincide for 04/20.
As a further update, the weighing system recently installed at Didcot will be calibrated shortly. This will enable the axle weights to be set up.
All that's then required is to prove the new blastpipe draughting arrangement and final VAB approval.
Getting closer but not quite there yet. Frustratingly, these things take time, especially where several parties are involved such as in gauging the loco.

 

Thanks

 

Pictures on social media showing 6023 lit up today - has had her new whistles installed which apparently although shorter sound the same as the originals due to careful crafting. So still heading in the right direction.

 

Does anyone know if 6023 steamed at Didcot over the weekend? Can't see anything on social media.

 

Bluntly, It would be nice to have a firm yes or no as to whether 6023 shall be in the 2016 programme.

 

Whoa there! - we are not talking about the assets of some cash rich multi million pound international conglomerate here - we are talking about a very small group of volunteers (perhaps an alien concept to some posters) who are working hard to get this loco NR approved.

Statements such as yours are frankly well out of order in the circumstances.

 

Would rather they announced it when it was ready rather than booking it on railtours before it's turned a wheel, like some national collection engines I could mention . . .

Sent from my HTC One_M8 using Tapatalk

 

Didcot have been very clear - they won't be taking bookings for 6023 until they know it is ready for use. That hasn't stopped some of the more marketing oriented end of the tour market selling tours with it named as haulage but you come to expect that in certain quarters!

As I understood it, the group working on 6023 tend to work one or two weekends per month so progress is dictated by that. Rather than breathing over the shoulder of a small committed band of volunteers who have so far achieved a miracle and just have the final tidying up to do I suggest we all proceed on the basis that when its ready, its ready and will be worth waiting for.