70000

I saw 70000 Britannia either being loaded or unloaded on an Alleys trailer at Crewe yesterday.

 

according to Icons of Steam: http://www.iconsofsteam.com/2015/11/news/1542/

 

Ah ! Many thanks. Hope she's back soon.

 

I think it will be see you next year some time according icons of steam web .FISH7373 81C

 

Whats the Status of 70013 ? . Rileys have finished the wheel repairs now I believe

 

She won't be out for a while going by the last update (August) on the 70013 Facebook page:

"At the end of June the old tyres had been removed and new tyres fitted at Ian Rileys at Bury,
A crack had been found in one of the middle driving wheels which needed repairing. When completed the wheelsets will be returned to Butterly for refitting to 70013 Oliver Cromwell.
When refitted 70013 is expected to return to the Great Central Railway at Loughborough. Some boiler work and a valve and piston examination will be completed at the G.C.R.
It is hoped to have all the work completed by the autumn.
Then it will be decided what work 70013 will be doing in the future".

Things have a slipped behind schedule somewhat.

 

Ian Riley posted images of the repaired and retyred wheelsets for 70013 loaded for transit back to the Midlands ( presumably Butterley) on 6th November.

 

Just been informed by a friend on Facebook that his father saw 70000 outside of Crewe H.S apparently in steam on Thursday 28th July, so hopefully this could be a good call for the locomotives return

 

It was NOT No 70000 "Britannia" as she is inside the works. HTH.

 

Has 70013 finished running in at the GCR? Could have been the loco spotted.

 

Presumably would of been 46100 spotted?

 

That would be a fair assumption.

 

Not heard a lot about 70000 lately, but there is a new photo on Flickr of it inside L&NWR Heritage Crewe from November last year with driving wheels and bogies run out:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/clydehouse/32189473815/

With it's 7 year boiler ticket expiring this year and 60532 being worked on as well at Crewe, I wonder what the plans are for it?

Regards,

Dan

 

Replace the pendalinos North of crewe.....?

 

If it's in reasonable condition I'd expect a retube for another 3 years, don't think 70000 has done that much running compared to what you'd expect off a mainline certified loco.

 

Were all the bearing/axle issues ever finally resolved? If not, then perhaps that is why she has no wheels at the moment?
I seem to recall she had a new axle and new roller bearings fitted, but wasn't there another problem after that?

Apologies if this is not the case.


Keith

 

From the Icons of Steam FB page, 2nd Jan;-

66 years ago, our Loco of the Week Britannia was outshopped from the B.R. works in Crewe, she was the first of her class and would spend 17 years in service before being retired in 1968. She is now at our Crewe engineering facility, undergoing essential maintenance work.

There is a comment further down the post where someone says 'it will be back in late summer' but I dont know if thats 'official' or speculation.

 

Pedant mode on: Withdrawn 28.05.1966 gives a working life of 15 years, 4 months, 32 days. (From http://www.brdatabase.info)

 

Just been browsing through the Icons of Steam website and it seems that 70000 won't be back in action for some time as the page for her says this:

"An unfortunate series of setbacks in 2013 and 2015 have meant Britannia's recent mainline career has been somewhat curtailed and she is now awaiting an overhaul before being returned to steam"

So if she is in the queue at Crewe behind 60532 and 4464 (& 5029?) it seems 70013 will be the only Brit running for a while.

 

Sad. There is also one or more MNs in that queue plus whatever else gets acquired in the meantime. Capacity and expertise rather than wealth being the rate determining step.