The Vale of Rheidol Railway - News

If you read the headline for the original post you will notice that the request for information concerns the current whereabouts of the original number plates.

Andy

 

It can't be "quite obvious" because no one (apart from the fitters one presumes) noticed for decades!

 

I expect lots of people knew. Just not the accountants.

 

I wouldn't be surprised if the Swindon accountants both knew about it and agreed to it. Maybe even thought of it as a simple way to resolve a budgeting issue.

 

I'm afraid Julian is not noted for thinking overly before posting ...

 

Anyone know if No7 will have riveted side tanks? Or at least cosmetic ones and if its the latter how is that done now?

 

No 7 will have riveted tanks. Done in the traditional way. When it last ran it had one riveted tank one welded tank. Both will be replaced by new examples under construction in the workshop.

Will Smith
VoR

 

Next obvious question if I might. Will it have a cab with the modified roof profile of 8 and 9?

Thanks

Richard

 

I think it would be quite an attractive prospect and would generate a lot of interest if No.7 came back in BR corporate blue!

D1004

 

Interest from whom?

 

Its taken an age to get at least one of them back to the scheme they were delivered in by the GWR and no8 looks gorgeous now and I presume no9 when its renumbered 1213 will appear similarly, lets not keep throwing spanners in by suggesting different colours, they've been in them all and its time for them to settle down in their correct colours like their current standard gauge counterparts are. On a separate note I've 'discovered' another picture of 1212 actually working a train when in her last guise (GWR) with new sidetanks and boiler fittings which must be about 1925 when they had four 2-6-2s running. Its in the 1978 edition of the guide book ( the blue BR one) top picture page 21

 

Me. Isn't that enough?

 

You need to read C.Green's book on how the locos were created and the discussions they had before the GWR built them, how many other 2ft gauge passenger locos were designed and built from scratch by one of the big four? That needs cherishing. I also liked the blue ( not the coaches they looked dull) and it was indeed appropriate as they were part of a nationalised network where all the diesel and electric engines were blue so to have a steam loco the same was unique and interesting but today most people don't remember that.

 

Unfortunately I do remember the locos and coaches in that awful blue with the 'arrow of indecision'. Thankfully I'm also old enough to remember the locos in fully lined B.R. green with chocolate and cream coaches.
Ray.

 

At the risk of being a paint frother, the only BR blue that suited the Rheidol engines in my opinion was the later fully lined version with the arrows on the bunker sides. And I recall how glorious (if wrong!) No.9 looked in that yellow ochre when she first appeared like that - such a breath of fresh air, and then the BR green reappeared. Lovely!

 

I liked the lined blue too, and you could run it for a little while in the plain blue before applying the lining. Since locos have to be repainted once in a while, and there are three of them, there is no reason why we should not have the option of all the historic liveries from time to time.

 

I must admit I would very much like to see one of the VoR tanks in blue again. I know it's not to everyone's taste, but it was a unique part of the VoR's history and would be worth celebrating. However, I think that in order for it to look right we would really need to see some coaches repainted blue to match - and the railway seems to be standardising on original GWR livery for the coaches now, so I doubt that will happen any time soon.

Then again, there's not many SG lines that could turn out a GW loco with a matching set of GW coaches, so who can blame the VoR for wanting to make the most of that?

 

No8 looking great in GWR livery, I'm sure if you had to design a modern NG loco from scratch, I still think you would end up with this.
The slightly higher cab I think improves the locos symmetry.

 

No other line could turn out a narrow gauge GW loco with a matching set of narrow gauge GW coaches.