New BluePullman

Hello,
On our old friend FB there are plans afoot to rebuild a Blue Pullman set.
It is hoped that the set will cost under £18 million.

 

Been banned from all those wacky pages. £18million? Like something from Alan B'Stard, send cheques to C.A.S.H. And its just damaging to the NewBuilds which are working, there's loads in the steam world too that just don't seem serious like a J39, damaging the credibility of the ones working hard, think of all the hard work put in at Barrow Hill on a certain project. Set up a little interest group only to find out more, as PU 402 has a tenuous claim to Blue Pullman fame in that it was retained by Swindon and rebuilt, presumably for BP spares, although of course they went in May 1973, in case anyone noticed any similarity with the HST prototype (take this last part as a possible ironic comment) here's a less crazy appreciation starting up! https://www.facebook.com/groups/1397250487003524/

 

While it naturally wouldn't satisfy the purists - how about building a new fibreglass nose cone for an HST power car to make it look similar? Certainly a lot more affordable and practical than building a BP from scratch

 

I'd imagine the MAN would be a fairly easy fit too. Lot easier- and maybe less controversial than the 27. But where to get a Power Car?

 

Over the next few years they are progressively being replaced by IEPs on the GWR and VTEC services. Yes some will be modernised and retained by GWR or move to ScotRail but does that account for all of the displaced fleet? Also there are serious questions to be asked about those operated by EMT - they will either need expensive modernisation, or more likely replacement in the next franchise to keep MML users happy.

So while it is the case that there are none spare at present, in 5 - 10 years time things may be very different.

 

The buffer-fitted power cars should be released from Grand Central in the not-too-distant future, they'd be ideal candidates surely.

 

Sounds an interesting idea. Would it get rage from HST fans or would it be a good foil for 41001? There will be after all far more supply than demand for preservation soon.

 

it's nonsense.
All these projects that creates something out of something else that looks a bit like something else did are nonsense.
They are also a waste of the real vehicle that has been bastardised.
It's either a true and accurate replica or it's meaningless.
There's no point in making a Blue Pullman set...they weren't particularly popular or long lived and they didn't really figure much on the Railway Scene....they were a noisy distraction (at Reading) that went whoosh every now and then, and was gone.
The HST is iconic and hugely important, the BP was a hiccup best consigned to history. There are photos and that's enough.

 

Here's a HST in the livery http://www.fictitiousliveries.co.uk/photo.php?43254bp.jpg

 

never going to happen so not worth talking about

 

Building a sham replica is a waste of time but the Blue Pullmans were an important and revolutionary step for BR at the time. They should not be dismissed as an irrelevance.

 

There are some things which are clearly better replicated in OO gauge.

 

That looks rather nice! Funnily enough when I saw the thread title, my first thought was- lets just paint a redundant HST in blue and white!

 

If someone has a business case, and can raise the £18 million then good luck. Properly marketed, luxury Pullman trains could do a reasonable trade at premium prices. I can't see this affecting any enthusiast-led new-build schemes.

 

But if your business case is based on pootling up and down the country in a luxury diesel train, why not just buy a couple of HSTs and refit them when they get withdrawn? You could do that for probably a lot less than £18M, you could lease them for a start, and wouldn't have to worry about getting new rolling stock approved for another.

It's a shame no original Blue Pullman survived but you could say that about a lot of things, many of which would be much easier to replicate and have far more appeal.

And what does it offer that the Brighton Belle won't, either?

 

Can't argue with your logic.

A Blue Pullman would have much greater route availability than the Brighton Belle, but not sure that the luxury market really cares if it's really an HST in disguise.

 

I would think that the wine list and menu would be of more interest.

 

there is no interest in such a project. The Brighton Belle had a huge following in it's time and it's rebirth is riding on that. Almost no one grieved for the BP when it was scrapped.

The HST has a much bigger fan base, it would make much more sense to craft a tour train in genuine HST spec rather than disguise one as a Blue Pullman.

If it can't be done properly there's no point doing it at all. It would be just another luxury tour train which has been done before.

 

It sounds like a spoof page, tbh, bet they are selling mugs. But the GWML is referred to in books as the 'Blue Pullman Era' 1960-73 they were the Toplink power there(sorry Western fans-sure it was a Western era too!). They rode 5million miles and were the fastest train in Britain in 1960 at a shade over 60mph average London-Manchester via the Peak Forest. Plus, the HST was basically a better faster version, with better bogies, reliable engine, body, et al. There is a small but interested following. All the NBLs are never going to be more than a footnote, with a small but interested following. Nobody is going to donate £2million for a rebuilt D6332 as its more than goes into the whole of diesel preservation, or a Blue Pullman.
As for the HST, well their era on the GWML and many others is 1973- and its possibly the greatest story in our railway history. And HST tours sounds like it will have a strong economic case. Or just have a weekend in Scotland riding on them when they've gone from London.

 

Oooohhh, could be really authentic and find a Large Prairie to drag it about........