Dean Goods Boiler

Sorry if there is already a thread for this, I cannot search via Tapatalk.

I am presently wading through, 50+ old copies of SR that my mother-in-law bought me and am thus discovering various matters of old.

In one from 2012 there is mention of a Dean Goods boiler being for sale from Blaenavon, did it ever get bought and if so for what purpose?

Mods - apologies if there is a thread regarding this feel free to shunt this to the appropriate location - thanks

 

The sr piece suggests that the Dean Goods boiler was surplus after Blaenavon acquired one for their pannier from didcot. Also suggests the Dean Goods boiler was in like new condition? Suggesting you recollection is correct.

 

IIRC the KWVR acquired the Dean Goods boiler as a spare for their pannier. Later they acquired 4612 from Barry and used it's boiler on 5775 instead. Later still the remains of 4612 and 5775's old boiler went to the Flour Mill for restoration to running order. 9629 had a cosmetic restoration at Carnforth for display outside the Holiday Inn in Cardiff and the boiler went to Didcot as a spare for their panniers. When Holiday Inn no longer wanted 9629 it was acquired by a group at the P&BR who then purchased the ex Dean Goods boiler for it. As pointed out above they went on to acquire the loco's own boiler from Didcot. AFAIK the Dean boiler has been for sale for some years. Didcot's one is the shed's original (or, at least, last) stationary boiler. As an aside the SVR bought 3612 (now scrapped) as a source of spares and it's boiler is a 'pool' boiler and rotates between their panniers.
Ray.

 

I hesitate to prod a sleeping dog, but post 17 in this thread refers:

https://www.national-preservation.com/threads/dean-goods-locomotive-discussion-only-please.206112/

Tom

 

It might be a good time to resurrect the idea of restoring 2516 to working order. The NRM has quite a few 0-6-0s, and they might be happy to gift this one to a credible group with the will to restore it.

 

An interesting idea but it really would need to go to a top notch credible establishment to be out back in working order, housed under cover, used sparingly and managed carefully so that its ex Swindon condition was not compromised in the way City of Truro was. I can only think of one organisation which could really be trusted with it, whilst no doubt several others would be in the queue to stake their claim.

 

No. There are not many steam locomotives left now that have been untouched since the end of BR steam. 2516 should be left as she is. If we really want to see a Dean goods running again, why not just build a new one? Building new engines is quite feasible now, and if this spare boiler could help things along, so much the better. (Also, does the NRM really have that many 0-6-0s? As far as tender engines are concerned, 8217 and C1 are the only others I can think of...)

IIRC, Didcot's boiler was actually for an Armstrong Goods rather than a Dean Goods. Now IMHO, that would be be a really worthwhile new-build project. A double-framed 0-6-0 is probably one of the biggest historical gaps in British locomotive preservation - dare I say it, a much bigger gap than an A1 or a Patriot! But on the other hand, a Dean Goods would be much easier to fundraise for - they survived long enough to carry BR black (!), and their important contribution to WWI could also be emphasised.

(For those who don't know what an Armstrong Goods looks like: )

 

I think LMS 4027 is also an NRM loco. But I had my fingers crossed when I made that remark!

I like your idea of an Armstrong Goods, or anything else from that era, but preferably in original condition, not as modernised by Churchward.

 

What an amazing steam producer that boiler is!!

 

Don't think the crews would thank you since the 388s, especially the earlier ones, were built with the barest minimum of weather protection for the crews, nothing like the 'generous' sized cab shown with that model.

 

But even a front sheet is more than fire fly & iron juke. There is nothing representing roughly 1850-1900 that would have been considered normal mainline GWR format period, yet people seem to want to fill in every class running in 1948.

 

There's not much from the second half of the nineteenth century from most railways, and agreed a much more important gap than most people are currently obsessed with. But I suspect fundraising would be much harder because of the lack of colour photos and personal memories.

 

It does surprise me with model engineers how much skill, time and effort they put in to building a loco then just slap on any green paint that comes to hand, not even in all the correct places then add crude GWR letters. This contrasts with the care usually taken by model railway enthusiasts.

BTW Armstrong Standard Goods locos were also used by the ROD in WW1.

 

I recall someone suggested that when the P&B boiler was discussed previously, But it didn't appear to gather much support.

 

That's because it was a poorly planned and organised Facebook scheme from the usual suspects.


Keith

 

http://www.wolffchronicles.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/20150125-04.jpg
As far as I know the only outside Frame British 0-6-0 is the one in Cairo 1865 vintage, RSH, although GWR 252 still mostly exists(ex O,W&W). If Didoct have an Armstrong boiler then its upto them to take on the mantle or sell it on. If the P&B is a Dean goods, well, there is one already.

 

cancelled

 

I stand to be corrected, but I seem to recall from the previous discussions on here that the boiler is listed as part of the fixtures/fittings/structures in the Didcot lease and therefore cannot be sold or used in a new build.

Keith