Heritage Line Loco Power Requirements

An interesting conundrum. Either find the ready cash to buy or hire in an in ticket loco or get hold of a cheap fixerupperer and stretch manpower that is needed elsewhere keeping the existing fleet on the rails.

 

The fireboxes may date from BR, but the deterioration that has caused them to become unserviceable has occurred during the preservation era.

 

Or in the case of 61264, the box was shot before it arrived in Barry.

 

A bit of a paradox, Shirley, since the bleedin obvious lacks the PhD's requirement for original work which makes a significant contribution to knowledge. You might do one instead on pedantry in discussion forums...

Patrick

 

Another option is to raise the capital and/or voluntary manpower to increase the overhaul rate of locomotives, so increasing over time the number of locomotives in traffic, and reducing the overall mileage per locomotive. This, however, also dilutes payments to owners across the larger fleet unless you increase the income, or reprioritise revenue distribution.

(There hangs one of the threads in this discussion, the railway community doesn't respond dispassionately. It is more likely to contribute to an appeal for locomotive x over y, and more likely to contribute to locomotives than, say, culverts.)

Patrick

 

Ironically, the NYMR, which has become notorious for its engine crises in recent years, is successfully maintaining its peak timetable, which needs four steam engines, with four steam engines, one of which is in its last few months of ticket! (with a fifth on the cusp of entering service). That really does seem to be a remarkable achievement and shows excellent reliability - but I don't think the shed staff would like to do it every year! I just hope I haven't put the kybosh on it by pointing this out!

 

Famous last words!

 

Mid Hants generally requires 2 in service and 3 occasionally (like the weekend before last) We have 5 in ticket of which one is on annual exam / repair at present. Leaving 2 spare / washout. This is a fairly comfortable position, especially with the extended washout cycles that an RO plant buys. I think that Steve's comments are about right. You need about double the locos you use if you want to be certain to run steam. Most lines I think take the view that the commercial risk of occasionally running a diesel instead of booked steam is less costly than having the extra locomotives. The WSR I suspect wont be too badly affected, Swanage might be as there is no steam. Final thought though from a family I met at Alresford at the weekend... "isnt it lovely to see the old diesels out as well as the steam engines, they are as much a part of the history as the steam engines". Times and attitudes change, and there is a recognition that even our youngest diesel is now well over 40 years of age.

 

whereas steam is the big draw stilkl, increasingly I find I enjoy classic diesels. A humble DMU is a treat even nowadays but I'm delighted to see so many 33s still active not to mention hydraulics, although it's funny, they don't somehow look the same as they do in my memories...too smart probably.

 

I'm sure that if you could identify where there are locos available for hire, several railways would be only too pleased to hear from you.

 

I know of one loco owner who had 8 different offers for their locomotive. The hire market is very tight.

 

No big signs of an improvement are apparent either.

 

SVR has two away at present (out of 17 steam loco visits in 2017 https://www.svrwiki.com/SVR-based_l...r_events#Steam_locomotives_timeline_2010-2019) leaving eight to cover up to five diagrams, with one of those under repair

It goes around, between 2009-14 it hired in eleven locomotives https://www.svrwiki.com/Steam_Locomotives_hired_by_the_SVR

Patrick

 

As I read it a 85 tons 2-6-4 tank locomotive with 54 tons adhedsive is close to being OK on NYMR present schedule.
Will a 60 tons 0-8- 0 tank be even better or are the guiding wheels and bogie nessecary at the present timings?
If all adhessive is OK, a 20 tons fireless and two and three coaches run once over NYMR would interest me.
How much do I have to win in Lotto to finance the test?

 

Guiding wheels are very desirable on lines with tight curves, even at low speed. In 1966 8F 8773 received new tyre during a Heavy Intermediate at Crewe. I don't know her mileage after that on BR but it won't be huge, but she has done something under 150,000 miles in preservation. She needs new tyres.

The problem is that running chimney first is fine, but tender first wears away the tyres on the trailing coupled wheels. They then have to be turned to restore the flange width, and so therefore do all the others.

An engine with guiding trucks front and rear will suffer less tyre wear than a tender loco. But the owners of these will just have to cough up if they want to see their engines in traffic.

 

Is the NYMR curvature to severe for the Q6 0-8-0? If not,will a tank version be acceptable?

 

The curvature in places between Whitby and Pickering is very tight - in part this is due to the line originally having been laid for horse-drawn haulage and tight curves were not an issue, but the curves have been eased as much as they can be. I'm told that the recent installation of flange lubricators has made a big difference. Clearly, the curves are not too tight for a Q6 or it wouldn't run when available.

 

The Moors runs to Whitby so add another six miles in each direction. The main MPD is at Grosmont, an intermediate station. So you need a stationary boiler there to get going in the morning . You won't get a boilerhouse at Whitby so your fireless needs to run Grosmont-Whitby, then Whitby-Pickering before you can have a recharge. Of course you might lose some steam due to bouts of wheelslip on the banks so you need plenty of contingency........

Jon

 

You also need to increase the projected load, or you'll be leaving a lot of disgruntled passengers behind! Typical load is 7mk 1s for a tare of ca. 240 tons, plus (say) 10-15 tons of passengers on a reasonably busy day.....

 

Maybe slightly more on the return after fish and chips on the beach

You have to think about steam heating as well - I'm not sure what the demand is on, say, a six-seven coach train, but subjectively I'd say it is enough to be noticeable. Plus of course running a vacuum ejector for most of a three hour round trip.

Tom