K&ESR Yank Tank - LMR No.300

See http://www.preservation.kesr.org.uk/stock-register/steam-locomotives

 

When Wainwright’s (or is it now Frank?) overhaul was started my unreliable memory seems to recall it being said it was intended to last for a period considerably less than 10 years before major boiler or perhaps firebox work would be required. Is this still the case, or was the plan changed (the overhaul may well have taken longer if additional work was done)?

 

Working: 1638, 25, 300, Norwegian, 32678.
Under overhaul: 22, 1556, 4253, Charwelton, Marcia. (Outside contract work to be done on the last two?)
Waiting: 32670, 23, 6619, 5668.

 

When 1638 had an overhaul, it was to be turned round as quickly as possible, to help cover the shortage. As a result, some things were temporarily fixed, or deferred. It was intended that the engine would only have to run two years before withdrawal again. However, 300 and 25 have taken a lot longer to be finished than was ever envisaged. It is believed that 22 is in very good condition, particularly the boiler, and may require a minimal overhaul to go again. We should also get 4253 in 2020, which would mean that we would have a resource we have never had before.

 

Under overhaul? 1556 dumped in the field dismantled at least the last time i saw it, i call under overhaul actually having work done on it, so under overhaul, actually having work done? what engines, and i wsnt aware 25 was actually finished and in service , a far more overhaul accurate description would be in traffic 1638, 300 Norwegian, 32678, awaiting overhaul everything else, only 4253 is actually having work done with 32678 and possibly 1638 having to come out in the next 12-18 months, as regards the time it took to overhaul 300 and 25 can be blamed on " internal" issues to do with the railway and how decisions made , for instance you have only a very small pool of people in loco , so why try to work on 2 engines when you know you have problems

 

1638 will have to be withdrawn, without the option. The work done was not enough to see her to a full 10 years. Charwelton is already out of ticket, following the problems with the boiler. The ticket cannot be said to be running. It will be fixed, and a new ticket will go on. The P class needs to be fixed sharpish, or we may well run short of small engines, but we can always use a bigger engine on a small service. It can't be done the other way round. That said, we could always borrow 813 again.....

 

Martin, 1556 is under overhaul. Whether that overhaul is live or paused, it is under overhaul. 22 is under active overhaul already, so you're wrong on that, too. 4253 is under a very committed overhaul. Charwelton needs work that is beyond Rolvenden's capabilities, hence the involvement of outside contractors. Marcia's boiler has gone to outside contract in order to expedite the repair.

 

25 has been sufficiently completed to have already had some running in mileage, there will no doubt be some minor 'snagging' faults to correct before full service, but I would say available for this season.

One factor that has improved the situation recently is that the committed team who have been working on 4253 have also started assisting with work on other locos at times that more volunteers have been on site than can realistically work on 4253 at the same time. Such as painting of 25 and the Ruston diesel amongst no doubt other little jobs which relieves the pressure on the loco department who carry out most of the overhaul work on the companies running fleet.

 

Martin, I always thought that you had much experience of heritage railways and overhaul work. If so, you will know that simply working on one loco does not work. The very nature of volunteering means that on one day you will have one person, and on the next, fifteen or more. You cannot find work for all fifteen on one loco so you have to have other things for them to do, unless you send them home or give half of them a sweeping brush. (Do not substitute a paint brush as too many of them can't paint properly!) Yes, you can prioritise on which loco but you need a variety of work on several fronts to get the most out of your volunteer workforce. In my limited experience the KESR maintenance management is one of the best and most organised, unless things have changed since my last visit to Rolvenden.

 

Glad someone else recognises this!

 

Most people can't plaster but when you see their painting, you might think so!

 

Too true! I think the nicest thing anybody said about my plastering was "well you were not afraid to give it a go..."

 

To some it is simply colouring in

 

Well Gary, i can assure you my painting is of a very high standard , nothing irritates me more than having to correct other peoples attempts at painting, i have come across such things as bits of break rigging still covered in track muck with paint on top , the Norwegions tender frames with paint that peeled off in sheets because the steel hadnt been degreased, large areas missed , the drag box not needle gunned and the paint came off in lumps , and not prepared properly , gloss on bare metal

 

I don't really follow KESR loco affairs in much detail, but I'd be very cautious about blaming "poor planning". It's one thing to be able to accurately predict future loco availability if you are Crewe works in 1952, and have costings for individual packages of work on every loco type down to the third decimal place; a known labour and resource situation and are dealing with classes of scores or hundreds of near-identical locos in each class. Quite another to try to manage timelines when you have a small fleet of individually unique locos and a labour and resource situation that may vary according to the balance between volunteer and paid staff on a day-to-day basis, the progress of appeals and so on. Managing all that is a far from trivial task: frankly, I'm sometimes amazed not that individual railways occasionally have a loco shortage, but that across the whole industry, it happens as comparatively rarely as it does.

Tom

 

Best I ever found was a patch of moss painted over in gloss white! I get grumpier about shoddy lining out, but I won't go there...

 

Another USA tank in a great livery

https://scontent-arn2-1.xx.fbcdn.ne...=738e73613434376042af730f80490f16&oe=5ADC344A

 

Headed over last Wednesday to catch LMR 300 after spending the morning following Oliver Cromwell, unfortunately the weather deteriorated somewhat! Couple of photos and a short video...

https://www.flickr.com/photos/alts1985/39371029685/in/dateposted-public/
https://www.flickr.com/photos/alts1985/40268199831/in/dateposted-public/

 

Is this a recent photo?? I understand it's planned to star in the KWVR's 50th anniversary celebrations this year... ?

 

LMR 300 on Saturday 17 February creating a splash of colour in a winters landscape between Wittersham and Rolvenden.




Also at Orpin's crossing.