Bulleid Pacifics - Past or Present

FYI 35006 rostered from Saturday 18th daily (apart from Monday 20th) through until Sunday 2nd September. As always, best to check before travelling. Three steam out this weekend and the following bank holiday weekend.

 

Cross posting from 35009 thread as suggested......... regarding a few MNs that I have been following over many years from their life in Barry - and then not so much more recently and wanted to check status.

35009 - per this thread. Loco is at ELR owned by Mr Ian Riley but locomotive isn't being actively restored currently? Or have I got this wrong? Seem to recall that it was up for sale at one point.
35011 - At Sellinge and I'm enjoying seeing the progress made so far to restore to original build
35022 - I recall seeing this one parked at Swanage railway some years back but seems most recently the frames are at Crewe and in fully dismantled state? What is the status for restoring this one do we know? Maybe some boiler swapping happened as well?
35025 - was at GCR Loughborough and has suffered some non-ferrous fittings being stolen - also at Sellinge as a kit of parts
35027 - in the queue for overhaul but also dismantled at Crewe?

You may call me a dreamer but imagine winning the lottery and having that lot as an operational poole for running regular Bournemouth Belle

 

35010? I believe it's being worked on but very little seems to be said about it.

 

From Southern Locomotives Ltd. website :-

"Having sold 35027 Port Line along with sister locomotive 35022 Holland America Line to Jeremy Hosking, we now own seven locomotives, six of which have been restored. In 2015 we started the restoration of our final loco, 34010 Sidmouth. The focus of work is now at the works in Herston, near Swanage."

and:-

"34010 Sidmouth
Given the attention needed by Sir Keith Park, and the focus being given to Eddystone, Sidmouth has once again been in the background. The go-ahead has been given for the preliminary examination of its boiler at Weybourne. We look forward to learning more about its condition and the work required with a degree of trepidation.

We recognise that sooner or later we will need to build a fifth tender to run with each of our Bulleids. The fifth would be a high-sided version for either Manston or 257 Squadron, releasing a cut-down version for Sidmouth. Manston was built with a narrow cab whereas 257 has the wider cab, further complicating the decision. However much this will delight those who have long lamented the sight of an original Bulleid running with a cut-down tender it also adds around £150,000 of expense over the next five years."

Robin L.

 

Yes, I agree DismalChips. I managed to reacquaint myself with Blue Star earlier in the year at the Colne Valley where the locomotive is parked next to the station in ex-Barry albeit paintedcondition (apologies to anyone who may disagree if I have this bit wrong!). A second-hand tender tank was also on site with an ex-Schools Class tender for the frames I assume.
The thing I noticed with 35010 is that the cylinder is smashed and probably the eventual cause of withdrawal in the 60s.

 

Which side? 35029 will never be a working engine so if its the un sectioned side could the swashed side be repaired using interlocking keys to stitch it together enough to look the part, and swopped for the undamaged one on 35029? of course, if its the same side as the sectioned one, that won't be possible so a new casting will have to be made.

 

Thanks Robin,
What I've not seen is any status updates for the two MNs at Crewe and whether both are being worked on or are just priorities for the longer term?

 

The right hand cylinder is the one broken on 35010 and same one on 35029 is sectioned I believe

 

yes I just looked it up its the very front where the studs were, front by looks of it,

 

Will 35011 be able to run with the outside cylinders it has ?

 

yes the outside cylinders were not replaced on the rebuilds, just the inside one, the valve actuation was changed to 3 sets of walcherts replacing the chains

 

From what I understand the middle cylinders for the rebuilt locos we’re cased at Crewe works and transported to Eastleigh.

 

Happy to see sections of our website news being quoted. You can see the whole update here: http://www.southern-locomotives.co.uk/News/news.html

 

Best get two cast then, “just in case”...


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I think this must be the most 35006 has been used since restoration.

 

As a relative newcomer to this Forum I have been slowly reading through this extensive and fascinating thread, so far( P105) I have not seen an answer to my Bulleid question - I have read that the air-smoothed casing was to enable the engine to go through a carriage washing plant. Is this actually true and are there any pictures showing this? I am a supporter of the GCR and 34039 Boscastle, the boiler of which is now being put together I am pleased to see.

 

I believe it is a myth, carriage washing plants are just not compatible with steam locomotives, water ingress would surely play havoc with lubrication and I believe there were enough problems with water getting into the oilbath. The casing would have made it easier for hand washing and I'm sure I remember seeing cleaners with long brooms washing down a loco at Stewart's Lane.
Spamcan may be able to confirm this or otherwise.

 

I don't have the RCTS publication to hand (Bradley didn't seem too keen on the originals), but I still don't recall getting to the bottom of this one, so would like to know more. I seem to recall from earlier correspondence that there's a reference to it in Sean Day-Lewis's tome. Furthermore, a photo taken at Alresford during the test run in 1941 shows that 21C1 was fitted with a cover that could be swung over the chimney, so might it be possible that this was not just to prevent debris and rainwater ingress when out of service? However, as suggested above, making hand washing a quicker job seems one of the likely attributes of the concept.

Considering the wartime context of the emergence of the MNs in particular, I'm sure 'air smoothing' conformed with their mixed traffic credentials better than streamlining in the traditional sense. That and relative ease of manufacture; indeed, MNs 21C3-10 featured limpet board casings, characterised in photographs by a horizontal strengthening rib. Colin Boocock suggests the casing concept was a "weight-saving device".

 

Incidentally, what's the situation with Boscastle? Am I correct I'm thinking that the bottom end is essentially complete and it just awaits the return of the boiler?

 

I suppose the reverse question is whether you particularly want your carriages going through a washing plant which has just had a steam engine in it, particularly if the plant uses brushes.

Putting steam engines through jet washes certainly was routinely done elsewhere, see here.