35011 General Steam Navigation

By coincidence, my copy of "The Packet", the 35011 Society magazine, arrived this morning and included a detailed article on the forthcoming move to the Swindon & Cricklade Railway. The 35011 AGM for 2019 will also be held at the S&CR in May. The magazine's editor, Simon Shutt, states that , "for me, this is the best ever issue of the Packet, with amazing progress on many fronts, including a new base for the locomotive, a fully-funded crank axle, more original components, more parts made from scratch and the completion of the Klinger valves." Having had a very quick initial read, I would have to agree. Progress on this locomotive has been going well and, once it is relocated to the S&CR, should get even better as it will be based on an established heritage line, albeit not a particularly long one. Bulleid pacifics have been there before of course, with both 35027 and 34072 arriving there from Barry in the mid-1980s before completion at Swindon. BR (W) No 6984 Owsden Hall is there currently and is rapidly approaching completion to working order. I'm very pleased to read all the positive news on this project with 35011 and have thrown a little cash at it to help them relocate to the S&CR this Spring. I would thoroughly recommend joining the 35011 GSN Restoration Society as, if nothing else, you'll have a nice little newsletter to read!

 

A huge thank you for everyone’s support today. In less than 12 hours we’ve already raised a £1,000 towards the move and the Society is incredibly grateful


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Brilliant news, well done!!!

 

Will be the first time she’ll be stored undercover since she was withdrawn in February 1966.

Couple of months we will hopefully get that boiler off and start the all important work on the frames. Our AGM in May could be potentially the last time our membership will be able to see the locomotive in rebuilt condition.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

I am pleased to see the progress, but still think it's a great shame that they intend to restore the chain-driven valve-gear, with all its weaknesses which prompted the BR rebuilding, rather than the arrangement with gear-wheels which was Bulleid's original choice and which would probably have been much more reliable.

 

I can't imagine what it must be like to dismantle a loco that has been standing outside for over half a century, without damaging the components. How much WD40 will they need?

 

Potentially something for one of the other Merchants to try one day.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Well I think it's a brilliant idea. Will fill a gap and then we'll have the full set of OVS's steam classes that made it into service.

 

Personally (and I have no say in this and no axes to grind) it would be great fun to start again with a Merchant chassis and boiler then rebuild it with all manner of 'improvements'. The cladding and inside motion gives massive scope for producing something quite radical, but that still looks exactly like a Mk1 Merchant. e.g. rotary shaft drive to the valve gear (type of gear?) Lempor? exhaust. Preheaters? etc etc. Oh well, I can dream ...

 

Just look at the changes SLL wanted to do with there efforts to back restore 35022. Although if the costs of casting a central cylinder were cheaper would they have just stuck to original spec?



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Carefully worded there!

Tom

 

Never mind the techy stuff, I wish it were 21c1 that was the starting point, because visually it was dramatically different from the more angular form that the Pacifics eventually settled down to.



That really would have been something to see backing down onto your train at Waterloo...

Tom

 

100% - sorry I left that unsaid.

 

no WD 40 needed, an oxi torch will go the job, heat to cherry red and a flogging spanner , several well aimed hits, failing that cut the bolts off and drift the remains out

 

Do any cad patterns of the Lentz valve gear exist isn't Prince of Wales having as similar valve set up? if so by the time the group need to think about valve gear, there could be a working p2 so real time experience of Lentz equipped valve gear would be available, as he prospectus on 22 laid out, it has the advantage that outwardly the engine will appear original but out of sight could be a far more efficient machine.

 

I like the P2 approach trying to make things better. The idea of a shaft driven valve set seems worthwhile. Remember that in the states there is a project to build a T1 PRR poppet duplex with what is a licensed version of the Lentz system.
But to stick to the original chain driven system goes down a well traveled road and avoiding a lot of unknowns makes financial sense. Chain drives out and about today are not subject to the heavy use and iffy maintenance that existed back in the day.
Good progress is being made in this worthy project.

 

This is great news for the 35011 team, a home at last !

I wish them the best of luck and very well may join and buy a share or two to help.

Naturally the conversation has gone beyond actually making solid progress with the overhaul of the locomotive to making modifications to a existing design with other peoples property and money... I wonder what colour paint all the improvements will be, if its the wrong shade it very well may be deal breaker for some

 

Do any drawings of Bulleid's original concept survive?

Dave

 

Great news - pleased to add a bit to the pot!

 

It has to be remembered that the use of miniature valve gear and chains was not Bulleids original plan, but something war time limitations placed on him, I suppose it depends on what the aim is, is it to retro convert back to original including all the not so successful features of the original engines, or to improve on the original concept but maintaining the outline of the original but making use of later modifications ?