6201, her new lease of life.

No I don't expect the deal to be made public but I do expect the Society to explain why anyone should donate money. Appealing for funds for work that has already been done might make sense if the work had been done on credit, to be paid for in future when funds become available, but such a deal between these particular parties seems very implausible.

 

I'm just happy to see her back on her feet, so to speak. Fundraising is a continuous activity for all loco's so owned, so I really don't see what the problem is.

 

Just bumping this thread back up the charts for the New Year, in the hope a return is not too far away for this awesome beast!

 

6201 in steam at Carnforth, 27 Feb:

https://andrewstransport.smugmug.com/Northwesttrains/North-West-trains-2019/

Andrew N

 

Good to see. Await news of test running with major interest!

 

Not my image, taken from Facebook, Richard Harnetty @ Carnforth. Apparently on a test run to Hellifield

 

Excellent news!

 

Getting away from Carnforth earlier....

 

Welcome back Lizzie! Really excited to see her back.

 

+1 !

 

Great news! 6201 members have received a pic of the test run today with the membership renewal. 6201 completed the run and arrived back at Carnforth with "numerous niggles" which no doubt will soon be rectified and this splendid machine will return to main line charter work.

 

Fantastic. What a loco. First saw her aged 3, only my second standard gauge steam loco (and second Pacific...)

 

Yes i can tell you all about that. The guy concerned was a great chap called Noel Greenfield and he was one of the toolroom welders at pressed Steel Fisher at Castle Bromwich. It was around the turn of 74/75 and we were struggling to fully retube 6201's boiler, the lot, flues and tubes and we were (IIRC) the first group in the country to fully retube a boiler outside of a main works as the LM would only allow a maximum of 3 superheater flue tubes on a shed, and then it had to be done by CME main works staff. We basically had only three trained engineers, Eric Ellis, Ken Andrews and me, plus the irreplacable guidance of Jack Street, a former LMR CME's boiler inspector. Strange to relate (?) Ken and I both worked for Pressed Steel Fisher?? We had an issue with the chimney petticoat which had incipient cracks from the bolt holes for attaching it to the ejector exhaust ring, one of which had almost cracked right through. It was consequently judged unfit for further service without repair or replacement. The original was an iron casting rather than a steel pressing, and bear in mind that a pattern would have cost money and we didn't have much. (In the end the job cost around £4500 to complete and bear in mind that would have bought a reasonable semi detached at the time). Now it is all very well for other correspondents on here to speak knowingly of welding, but the fact of the matter is that there was very little knowledge in the movement of anything to do with boiler reapirs back in those days and even less about welding pressure vessels. Furthermore, welding has not stood still over the intervening years and what is now commonplace was far less so 45 years ago. At Pressed Steel we had a splendid collection of welders in the toolroom welding bay, Noel, Ken Griffiths, and Mo Wright, all led by the inimitable Bill Naven, better known as Tojo after his wartime experiences as a guest of the Imperial Japanese army. Several of them had done instruction at night schools. We got permission to have the petticoat casting welded in the works and Noel was deputed to do it and what a splendid job he did as it lasted for a great number of years before final replacement. When Noel found out what it was for he started to tell us of his National Service experience just after the war. He was one of the 10% deputed as Bevin boys but rather than going down a mine he ended up being sent to the LNER at Immingham where he spent his two years shovelling coal into Tinies and Super Tinies as he called the GCR freight loco's there! He used to pop in to see me at Tyleley from time to time but sadly I have not seen him for some time now and can only fear the worst. a really great bloke!

Regards
Bob

 

6201 was outside the running shed at Carnforth yesterday morning, it wasn't quite fully light so could not see if she was in steam or not.

 

Any chance of seeing her on a CME before the migration to the south coast for summer?

 

I'm hoping 6201 has a season on the York to Scarborough tours to give her an easy running in period not far from Carnforth and that Bil migrates to the south coast for an extended visit in addition to her 2 booked duties.

 

As @Victor and I have said before, she's a 10A loco now...so NO! You have your own MN to play with down sarf!

 

you don't know what its like, looking through the windows of those Pullmans and the ho poli throwing their bread rolls at you thinking your a vagrant because your not wearing this seasons latest and besides would you be so heartless as to not allow us that one in a lifetime spectacle of 2 MN's slipping out of Waterloo just minutes a part?

 

Keep her up North after displays like this .