Brighton Atlantic: 32424 Beachy Head

The Atlantic is such a beautiful loco that itwill look good in LBSC brown, Southern green or BR black, three smart liveries, imo. The E class, southern green or BR black for me, I've always thought the SECR livery a bit overdone and over ornate.

 

Indeed quite possible; all the early Bluebell locos (Stepney, Fenchurch, Bluebell, Primrose, Birch Grove and the Adams Tank) that were purchased direct from BR had their BR identity and numbers painted out very quickly after arrival, generally followed up by a repaint into a completely different livery. Pretty certain that all of those ran for a short period in their underlying BR black but carrying pre-grouping numbers and, in at least the case of Stepney and Primrose, the name in large block letters on the tank sides.

Tom

 

Wasn't that a BR requirement at the time? I seem to remember it being touted as the reason for a few 'interesting' house liveries, here and there.

 

Yes I think it was for a time. Seem to remember a black five at Keighley having to have a KWVR crest replacing the BR one, I think it was 45212

 

Dare I say it... how about Malachite green, no, just a thought.

 

Not over keen on that colour, much prefer the pre war olive green with the large numbers. That was smart.

 

Mmm a nice shade of green I must admit, but its all down to preferences really.

 

And a lot of the GWR stuff was also rebranded, eg Clun & Pendennis Castles, 1466, 3205 6106, and also LNER pacifics Sir Nigel Gresley &Flying Scotsman so they would not be confused with BR owned locos.

 

Let them come... I'll take them on and their over saturated, dull livery choices of black or green any day! Though that said I do like BR Blue, and how about that experimental BR Purple huh? Now there's BR livery I'd pay to see!

 

You know, you *could* paint it in LBSC umber, without the changes to the cab/dome/chimney, etc., and most people wouldn't notice...
I'm just saying!
Personally, I hope that in time it will eventually be given a period in LBSC external appearance (ideally including cab, etc. but I wouldn't lose sleep about it). Fortunately it's a loco which will look handsome in any of its liveries, LBSC, Southern or BR.

 

Oh I knew that was always the intent of the project Tom, I was just speaking up of my preference is all. That said, for the record while I find BR liveries pretty dull, I'll concede Beachy Head does suit BR Black quite well. I'm sure in time it can be adapted to portray the engine's earlier periods of existence.

As for the subject of the E Class, interesting to know they got a specific loco in mind, and certainly has me delighted as unlike a few others on here I happen to love to the SECR's livery. So striking and elaborate, so it'll be a delight to see it one day, of of course it is the official next new build.

Although I do have a question for you Tom, I was under the impression the Atlantic House could be used for major overhaul/restoration projects like Stepney and 488 once the H2 was finished. Is this not the case no more then I take it? Not that I matters too much mind you, the team working on that P Class tank don't have their own shed to work in yet are still making steady progress. Be interesting to see what they do afterwards, perhaps Fenchurch?

 

One of the Cuthbert Hamilton-Ellis paintings shows no. 516 in its early finery pulling a long rake of SECR coaches including a birdcage and passing oast houses. I wonder if this was part of the inspiration?

 

I'm finding the various suggestions as to what to build next rather informative - certainly make one think and see the various considerations.

Agog to see what the next proposal will be.

 

36006 maybe? (Tongue very firmly in cheek!)

 

I'd *love* to see this.

 

Thank-you for another informative post. I would personally have no problem with seeing the H2 in LBSC brown livery, notwithstanding that the cab and other details are as modified by the SR. But I recognise that others take a different view. I do hope that it will acquire SR green (either Maunsell or Bulleid version) some time in the future.

The project team has obviously thought very carefully about which identity to give their planned new E-class. Mr Bradley indicates that No 516 was one of the few class members to have an extended smokebox from new in 1908. Only very minor changes were subsequently made until withdrawal in 1951, so the new build can have any of the standard colour schemes used between those dates (perhaps excluding Bulleid malachite green, which was never used on E-class). No 516 is also recorded as moving to the Central Section in the 1930s and being used on services in East Sussex.

 

I believe a number of ideas were considered, including using Atlantic House for the overhaul of a loco such as 488, but ultimately the group felt they wanted to tackle another new loco. Inevitably there are lots of considerations in such decisions, trying to find a balance of skills, space, likelihood of funding, future usefulness to the railway etc. for whichever project was chosen.

The group working on P class No. 27 (essentially the "Villas group", named after their home in what is colloquially known as Wainwright Villas) will I suspect be working on that for a few years yet; too long to take the lead on Fenchurch. If that is going to be done at all before 2022, it needs to go into the main workshop fairly soon. It had a very significant overhaul in the 1990s, so hopefully would be less of job now.

Tom

 

If I won the lottery, and could use modern engineering and materials to deal with the known issues of weight and balance, perhaps. But I’d still wonder about crewing...


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The Atlantic group have shown very clearly the value of having a shed of your own. Space, light, dry storage, security, etc. are tangible benefits, but there are others, such as a "home" and giving an identity to the gradually growing pile of miscellaneous bits that will eventually become something. To my mind, it seems a better image than just another project in the workshop, but bits here and there, chassis somewhere else and a boiler under a tarp in the car park- which is how a lot of restorations appear, but seem haphazard.
The nomadic nature of some new-build schemes does not give confidence that the project will be completed, however unfair that perception may be.

 

Weight? No so much of a prob with appropriate extensive rail-up redesign. Balance? - I take it we're talking about the known lateral balance issues - Decidedly less so. Then there's those sleeve valves ......

Can't imagine volunteers would be queuing up to fire the beastie either .... well, not for a second time at any rate!

What a relief the OP had tongue firmly in cheek....