Swanage Railway General Discussion

my understanding is that the BBMF are happy to overfly anywhere within reason but like to combine it with other events on the same day e.g. they would probably be prepared to fly home via Swanage on the day of the Eastbourne or Bournemouth Airshows.

 

92 Squadron has had a couple of BBMF flypasts over the years. @Spamcan81 is the one to ask. You can have a flypast (usually three passes) which I believe are free but are combined with other events, or you can book them for a display. No idea how much that costs, but it's usually about 10 minutes of display. You need to book well in advance though, up to a year I believe.

 

Yes well, but it probably wasn’t going to be steam powered. Perhaps some sort of combustion system run on the methane gas captured from a tender full of BS was envisioned….

 

Years ago now, we had a community event in the local park and my wife contacted BBMF about a possible fly past. They said they had a flight passing nearby that day and were happy to oblige. 3 passes of the Lanc and no charge. Result.

 

So,sell it to someone or some organisation that has the resources to do the job. This loco was rescued from Barry in 1978 i believe, so,14 years there. It has now spent another 25yrs O/O/U..Perhaps the HRA should convene a panel of experts who can decide whether such engines are restorable,given the prevailing circumstances.

 

Perhaps. But this SLL shareholder is aware of the number of begging letters he receives and cannot respond to, before considering taking on more liabilities. And the HRA is an umbrella group and trade organisation, not a regulator.

 

You seem to totally ignore the fact that it is owned by someone. True a railway may want it moved elsewhere if it is beginning to become a problem, as in the case of a number of locos in the past, but 34105 was part way through restoration before other issues arose. You cannot just "steal it" or decide to scrap it if you do not own it.

 

I do believe that argument has been made before regarding rolling stock "stored" for so long it is returning to its natural elements. You could probably find a few on the SR. so what happens? sooner or later some one has to literally crunch through the rotting iron and woodwork and say "that is it" and get the items scrapped or moved, I do not think i have ever mentioned taking somebody's property. It would have been good if 34105 had ended up at its namesake Railway where it might have generated more interest in its upkeep.

 

And wouldn’t it be nice if 34016 and 34007 were based in Cornwall?
By that token would you like 34053 to be in New Zealand?

 

34081 to East India and 34070 to a giant lorry park in Kent too?

 

Swanage Railway had the phenomenally successful Strictly Bulleid event a few years ago.

The BBMF receive far more requests than they are able to facilitate - so much depends on the actual event and other events on that day so that the BBMF flight is able to cover "as many" events as it can given the limited flying hours permitted for each aircraft annually given their fatigue / major component replacement life.

 

and 34072 in Burma!

 

At this point, one has to suspect that it's probably for the best the RPSI didn't restore GNRI Q Class 4-4-0 No.131's original name (lost on being rebuilt to it's preserved form, very many moors ago).

https://steamtrainsireland.com/rpsi-collection/7/no131

 

We had a Spitfire and Hurricane at the recommissioning of Sir Keith Park in 2013. They took a detour en-route for the Rhyl airshow. https://photos.app.goo.gl/1rZT5SHirvr2DAuy5

 

It should be noted that the Lancaster at Swanage was flying over the sea, It was just lucky coincidence that "Rumpole" was in the right spot at the right time to take that excellent photo, nothing more.

 

That was brilliant, to have representatives of the greatest mechanical heros of the battle at the recommissioning of a loco named after one of its greatest real-life heros.

 

Thankyou
Andrew Moody

 

The Lancaster was there for the Swanage Carnival which raised money for charities and hopefully boosted passenger numbers on the steam railway (which it needs, hopefully not to many potential passengers are turned off by the diesel only services this week).

Looks like only 20 locos from the Southern West Country and Battle of Britain classes have survived and only 6 are in service, although several in the process of being overhauled.
It's good that some locos named from the Battle of Britain are still with us and Manston hopefully operational soon.
If all 20 are restored, would there be enough heritage railways to give regular earning services, I expect some will stay static museum exhibits (maybe the one;one museum in Margate might display one?

 

Any Bulleid event would be popular in 2017, it was the perfect time for it.
Watercress Line did a cracking event with effectively the same Bulleids as you (minus Wells), P&O, 80078, 41312 and 76017.