7027 Thornbury Castle

That depends on many factors, and not just the locomotive.

 

Having had the dubious privilege of being employed in a management position for over 13 years by said "gentleman", I am not in the least bit surprised by this outcome.
"My way or the highway" would be a polite way of summing up the modus operandi.

 

Agreed.
To quote a character from the Rev Awdreys world
‘There are 2 ways of doing things, The Great Western way or the wrong way’ This to me seems very much the Wrong Way.

 

I think 'largely' is being polite, apart from one obvious and understandable supporter its generally dire!

 

I was quite enjoying following the progress of this restoration and know that many GCR people had spent a lot of time and effort working to get Thornbury running. So this news is a bit of a shock - however I think a working Star and 47xx will be an equally good outcome.
I will just have to continue reporting on "Boscastle" and the other GCR locomotives.

 

Seen that, without naming names I am not sure who they are specifically talking about, my recollection that the whole three counties concept was driven by someone who was not high in the heirachy at Didcot but obviously had the ear, and were also heavily involved in the Patriot scheme until that went tits up, but there is also the lead at Didcot but I am not sure if that is who people are referring to as there is also an engineering lead, albeit they seem much more limited to practically building the thing?

Not sure about death knell, but be interesting to see how well the recent appeal for new blood goes....

 

If the GWS mission is to tell the story of the GWR (motive power wise) cobbling together a 47xx adds very little indeed when you step back and consider the gaping gap from pre 1895 ish when pretty well nothing still exists. Yet there is quite a story to tell, both broad & standard gauge.
OK its not for us to tell individuals where to spend their money but it SHOULD be up to the GWS to more accurately interpret its self styled mission and exhibit a grain of conscience as to how that is achieved. Simply being steered by the wishes of occasional weathly donors and crackpot scheme promotors does'nt do it.

 

A lot of hot air being generated for what? There are a generous supply of Castles around, all of which are in one piece and those that aren't runners will be a lot cheaper to get running than restoring 7027. There are no 47XXs and I would like to see one while I'm still inhabiting this earth. This move has made that more likely. They have said the components will all be kept so in the distant future there is no reason why a No 8 boiler could not be manufactured if funds allow and the donor one being restored to 7027.
As for mainline running, I can understand the GWS policy of not wanting to be involved, it's a big commitment that would divert resources away from what they do, I think this is the reason the Mid Hants and SVR gave up. On top of that there is the cost of TPWS equipment and it's all very well saying they can run here and there but GW locos are not very gauge friendly.
We also have a good supply of Bulleid Pacifics, just as well that their components cannot be used to create anything else!

 

Regrettably retirement has not mellowed him at all.

You’ll perhaps find it gratifyingly ironic that he was effectively given the same ultimatum himself late last year, and chose the highway.

The loss of a loco or two is probably a small price to pay.

 

It's not making a 47xx though, it's making a pastiche of one. It's not that different to using a WC boiler on a MN because they look vaguely similar. It's at the expense of using a lot of parts, some quite significant, off a loco that was seemingly on the way to restoration at long last, simply because someone wants another loco to tick off in his ABC.

 

I actually thought of you this morning when on here (and elsewhere) the 'there are plenty of castles around' argument was being made, musing about the response if someone purchased one of Gresley's machines for its parts to help create a new build Thompson pacific!

 

If one of the north American A4s could be turned into "Papyrus" or another V2 or a W1 in this country I'd be happy! (or even use "Bittern's spare boiler as a starting point!)

 

Didcot's USP is that it is an original GWR steam shed full of original GWR steam locos. UK steam finished 6 years before I was born so my only memories of it are from preservation; I have no particular hankering after one class or another as I don't remember any of them, and given the passage of time I suspect those who remember things like the 47xx are now very much in the minority. So I wouldn't much care if Didcot had a dozen different classes inside or a row of identical engines, so long as they contribute to that atmosphere of the working steam shed.
Last time I went there (5 or 6 years ago) I was underwhelmed by the whole experience. There was an air of abandonment about the place. Maybe it has improved since, but I doubt it. The GWS appears to have lost its vision of what it is there for, and lost its way. As evidenced by the list up thread, they have been responsible for the permanent disappearance of several original GWR locos in recent years, probably more than they have actually managed to restore in that time.
I can't get excited about the 'Saint' but at least they bought a scrap loco from a scrapyard to recreate that one. But reverse-engineering an improved design into an unimproved one always sat poorly with me as an engineer, quite apart from the loss of the original artifact. And it is probably where the rot set in. All of these other projects - I can't keep up with them all, but I wouldn't make a special trip to see any of them when finished and certainly wouldn't donate any money towards them.
As for 7027, given the owner's falling-out with the GCR I can't say I am surprised, but I feel desperately sad for the people there who have worked tirelessly on the restoration over the last couple of years. It appeared to have been making great progress. A 'Castle' on the GCR was always an odd fit but the loco didn't and doesn't deserve to be broken up after all that hard work.

 

It’s not exactly like converting a ‘00’ gauge model is it?

 

Not my ABC, I saw all the 47XXs when they were in service

 

Yes please, albeit I would substitute your Dean Goods with an Armstrong goods!

Oh and an Aberdare....

 

Be grateful that the same owner's 9F can't be readily turned into anything else...........

On a more serious note, I would imagine that it too will be moving on now - it'll be due for overhaul in a few years and it's hard to see him wanting to pay for that now.