Didcot Railway Centre - new arrival

Due to the refurbishment work at the NRM their Western diesel hydraulic loco D1023 Western Fusilier is going on loan to Didcot for the next 5 years. It should be on site in the next day or so.
https://didcotrailwaycentre.org.uk/article.php/541/news

 

Is it operational currently?

 

No not operational. Hopefully it will also go under cover and not be left outside to rot like the Gas Turbine has.

 

It has arrived safely. [BJ]

 

Failed at NYMR a few years ago and hasn't worked since. From postings on WNXXforum it sounds like it's unlikely to work again without serious cash being thrown at it.

 

And here it is. D1023 being unloaded at Didcot Parkway after travelling from the NRM.
(Photo by Harry Colley).

 

Moved by road, I thought loading/unloading isn't good for Westerns' structure

 

That's a shame.

 

It's ok if the carden shafts between the transmission and the gearbox have been removed, which they have apparently.



From http://www.westernchampion.co.uk/photos/d1015-technical/what-is-640.jpg

The gearbox is no. 7, the transmission is no. 9, so the carden shaft is the bit between them. You can see how it would affect free movement of the bogie.

 

Something to do with damage to the transmission?
I’m sure there’s someone with more technical information that can explain why Thousands shouldn’t go by road.
I believe the GC wanted to hire 1023 for an event and it was vetoed on those grounds.

On the other hand with 1023 going to Didcot are we going to maybe see it as a parts doner for a new build of this…

 

I could be to blame….I mentioned a few days ago about a “Leader v2.0” project and GWS and a donor Class 66….the internet, the GWS, and the universe sometimes works in mysterious ways…

 

Bloody Cons!
In all seriousness Ross, in a previous life I was told by a senior member of the Diesel Traction Group that they wanted to buy Falcon, unfortunately there was some sort of clause in the contract between Brush and BR about Falcon being sold on.

 

Educate me. Was it any good? A stepping stone? Or, a dead end?

 

Give me some time and I’ll let you know, it had 2 Maybachs though for starters so it would have sounded decent.

 

When single engines were the way forward as they had been in the USA for a decade, obsolete from the inception.

 

Not quite.

 

Looking at the photo of the unloading.
It appears that an extra long ramp is being used, this maybe what is required to get around the problem with transmission movement.

 

Along with disconnecting the carden shafts which are the specifically vulnerable part of the loco.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

I think there was too. I'd love to have seen 1200 (as it was then) in the flesh; my brother saw it as D0280 in the green and brown livery. He saw a lot of prototypes - the one that stuck out to him was BRCW's Lion, of course.

Has anyone ever made a model of Lion?