RTC 2023

Not fair !! The NRM actually made good the deficiencies of previous botched overhauls plus made good the wear and tear of 80+ years of its working life. It may have proved costly but recent performances confirm the justification of the time and money expended on it IMHO.

 

Agreed, but the live sound obtained from a drone is probably going to be just that - a drone!

 

Not possible to follow the train on the ground and capture clear sound for synchronising.

 

A thought - is 60103 the oldest loco (now virtually 100 years) ever to have operated on the main line in a semi-regular passenger-carrying role? 30850 must be close but is that still main line certified? There may well be others but they escape me at the moment.

 

Depends if you are just talking England, Wales and Scotland or the whole world and what classes as semi-regular. Over in Ireland 131 (currently out and about) and 171 (finishing overhaul for mainline use) are both older, however neither will probably see use as intensive as 60103. Those are just 2 examples there may well be other locos further afield that operate on what is locally classes as the main line that are older.

 

Sorry, yes - I was thinking of the UK mainland - and was also thinking of locos that are used on a series of railtours each year (subject to overhaul), rather than just the very occasional special outings.

 

How old was 1054 when that went mainline in the 1980’s?

 

A lot older than FS

 

Are you sure about that John? 1054 was built in 1888 so was a mere 92 years old when she went for a mainline run or two in 1980 after many years in retirement. By contrast Terriers 32636 and 32670 were delivered to preservation in 1964 after withdrawal having both clocked up 92 years of continuous service

Peter

 

I may have misunderstood the question but I thought it was, what is the oldest engine to have run on the mainline? Having thought about it that would be Hardwicke rather than the Coal Tank

 

98 when it ran from Shrewsbury to Stockport.

Not Lion?

 

Did Lion carry any fare paying passengers?

 

Does 31806 qualify?
It remains on the main line list although not used anywhere near as much as 60103 because it is a much smaller engine.
Currently, 31806 is pencilled in to return RTC's series of summer time Dorset Coast Express tours from Weymouth to Southampton - where the train engine takes over.
Brighton Works outshopped the engine in June 1928 so next month sees it's 95th Birthday.
Admittedly this is not a semi-regular passenger carrying operation but 31806 is kept quite busy at Swanage in between times.

 

So, oldest to run --- Lion.

Oldest to carry fare paying passengers--- Hardwicke (107)

Oldest in 'continuous service'--- depends on definition but ? FS (100)

Oldest in service under BR--- the two A1Xs or possibly A1 DS680?

 

Not DS680 - formally 54 Waddon, this was an 1875 built Terrier like its sister 55 Stepney. 70 Poplar (32670) and 72 Fenchurch (32636) both date from 1872 and were withdrawn 11/1963. Both travelled under their own steam to their respective preservation homes in the spring of 1964.

Peter

 

When was this? I know it worked on the main line connection with the Rocket 150 celebrations in 1980 but did not know that it had been out and about since then.

Peter

 

Think it worked to the SVR under it’s own power it about 1986?

 

The Coal tank, built 1888, went to the SVR on 6th Sept 1986 (Leaton, box and signals now only a memory) and returned north on 18th October with the W A Camwell 80th birthday special (Chirk viaduct) https://www.sixbellsjunction.co.uk/80s/861018_1.htm . Managed to see both trips but didn't Hardwicke, built 1873, run a series of trips out of Carnforth as far back as 1976 ?
I'm not sure Lion's forays on the main line would class as carrying fare paying passengers, were they not just invited guests ?

 

The SE&CR O1 No. 65 briefly ran on the mainline under its own power last year, aged 126. (No fare-paying passengers though; a special event). The C class No. 592 went all the way to London a few years back, aged about 110 - again no passengers, a film job.

Another contender (but FS just shades it) would be Sir Lamiel, built 1925, so just a couple of years younger than FS, and in mainline use until fairly recently. Ultimately withdrawn to avoid causing reputational embarrassment to sundry Collett and Stanier 4-6-0s ...

Tom

 

Hardwicke did indeed run some trips out of carnforth in the 70s. Also piloted 92220 one one leg of the Gresley Centenarian in 1976. There may have been other runs but I’d have to check.