Bluebell Motive Power

That looks a much more Southern-focused roster than is the case now too, which is all good

 

You said it.

 

Is there any news on whether 80064 might get an overhaul- Isn't she privately owned?

Chris

 

Yes.

Tom

 

Thankyou, be interesting to see what the future holds for her- hopefully something positive!

Chris

 

Well, it's all go on the loco front. This just popped up on Facebook, from the Chairman:

"I am very pleased to announce that after todays PLC Board Meeting and the previous Society Board Meeting, we have approved that 323 Bluebell will go into the workshops in early 2024 and it is planned to have the loco back into service by the summer. This is a real step forward and it will be great to see this wonderful engine and our flagship back in steam."​

I think the idea is probably a boiler swap with 178, which has a better boiler but more fragile mechanical condition, whereas 323 is in good mechanical order but has a worn boiler.

Also, 34059 passed its in-frames steam test earlier this week so I believe.

Tom

 

How appropriate on page 178 of the thread....

 

Fabulous news about Bluebell. I’m trying to persuade myself that I have the money to buy a Hattons model of it (I don’t… not if I also want a Rapido Manning Wardle L Class… unlesss a credit card gets involved )

 

Seen over on Bluebell's SocMed that Normandy is allegedly to be overhauled as well.

 

Was announced a few weeks ago via the Chairmans newsletter to go in the Atlantic House along with the Adams Radial

 

Just spotted it back a page. Everyone going wild over the Radial seems to have buried it a bit.

 

https://www.bulleidsociety.org/News...-1V2YevsCklQKWdYGWyeNaW5v1u_2NU1zzEpKmAVeY-Hc

34059 has undertaken its first movements after overhaul.

Edit - just checking, Sheffield Park is well outside the ULEZ?

 

You'll be all right with that, classic vehicles are exempt.

 

34059 out on a light engine test run today, passing the Wednesday Lineside Gang.

 

Is the loco likely to be visible during the GOS weekend or will the ice rink prevent any access to the end of the yard?

 

An alternative access route to the yard has been arranged for the weekend.

 

Thanks for the info.

 

I hope you've all remembered to bring your own jetpacks

 

Interesting that the smokebox dart handles are at 9 and 3 instead of one of them being at 6 o'clock as would usually be the case... anybody able to advise how the door is staying closed like this? Is it just the handle controlling the angle of the dart in the smokebox has been put in 90 degrees out from the dart itself?

 

The latest issue of "Atlantic News" has a little bit more detail about the restoration of 96, 488 and also next steps on 32424.

On 32424, handover is expected "next summer", which will follow a period of commissioning in the spring. The technical report was a myriad of small items: damper controls; ash pan spray and pep pipe; blow down valve and silencer; sand delivery pipes; construction of a blower; some boiler cleading to cover some lubrication pipes along the boiler; fitting drip valves to the air brake lines etc. All vital but largely unseen.

When 32424 leaves Atlantic House (this winter, but I guess the precise time depends on freeing up a road in the main works, plus the logistics of extraction from Atlantic House), then 488 and 96 will enter together on adjacent roads. Overhaul of No. 96 can start straight away - that is funded by the Bulleid Society. In the meantime, a thorough assessment of No. 488 will take place. It seems likely that the loco will require an entirely new boiler - I think Keith Sturt's view is that although it might be possible to save some parts, by time you have fully stripped the old boiler to recover useable parts, you end up spending a considerable amount of money. So "serious fundraising lies ahead". The better news is that on the rest of the loco, "[e]ven we thought restoration might involve too much destruction of the original locomotive. However, thorough consideration of the task leads us to believe that what actually needs to be done is not as daunting as we thought, certainly not after building a new locomotive!"

Tom