New Build Night Owl - 4709 Begins

Correct.

 

Unaware ,I have contaminated a GWR 2-8-0 thread with recomandations for making better 4-6-0 s.

The described two cylindered compound scheme and balance rod can also make 28xx size do the work of the two and fourcylindered 4-6-0 for less money and coal.

GWR has space for a Kraus Helmholtz truck enabling 2-8-0s to track as pacifics

 

Facebook page this AM

Didcot; early September 2024. The acquisition of former GWR Castle no. 7027 Thornbury Castle, by the 4709 project group has been completed with the final tranche of the purchase price having been paid to the previous owners in the last week.
Thornbury Castle’s chassis and components were moved to Tyseley earlier this year, for both safekeeping and on completion of the agreed payment, work to commence. An inspection of the boiler will be undertaken shortly, which will enable a schedule of the tasks needed to bring the boiler back to full working order. The chassis and a large stock of components that made up the balance of the deal will be stored for future use on other heritage railway projects.

 

As noted elsewhere there was an update regarding the project in the most recent GWS Echo, which noted a couple of interesting things, firstly it notes that they have obtained the majority of 'inside motion' parts, by which I assume they mean the valve gear, this obviously isn't from 7027 unless they are planning to run her on Walschaerts rather than Stephenson valve gear (tongue in cheek), but on that basis how much commonality in such gear is there between GWR classes with Stephenson gear, have they found someone with a set of 47xx valve gear down the back of the sofa or has it come from another class?

I assume that the part restored tender chassis mentioned as being obtained is the one from Thornbury, I wonder if the Hawksworth tank has joined (as suggested elsewhere) the 3 row superheater in being sold to LSL for 5029?

 

Valve gear is identical to 41XX, 51XX, 61XX, 42XX, 72XX and 93XX

 

More info at

https://www.4709.org.uk/4709blog/update-time

 

No mention of the Elephant in the room, but since theres a couple of years of work to do before that needs to be looked at that is sensible and the hysterical element can sit and ponder the complete lack of gas axed frames and disfigured boiler plates. Thoroughly enjoyed a discussion with some muggle on face book who reproduced the boiler dims of type 7 and 8 and was quite ' expresive' how they were 'not the same', but didnt understand enough to explain what the differences meant, in fact im not sure they understood 'diameter' even.

 

I believe 4115 / 5227 and 2861 have been available as a source of GW Parts if I remember correctly?

 

All being such late departures from Barry I'm surprised they came out with much motion in situ?

TBH it says pretty much word for word what is said in the Echo, albeit that is much more forthcoming regarding 7027 confirming that the no.8 boiler is a minor variant of the no.7.

 

47XX No 7 boiler 5'-6" min diameter, 6'-0" max diameter.
Castle No 8 boiler 5'-2" min diameter, 5'-9" max diameter.
There is quite a difference.

 

There is and there isn't. The Castle boiler is basically a thinner barreled 47 boiler on the same firebox. The original studies for what became the Castle used the 47 boiler, but came out too heavy.

 

That's very true although most of these will have arrived at Barry with inside motion and over the years, maybe parts 'may have been accrued' by other preservationists for 'stock' or spares. I think that the Woodhams story is well told and loco history recorded before withdrawal is pretty good but therein, there's another story to be told about how parts have been repurposed and used to get something else running since 1968.

 

But from the perspective of fit and output its very close...

 

...and by the time the insulation and cladding are fitted, there will be virtually no visual difference.

 

That makes it about as authentic as the "County" being built at Didcot.

 

Because all Great Western engines look the same........right?

 

All the more reason to build one thats slightly 'more different'

 

I confess to being a fan of copper-capped chimneys, that's not to say other companies' locos don't have merit, but have to say that if you are going to go to all the time.trouble and expense of building an example of a lost loco class, from whatever railway, then you should at least make it the same as the original, anything else is just a pastiche and in reality is no different from those steam-outline land trains that trundle along the promenades of some of our seaside towns and leisure parks.

Other locos-I have a soft spot for the WD Austerity 2-8-0's and really like the Southern 2-6-0's, and the Eastern A1's and A2's,as well as the Standard class 5 4-6-0's, BUT the A3's and A4's leave me cold, I'm afraid.

 

I know all GW locos are all alike but saying they and land trains are all alike is just not true. I’ve never seen a green land train, for a start.

 

Never seen a Landtrain assembled from standardised components sourced from other landtrains either....