Bluebell Railway General Discussion

It was only at the weekend that I heard about the plan to turn 80151 to face North. My assumption is that it's for a loco line-up (like last year's with the four new-builds, at the North end of Horsted Keynes) at Giants. Doing it when there's a suitable low loader available on site is the usual way its done.

As regards Sharpthorn (note that the village has an "e" on the end, but the loco doesn't): The plan had been to progress the structural steel repairs such that the new timber buffer planks I've made for it could be fitted, and then it could be towed down to SP, for the rest of the work necessary to prepare it for public display in SteamWorks! The new plan (or so I gathered last week) is, since the relevant Loco volunteers would prefer to work on it at SP rather than miles from their facilities and tools, that it be made fit to be hauled down to SP with minimum of work. The cosmetic overhaul will need a lot of brand-new platework. But of course that's being done in such a way that the work would also be suitable for it to be made operational again. A small budget has been made available from the Bluebell Trust via the Museum, to enable the current work to bring it up to display standard. A full overhaul to operational condition would cost a lot more, since the wheels/axles, motion and boiler all need major work.
With a Tractive Effort just 75% of that of Baxter, and smaller diameter wheels, it's apparently not considered a suitable loco for use on our line. But because it's so small, I don't believe the overhaul costs would be huge, and like Baxter it could have its niche uses (especially fitted with a vac brake), and act as a roving ambassador at times. So personally, I'd love to see it overhauled at some point.

 

You heard that first on Nat Pres from a small brained dinosaur! But thank you for the post Richard.

Typing those sentences leaves me just enough RAM to comment on the possibility of a loco line up facing North at this year's Giants Of Steam.

Hmm, 73082 and 80151 plus . . . . . .80078 and 75069? Or a Britannia?

Bryan

 

71000 has already been announced for Giants.

Tom

 

75069 won't be back that quickly

 

The Bluebell Railway will announce today that it plans to reconstruct new build "Duke" and "Bulldog" locos, using the existing "Dukedog" as a source of parts.

The need arises from the published locomotive policy, which requires four "medium" engines to be in service at any time. Currently, only seven such engines are available (the SECR trio of 65, 263 and 592; LSWR 488; LBSCR 473; GWR 9017 and BR 84030). With 84030 still not constructed and 488 in very poor condition, that means that ideally four of the remaining five engines should be in service at any time, which puts unsustainable pressure on the fleet. Thus a new class 2 engine is desperately needed.

It is expected that it will take about 15 years to achieve the project, which will occur in a series of phases as follows:

Phase 1 (estimated completion by 2030): Construction of a new "Bulldog" pattern boiler and cab. These will be mated to the existing frames - which are still in good condition following the early withdrawal of 9017 from service. With the identity of a locomotive commonly considered to be associated with the frames, this will technically be a restoration rather than a new build, and will accordingly run as No. 3715 / 3425, a "Bulldog" originally built in 1906 and renumbered in 1912.

Phase 2 (estimated duration 2030 - 2038): Construction of new "Duke" pattern frames, wheels and restoration of the existing Duke pattern boiler and cab. It is currently undecided whether this will be considered a new build, with a new number, or take the original number and name of the loco that carried the existing boiler - 3314 "Chepstow Castle", later renumbered 3284. It is expected that this phase will be approaching completion around the time when 3715 will reach the end of its boiler certificate, allowing the tender to be swapped between locos.

Phase 3 (estimated duration 2038 - 2040): Construction of a new 2000 gallon tender suitable for the new "Duke" and quick overhaul of the "Bulldog", reunited with its original tender.

Thus, by around 2040, the Bluebell should have both locomotives available for traffic.

The Great Western Society have already promised help with drawings and components, cementing the existing strong relationship between the BRPS and the GWS. Recently, the Bluebell were able to provide drawings of a Dean pattern bogie to the GWS for a proposed new build Dean single.

The project is expected to cost in the same order as other new builds of similar size; however, the financial return will come more quickly because as soon as the first boiler is constructed, there will be an engine in service giving a return on the investment - unlike a conventional new build project, where the return only comes when all of the money has been raised.

Bluebell spokesman Avril Poisson said that the railway did not rule out using the various components to allow reconstruction of the Dukedog "Earl of Berkely" at some future date.

Tom

 

...and now, about the liveries. BR black for both?

 

Mr. Stroudley's Improved Green, shurely
Pat

 

No, not even that will persuade me to support any loco that always tries to get from Sheffield Park to East Grinstead via Paddington - which is a great way round.

Bryan

 

While I don't in the slightest object to new build locomotives, the more the better, I do think that 9017 is an historic locomotive in it's own right and should be curated as such. The Bluebell is totally wrong in this piece of vandalism

 

Someone didn't take note of todays date.

 

As would I. But as it's 1st April...

 

D'oh!

 

I guess I'm not very awake either! Tom's original post was so long, and detailed (much work to create, surely) that it was easy to get taken in, if one had forgotten the date!

Noel

 

A happy feature of the proposal is that neither would be eligible for LNWR BR Lined black.

Tom, there probably ought to be a standard 2 boiler sourceable from a unrestored 56xx or 61xxx, the Bluebell should go hunting.

 

...... looked pretty good on City of Truro -not! SVR spoof 1.4.85.
Ray.

 

Amazing how time makes this seem more plausible than some of the dross organisations are tripping over themselves to post today.