V2 4771 Green Arrow to return?

19 is under overhaul at Crewe ATM.

 

The fact that the overhaul of Flying Scotsman had to be undertaken twice is no fault of the engine. The people that are and were involved is another matter.

Sir Nigel Gresley underwent an overhaul from 2015 and returned in April 2022. This is understood to have cost £800,000 but this work did not cover the same ground as that covered with Flying Scotsman. The A4 also benefited from having its own team of active supporters. The NRM relied on and trusted in its own staff and paid staff have to be paid for. Scotsman's (double) overhaul took a decade, that on Gresley took more than six years and if we knew the hours of labour freely given to the A4 overhaul we could adjust the costs accordingly but it is perhaps better that we do not know. Those that are interested could make their own estimate those that are not are free to continue with their "money pit" mindset.

When it comes to the V2 there are questions. In order for it to run on the mainline it not only needs overhaul. It does not enjoy a team of capable supporters and this drives the cost up. Once the overhaul work is done you also have to add in the electrical system. Is it worth taking the work so far? You could limit the engine to preserved line use but it is not a household name, unlike the two Pacifics, and recouping the overhaul and repair costs could be a daunting prospect. Any one in favour of taking on the financial burden?

The outcome that some might like to see may well not be realistically possible.

 

All true, but points that beg further scrutiny. Two immediately come to mind.

The first is that if NRM are concerned about the costs of doing the job themselves, some of that will be the result of what went wrong last time with Scotsman. Complicated projects are not easy to deliver, and report by Bob Meanley demonstrated how thin the skill base was.

The second is that the lack of "a team of capable supporters" is, at least in part, the result of conscious decisions that NRM have taken to reduce the volunteer input into their operation - steam and diesel. Such capacity is difficult to build in the best of circumstances

 

Who was in charge at NRM during the FS overhaul?
Is it likely the outcome would be any different for the V2, ie would the holders of the purse strings be at all inclined to take on the risk?

 

Everything would have to be done by contractors. The NRM no longer has a workshop.

 

It would be interesting to see the income and expenditure cost of operating Scotsman. However, if the hire figures I’ve seen are correct then it should be cash positive at the end of its current ticket. Whether that money is put back into Scotsman or used to fund a different loco overhaul is debatable.
On the assumption that it is a different loco then that is something that will tax the minds of the museum world. From a strictly engineering point, Mallard, the Duchess and Green Arrow are all possible. I believe that, when the Duchess was streamlined it was done so in a gauge friendly way but I’m happy to be told that’s wrong. A streamlined Duchess is getting beyond living memory and I do think it looks spectacular and would be a big draw, as would Mallard because it is as well-known as Scotsman. Green Arrow is much less well-known outside railway circles and would not be the same draw with Joe Public.
It’s a shame Anthony Coulls no longer posts on here; it would be interesting to hear his thoughts in the debate