4953 Pitchford Hall - Great Central

4953 is due to leave Tyseley today on a low loader bound for the GCR, subject to availability it should work trains this weekend, if not 78019 will deputise.

Pitchford Hall Society

 

4953 arrived safely and is now stabled at Loughborough MPD, however she is not going to work passenger trains this weekend, N2 1744 will work alongside 8F 48305 instead.

 

Heres a couple of pics of 'OUR' loco at Loughborough....

http://clive-hanley.fotopic.net/c1867581.html

 

Does anyone know what's likely to be running at the great Central this weekend, is 4953 likely to be working the passenger trains?

Thanks!

 

8f and Standard 2 according to weekly newsletter-plus 25,26 and 31.

 

Thanks for the info'!

 

I can confirm due to the unavailable 78019, 4953 Pitchford Hall will deputise on the 1115, 1315 'dining train', 1515 departures from Loughborough Central on Saturday and Sunday, if you wish, she is pulling the wine tasting dining train friday night 730pm from Loughborough, please book from the booking office if you wish to travel on this train, she is rostered for next weekend too.

 

Thanks for the info' I'm now planning to travel on the 15.15 with Pitchford Hall on Sunday, looking at the "Type 2 Weekend" timetable from the Great Central website Pitchford seems to be working the S2 diagram for the 11.15 and 13.15 trains and then the S1 diagram for the 15.15 departure.

Looking forward to this tomorrow!

 

Is there any chance of the locomotive gaining BR tender insignia during its stay at the GCR? This would make it match up a bit more with MK1 coaching stock. Or have the owning group got bigger things to worry about? Cheers.

 

There are no plans for it gaining Br tender at the moment, if we do decide we'll soon let you know via this website.

 

It currently has a slightly odd combination of GWR livery but with a LMS/BR-style smokebox numberplate. But the WR didn't like painting their engines into BR livery if at all possible, so some engines carried GWR livery well into the 1950s. Was Pitchford Hall one of them?

 

4953 didn't gain its BR black livery (with red name/numberplates) until 1951, so it would have maintained GWR livery for some time in to BR ownership.

 

http://paulbiggsgcrailway.fotopic.net/p66122451.html

4953 has settled down well at its home at the GCR, she's been on passenger trains and on one TPO train today, with D9009 Alcydon N2 1744(!) and other diesels on the TPO. Here she is pictured at Woodthorpe on the newly restored 1950s livered Mk1 postal rake.

Particularly like this shot

http://rickeborallphotography.fotopic.net/p66122491.html

 

Excellent pictures ! One rather unusual non-standard feature of 4953 is the extra large oil feed pipe cover on the right hand side of the smokebox just above the handrail. It vaguely resembles the type used on the higher superheat Modified Hall boilers, but is march larger/wider. Did 4953 have this unusal feature in BR days ?

David

 

Dear 63601,

my best compliment for this excellent shot ! I like very much the steam locos' lateral photos, specially with panning effect !!

Best wishes, Arnaldo.

www.myspace.com/arnaldovescovo

 

Are you sure it was it in GWR green prior to its BR repaint, or was it wartime black? Being repainted 2-3 years into BR period wasn't that unusual. Some GWR liveries did survive until the mid-1950s -- perhaps mostly on the smaller power classes?

Seeing as you know that though, did she ever receive BR Brunswick Green livery?

 

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Hi, Another photo of 4953 working at the GCR


http://jpsgallery.fotopic.net/p66186631.html

 

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GWR Hall 4953 Pitchford Hall is due to leave the Great Central Railway on Wednesday morning on a low loader bound for the Llangollen Railway visiting for one weekend only. She will be in steam on Friday, Saturday and Sunday this weekend before she returns to Loughborough.