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SVR Loco Newsy News / discussions

Discussion in 'Steam Traction' started by acorb, Jul 26, 2009.

  1. Neil_Scott

    Neil_Scott Part of the furniture

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    42968 was supposed to swap with 5164 at B'north today but didn't seem to happen. I saw 5164 on the 5.04 departure from Bewdley.
     
  2. D1039

    D1039 Guest

    46443 - Ivatt Class 2, LMS-design... She had a pin-hole in a superheater element repaired today (SVRA forum). She was expected to have a fire in by early this evening if all has gone well.

    Patrick
     
  3. D1039

    D1039 Guest

    4566 - Small Prairie Tank, Ex GWR... suffered valve problems and a broken spring on 30 April (SVRA online). She was due a washout and boiler insurance exam from 2 May (main website)

    Patrick
     
  4. D1039

    D1039 Guest

    Midland Compound (4)1000 arrived at Kidderminster this afternoon, hauled from the Engine House by D3022.

    EDIT: Main website

    The 'big red engine' is now destined to head north and into Scotland where it will take pride of place in a new exhibition which is opening north of the border.

    The departure of No. 1000 has caused a re-arrangement of exhibits with the arrival of Pannier Tank No. 5764 for an extended stay.

    Our thanks goes to the NRM for the loan of the Midland Compound.

    Patrick
     
  5. D1039

    D1039 Guest

    44871 and 45407 - LMS Black Fives... these visiting engines arrive on loan 14 May for the Sounds of the Sixties weekend on 20-22 May (UK Steam). 44871 is in service on 15 May (main website)

    On 14 May D8059 (Class 20) and 50 031 are running two diagrams covering for unavailable steam locos: only 7812 and 5164 of the home steam fleet are running on service trains, with 46443 on the footplate experience (main website).

    Engines not available for use:

    4566: Valve replacement.
    43106: Left hand piston rod replacement
    42968: Boiler insurance exam on Thursday.

    Patrick
     
  6. D1039

    D1039 Guest

    813 - Ex Port Talbot saddle tank… Website update 31 March (http://www.gwr813.org/). Shortly after returning from Toddington in June 2010, 813 was moved into the boiler shop at Bridgnorth where its cab and saddletank were removed and the boiler lifted from the frames. Following removal of the tubes from the boiler, the firebox was progressively dismantled and the various components examined to determine to what extent the firebox would need to be renewed. At this point the possibility of fitting an entirely new copper inner firebox (to replace the existing steel one) was examined but, after careful consideration, it was concluded that this would not be a cost effective option in view of the increasing cost of copper plate (it would cost three times as much to make a new copper box compared to a steel one). Provision of a new copper inner firebox would also alter the overall design and specification of the firebox as a whole which would further complicate the issue. The end result was the decision to manufacture and fit a new steel inner fire box and replace the lower one third of the outer wrapper, retaining also, after renovation, the existing foundation ring and girder bars. It is hoped that this work will have been completed by the Autumn. Whilst the main thrust of the current renovation project has centred around the boiler and firebox, work has also progressed on mechanical repairs to the locomotive. Fortunately, the extent of this work is relatively modest, the most notable elements being repairs to cracks in one of the horn guides and the adjacent area of the main frames and provision of a new rear cylinder cover, slide bars and piston heads. More expensive will be the decision to acquire a new set of coupling rods for the locomotive. The existing rods, which are not the originals but are thought to have originated from one or more ex North Eastern Railway tank locomotives at one time employed at Backworth Colliery, are past their sell-by date and really need to be replaced (one has a crack which would otherwise need to be repaired). Plans have been drawn up for a new set of side rods based closely on the original 1900 design and it hoped that these can be manufactured and fitted before the locomotive re-enters service following completion of the current overhaul project.

    Patrick
     
  7. lostlogin

    lostlogin Member

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    This is not a dig at the SVR but as a member of the paying public I do find it slightly irksome when you visit a "steam railway" expecting to be pulled by a steam locomotive only to find that it has been replaced by a diesel because the railway has taken the decision to run a footplate experience course in priority to using the steam loco on the advertised trains.

    I was not at the SVR this weekend but I experienced this at another railway in the past. I appreciate that there is very good money in footplate experiences and you can not plan for locos being unavailable but I would have thought that servicing the bread and butter operation on which the majority are travelling should probably be given preference.
     
  8. Southernman99

    Southernman99 Member Friend

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    What would you rather have? A train hauled by a diesel or no train at all?

    Ok the SVR is a steam railway but diesels do play their part in keeping the railway running. There is a lot of money in the Footplate experience courses, these are pre booked well in advance and thus cannot just be cancelled when people have paid around £350 for the day.
    I think lady luck needs to shine over the SVR at the moment. They seem to be having a rotten belt of luck with locos, 7802 failing its boiler exam, 43106 needing a new piston rod, 4566 having a couple of problems at the moment. Hopefully when the main season kicks in towards the end of the month. 43106, 42968 (awaiting a boiler exam), 4566 and 2857 should hopefully return.
     
  9. 46118

    46118 Part of the furniture

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    However, bad luck or not, 43106 failed before Christmas in the cold weather as far as I recall, so does it really take five months to procure and machine a new piston rod?
     
  10. hassell_a

    hassell_a Member

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    Unfortunately the answer is yes it does. UK PLC no longer appears to be in business, and like many other components that rely on heavy manufacturing, the replacement piston rod has had to be sourced from overseas (South Africa I believe). It arrived in mid April and the machining/fitting is in progress.

    Changing the subject a bit, there is an update on 2857 here: http://www.2857.org.uk/2857_news.html
     
  11. 1472

    1472 Well-Known Member

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    I can assure you that the need for unadvertised diesel use on passenger trains is also a matter of considerable concern to those involved & working on the railway. Reputation is very easily lost and takes time and effort to regain.
    The majority of visitors want and expect steam haulage when that is what has been advertised.
    There is no neat answer to the dilema you describe - except to work to INCREASE the number of servicable steam locos. Whilst this is in hand it cannot always be achieved immediately.

    So shortly there will be:
    4566/5164/7812
    42968/43106/46443

    By mid summer these will be joined by 2857

    For next year add 1501, 34027, 7714 during the year but loose 46443 & 42968.
     
  12. 82045MS

    82045MS Member

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    ..............And with any luck ....add 82045 in 2016

    Please help, visit www.82045.org.uk
     
  13. lostlogin

    lostlogin Member

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    I appreciate that it is a dilemma and not one easily resolved as you are going to potentially leave somebody disappointed. As a member of the paying public I would prefer it to be the few on the footplate experience, if you are booked on the footplate experience you would not agree.

    I have to admit I am slightly prejudiced as when it happened to me, and it was not on the SVR, we had to travel for about an hour to get to where we were going and it basically resulted in all diesel haulage as the timetable called for one steam diagram and one DMU. They did tack a “Thomas” lookalike on the back on a couple of the trains but it did very little.

    It was then a bit galling to see a loco running around light engine on footplate experience duty that was quite capable of pulling the relevant diagrammed train and you wonder why they had not simply swapped and let the Thomas lookalike run the driver experience. I appreciate it may have been due to lack of room on the footplate.

    It did make you feel though as though you were being taken a bit for granted especially as at no point was there a notice, explanation, apology of any sort. Even when booking you ticket it was not mentioned and it did make me wonder if sometimes we take the average bread and punter for granted. I sometimes think the same when on a forum members of X or Y railway state it was a really good weekend as it was standing room only. Maybe great for the coffers but is that really want the punters paid for.
     
  14. 1472

    1472 Well-Known Member

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    It is very important that visitors views re things like this are heard by the railway concerned. There is an unfortunate british tendancy to say nothing at the time but then go and tell friends and others of an unsatisfactory visit - a bit like the visit to a lousy restaurant where, when asked, a lot of british people will meekly reply that the food is fine when actually they think the complete opposite but are afraid to say so!
     
  15. D1039

    D1039 Guest

    44871 has been running today, and will be doing so tomorrow (Thursday 19th) on train A: 10.10 & 1.50 ex-Bridgnorth & 12.10 & 4.00 ex-Kidderminster

    Train B: 10.25 & 2.00 ex-Kidderminster & 12.00 & 3.50 ex-Bridgnorth will be 7812

    On Footplate Experience will be 46443

    The SVR forum reports that today (18 May) 5164 had her valves out and 43106 was on a test run, and 42968 has its insurance exam tomorrow (Thursday 19th)

    Patrick
     
  16. acorb

    acorb Part of the furniture

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    Looking at the locos available there are only 4 that are really suitable for peak passenger use, 4566 & 46443 tend to struggle on 7 coaches plus. Given that 44871 has been pushed straight into regular passenger use, when is the SVR going to bite the bullet and hire in? The NYMR and other railways regularly rely on hired in locos for peak season, where will the black fives be heading after this weekend for instance... The balance has to be sought where the cost of hiring in locos is offset by no loss of passengers through unadvertised diesel substitution and associated bad publicity. Also the MPD are more able to concentrate on getting overhauled locos back rather than having to patch up an intensively used small fleet. This is not meant as a dig at the SVR but more as a question on the current situation. The Llangollen seems to have a very rosey loco situation at the moment, be nice to see a visitor from there again?
     
  17. D1039

    D1039 Guest

    43106 - Ivatt Class 4, LMS-design... has continued her repair of left hand piston and cover replacement following damage in December. The SVR forum reported that on 18 May she had a test run with the main website reporting her as undergoing “valve setting and testing” before returning to traffic on a VIP footplate experience saloon charter on 27 May.

    Sharp Stewart 4085 'Dunrobin'... SVR Contract Engineering http://www.svr-engineering.co.uk/news/news.html reports that she arrived at Bridgnorth on 19 May where a start is expected shortly on stripping down this interesting and unique little locomotive to assess the requirements to return her to steam. This was the first time the locomotive has been on UK rails since 1965, 46 years ago!

    Patrick
     
  18. Mighty Mogul

    Mighty Mogul Well-Known Member

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    The SVR have already bitten the bullet and hired in during recent times with extended visits of 4936 and 6695. IIRC 80080 was mooted for an extended stay during the 2011 season but in reality the loco went to ELR instead.

    The Llangollen Railway is fortunate in finding itself in a very flush situation with its current stud of locos. With the likes of the Manor, Black 5 and Standard tank, they are desirable locos for other lines to hire in too.
     
  19. kieranhardy

    kieranhardy Well-Known Member

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    Not to mention 3802, 5643 & 6430 plus one or two industrials.

    When i went during one of the bank holidays last month only 7822 was running on the saturday with 5643 joining her for the remaining two days. 80072 was on loan but it did leave 2 large & 1 small locomotives dormant.
     
  20. D1039

    D1039 Guest

    With 43106 rostered to return to steam this week there will (hopefully) be five locos available , with 4566 to return and 2857 to come.

    SVR accounts received today: engine hire costs 2009 - £14,750; 2010 - £7,040. (I think I heard that one engine hire was wholly or partly offset by work on that loco?).

    The SVR has already hired two hired steam locos, Black Fives 44871 & 45407, which left Kidderminster today for the ELR, according to UK Steam.

    Just a reminder that announced for September 23-25 are four more visitors: King class locomotive No. 6023 'King Edward II', A1 class locomotive No. 60163 'Tornado', Castle class locomotive No. 5029 Nunney Castle and Caledonian Railway, John McIntosh class 812, No. 828.

    Patrick
     

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