63601

Taken from GCR - Announce Yahoo E Newsletter

Listed for the Golden Oldies Gala is the 'O4'. I have to say, it looks to
be a static exhibit. James, no longer our apprentice but fully passed out,
has been given the job of overhauling the boiler and firebox. As
previously mentioned, he has removed about six superheater elements for
repair, and moved to the back end. Now the 'O4' has a particularly high
and small firehole door, don't know why, perhaps Robinson's employees were
undernourished. In fact only James, Craig and I can get in. So James has
been given the task of replacing all of the front lap rivets, they that
pin the sides of the copper inner firebox to the tubeplate. He has
dutifully burnt out alternate ones (you have to leave half in to stop the
whole thing falling apart), and is starting to cut threads in the holes to
take patch screws. Little does he know that putting the threads in is the
easy bit, cutting the countersinks is much more time consuming.

It's place will be taken by Roger Hibbert's LMS 3F Jinty 47406. 63601 has no steamings so far this year and we are doing various jobs on her to see her through to her 100th birthday next year, and before her boiler ticket expires next year.

 

she will be missed by me. I still have visions of one day of 63601 and 506 passing on the double track.

 

63601 is one of my favourite engines at the GCR, along with 78019, when it visited Llangollen in 2007 and 2009.

 

Much nicer would be 102 and 506 passing on the double track!
Daniel

 

Or 63601 and 62660! I wonder, what are the chances of Butler Henderson being overhauled in the future? If something was hastily organised and there were no unforseen problems it could be finished before 63601 comes out of traffic. Just a thought

 

Also come to think of it, are there any plans what will happen to 63601 after next year?

 

Please no! GCR livery is far too beutiful to be replaced by BR black again. It happened at the end of 506's last ticket and it certainly wasn't an improvement in my view. leave BR black to those lcoos that have no other option. I really hope that 506 does get another go in steam, pre-grouping 4-4-0s in pre-grouping liveires are rare beasts indeed.
Daniel

 

Both of these are true, but AFAIK there is only one restored GCR carriage ie the one at Quainton Road. The effect of the pre-group livery is IMO lost when hauling BR Mk1 vehicles and I would very much prefer to see these engines in BR condition. If and when there are more GC carriages restored then I would support your view, but I really don't think that it will happen in my lifetime, the people at Loughborough are more interested in extending the railway than restoring old carriages.

Regards

 

I suggested a change to BR Black for a number of reasons and hopefully a few people may agree with me here...

a) I am not old enough to remember Butler Henderson in black so to me it would make a nice change.

b) I would like to see Butler Henderson and 63601 together in BR Black (even if the director is not in steam). I seem to recall there was once a suggestion to repaint 63601 into GCR Black for its last year in traffic so there is little time in which the pair could both be in BR Black. After this the Director could return to GCR colours and we'd have a matching pair again.

c) If the Director ever was to steam, there is very little operable period rolling stock so at least BR Black would match mk1s.

d) If you've ever tried keeping all that brass on Butler Henderson shiny you'll soon realise that BR Black sounds like a very good idea!

....Runs and ducks for cover.

 

If people would like to see restored GC carriages, then this is entirely possible with sufficient support. The GC Rolling Stock Trust has 8 carriages and is custodian of one other, which represent three periods of operation of the GC and its primary anticedend the MS&LR. Steady if unspectacular progress has been made in the last 12 months on restoration of two of the vehicles in the collection. Offers of support both financial and with appropriate skills will be welcomed at any time by the RST, contact through their website.

 

Does anyone know when 63601's boiler ticket expires, is this weekends gala her last time out.......?

thanks

 

According to a GCR newsletter in November, 63601's boiler cert. expires "In the summer".

 

plus there's an ex-MSLR coach at the Worth Valley owned by the VCT that is: MS&L . It'd be nice to think (gazing into my crystal ball and maybe wishful thinking but) maybe one day that could be brought to the (G)GCR and paired with the other ex-GCR carriages, and the GCR Class 2 GCR 567 Loco Group

 

Thanks for the info', sounds as though there may be more steamings before withdrawal

 

I thought she was being repainted but looking at the GCR Gala photos she still seems to be in BR Black. Has the plan to repaint her in GCR colours been cancelled?

 

Apparently end of March/early April. Aside from the actual repaint will any other changes be made to make it more GCR-accurate? I don't know what they'd be, aside from the smokebox door wheel?

 

The chimney would need to be changed for a start, from an LNER flower pot to a proper Robinson one. At least one of the Aussie locos has a Robinson chimney, albeit cracked.

 

The smokebox door entirely. The GCR ones had a much simpler hinge bracket (think Kerr Stuart or L&Y) without the two bars stretching across. But all this would be pointless excessive work for but a few months, and I'm not sure the NRM would take kindly to parts being replaced. I'll be happy to see it in GCR livery with the later changes.

 

Any news on the repaint yet? As the 60's gala has been and gone, presumably it will be any time now?

 

Any news on 63601 - is it still in steam, and is the repaint to GCR livery still planned?