Boscastle and Taw Valley

An excellent re-vamp of the website. The restoration picture galleries are particularly good.

 

I think its the owners decision to make whether she goes back on the mainline.

 

Just to update the status on 34007's new tender. As of mid August the West Somerset had completed riveting together the new tender frame. Reading between the lines on the Wadebridge website it looks as though Bulleid wheelsets are on the agenda!

See Wadebridge website for more details:

www.wadebridge34007.co.uk

 

I think you might find they will be Diesel wheelsets??

 

That was the original plan. However if you read the article on the 34007 website, you can easily draw the conclusion that this plan has now changed.

This is especially so, as the statement says that the costs of the wheelsets will be considerable. Yet they already have the class33 wheelsets that were originally planned to fit.

Doesn`t take a genius to draw the conclusion that original spec wheelsets are now possibly on the agenda.

 

But it could be sometime, with yet that these are due to join the Tender at the MHR very soon?
So what is going to happen to 34007's current tender? Is it going back to the original loco? I understand it was on loan?

 

The tender currently fitted to 34007 is on loan from The Boscastle Locomotive Syndicate based at the GCR(LOUGHBOROUGH).

Boscastle is now undergoing overhaul, so the tender will have to be returned soon.

 

The tender that is currently attatched to 34007 surely doesn't need alot of work doing to it? Obviously in the past couple of years the tender had a repaint? So should be good to go I would imagine once Boscastle's overhaul is complete?

 

It is known that Boscastles tender will require some work prior to being painted along with the loco. Some work is known to be needed inside the tank and the coal space plus the running gear will also need the once over.

Unfortunately (though not fro 34007) the tender has seen more use in preservation than the locomotive due to the latters firebox problems. I for one look forward to seeing Boscastle running once again with her Merchant Navy tender!!

 

As we now have a mix of Bulleid Light Pacifics in this thread I will add another in the shape of 34058. Does anyone know whether there has been any progress on this loco since June 2007 (the date of the last update on the project website)?.

 

Does anyone know the current status of the new tender for 34007 Wadebridge as 34039 Boscastle will very soon require its tender back?

 

Who's tender is 34046 using ? (wasnt this awaiting a new tender of it's own ?)

 

35027's I think.

 

The only info I have on 34007 Wadebridge tender is the frames and tank are still at Alton. On the wheel front there was talk about using class 33 wheel sets. I know that this idea has been dropped because someone has or is making genuine wheels for the new tender. One of these new wheels has arrive at Ropley a few weeks ago.


34007 Wadebridge tender wheel
http://lee.mediaobjects.co.uk/p67068707.html

 

The tender currently with 34046 is 35027's, as for progress on Braunton's new tender the wheelsets were delivered to Williton on the 8th of September.

 

I am glad to see that they are now going to be using Bulleid wheels on 34007's new tender, at one stage they had even been considering using the wheels off of a recently scrapped steam crane but they turned out to be too small.

 

Hopefully, Mr. Hosking will eventually 'Bulleidify' the wheels on 34046's tender. I wonder if you could get away with putting inserts into the discs with the BFB pattern?

 

I think its been said on here before. A collaboration between SLL and the owner of 34058 produced the pattern for the correct BFB tender wheelset. Add in 3 axles and tyres and i think the price was approaching £30,000, although I'm sure Jeremy H will be able to afford a few sets for his Bulleids!
A few years the same team also had British steel (as it was then) roll a special batch of imperial plate to enable 5 sets of tender frames to be made i.e. SLL locos, 34007, 34046, 34058 etc.
Just as an aside, at Toddington 35006 is currently having its rods and valve gear cleaned up of all the protective grease and a final polish, still a awfull lot to do but making steady progress

 

Just a quick bump - does anybody know the current status of Taw Valley?

 

Taw Valleys boiler was upside down outside the workshops at the South Devon Railway last week. The new outer firebox is in place, but undrilled and minus the backhead.

The inner firebox was inside the new boiler workshop at Buckfastleigh.