46521 Moves for the first time in 11 years.

Br Built LMS Ivatt Class 2 Mogul 46521 'Blossom' has moved under her own steam for the first time in 11 years. She has moved out of the Loughborough MPD shed and run up and down the shed to ee if any problems arise before she enters service. At the moment she is in grey primer and painting has now commenced before she participates in the steam gala at the end of January.

She will be painted in unlined BR black.

Congratulations to the engineers, volunteers and to her owner and the Loughborough Standard Locomotive Group at the Great Central Railway.

 

Great news .Should look good together with 78019 . Any news on 73156 ?

 

Delighted this loco is back, was a firm favourite of mine when it was SVR based, well done to all involved. I look forward to seeing it at the end of January at the GCR gala. I must admit I am disappointed to to hear it is going to be painted black as it will look like a clone of 78019 and it has always looked good in green. As a former Cambrian engine it was Swindon who painted her this colour and perhaps the owners have missed an opprtunity here to have the loco looking a bit different, special and pay homage to it's history. However, we should all be grateful she is back in steam and it will be a useful and economical addition to the GC fleet.

 

Well done to eveyone at the GCR. Looking forward to going to see her at the end of January.

 

I agree - it's a shame that the "paint everything black" brigade have triumphed again.

I knew this engine when I lived in Barmouth in 1965/66 and it was green - as Swindon had painted it, when they built it

 

This will quite possibly be the very first time that 45621 has carried any other livery than BR lined green. Photo shows the loco as painted in 1974 at Bridgnorth shortly before it entered service with the SVR and on an very early service train. My first ever full loco paint job, almost entirely painted outdoors! View attachment 3937 View attachment 3938 View attachment 3939

 

whats that meaty looking whistle from that was mounted by the smokebox ?

 

When restored it carried 3 whistles, the standard LMS hooter, a Bulleid and a 3 tone chime! The 3 tone chime was later replaced by a 5 tone chime, that beautiful sound certainly did carry. One of the main reasons that its original owner purchased it was that he wanted something to use his whistle collection on.

 

46521 would have been painted black when new, Swindon started broadly painting locos other than named 4-6-0s during the later 1950s onwards, a few years after the Ivatt was built there.

 

The green paint job was probably the result of a visit to Oswestry works.

Bob.

 

Progress with the painting of 46521 Blossom from 2 January 2012. Locomotive now in black

Great Central Railway Loughborough Leicestershire 3rd January 2012 | Flickr - Photo Sharing!

 

I seem to remember reading somewhere that her cylinders were bored out by 1/2 inch or something to that effect while on the SVR, has this mod been retained or have they been returned to spec ?.

 

46400 to 46464 were built with cylinders that had 16" dia bores. 46465 to 46527 had cylinders with 16-1/2" dia bores from new.

 

Will be nice to see her back on the rails and the BR black will be a change. Always though the BR green sat well on her though. Well done to all concerned.

 

If she's black now there will be more publicity to be had if she's repainted green in 4-5 years time. In the mean time, welcome back to the fleet!

 

That 5-tone was enough to wake the dead.

 

I thought all the Swindon-built ivatt class 2s were painted in BR lined green from new?

 

They were painted green from 1957 onwards.

 

It was a RENFE copy of a Nathan 5 chime, the original yankee versions had cast iron bells but RENFE used cast bronze which gave a less harsh tone.