Two exiled A4s to return from North America for two years - official

Well, I'm still of the opinion that this won't happen because it won't attract the money! However, if it does I'll go and see them all lined up in York and take a hat with me (I won't actually eat it of course but you know what I mean!).

Regarding HS2, that will not happen, it is unaffordable and it will be fought at every legal opportunity as well; (I'm neither a supporter or a dectractor of it, just a realist). What should happen is rebuilding of several old trunk routes like the GCR which would serve more of the population.

 

Just a bit of fun. Don't be such a curmudgeon.

 

And a Bulleid.:dance:

 

:laser:

 

+1

(oh and One Western beats 2 Kings AND 6 A4s)

 

Even I'll admit to liking a King over the bag of spanners that passes for a Western hydraulic. Frightful things. eep:

 

Don't forget the spare boiler.. you could have 6.5 A4s you included it and Bitterns 2nd tender

 

Two Kings - roaming - one stuffed and mounted

 

'Realists' throughout Kent also said that HS1 would never be built :wink:

22 Deltics trump 55 ex-LNER pacifics. And that's not an opinion, it's a fact chaps!

 

Is nothing sacred !! :target::faint:

 

31 class 91's, a bunch of HSTs and some emergency 67's replaced the 22 Deltics...

 

I fully understand the economics and rationale behind HS1, linking the UK's capital by high speed rail through the Chunnel to France, Belgium etc. HS2 is less convincing although I'm prepared to look at all the arguments both for and against.

 

Cant we keep "Dominion of Canada here and return Bittern to canada instead to show them what proper british engineering goes like i bet they wouldnt complane at the thought of a working A4 and in the meantime by borrowing the spare boiler the engine could have a spell back in steam

 

There's a germ of a good idea here - I mentioned earlier in the original thread that 8's tyres are scrap, but what sort of state are the boilers in? If they're only going back to be stuffed and mounted is there not the possibility of swapping some of the better bits?

 

Thats not exactly in the spirit of a museum loan is it ?

It would be better to return DOC in running order to tour Canada... LNER blue, with CP bell...

Somewhere in history I acquired a collection of black and white pictures, mostly L&Y Horwich Works official pictures, but there among them I have an ex-works official picture of Dominion of Canada in LNER Blue, with Bell on the front and Stainless Silver letters...

 

Think we could handle a working A4 -- not much steam on the mainline over here , anything that works is great .....

 

I'm not suggesting that this is done without the consent of the current custodians - but 8 was never going to steam again. I think maybe we're running before we walk here anyway - my understanding of the repatriation is that it depends upon sponsorship primarily and this won't be a cheap move.

 

what if say an arrangement was come to that would see the engines swopped for a further 5 years after the 2 years, Bittern could go on loan whilst DoC gets overhauled , has a couple of years running in the uk by the same team that look after Bittern then the locos get swoped back if the spare boiler is overhauled ready then once bitterns ticket is up it should be a quick job to get it back as long as she gets a mechcanical before the ticket is up

 

Very interesting...personally I feel there are better things to spend money on, but I don't get to say what people spend their money on!

As far as I am aware Dominion of Canada is the only A4 to remain in 'as overhauled by BR' standard - so as an artefact is of real value in the same vein as City of Birmingham and Lode Star. I trust therefore that it will be carefully treated - no repaint! Just careful 'sprucing up' - and perhaps a spot of panel-beating where it lost an argument with a buckeye. Eisenhower has I believe been repainted since.