Longmoor Military Railway diesels

I am a new forum member with a distinct weakness for the Longmoor Military Railway and other military lines. Does anyone know the fate of the diesels at Longmoor, in particular Nos. 878 BASRA and 876 BARI? The fate of the steam locomotive is fairly well documented, were the diesels used by other MOD railways or scrapped?

 

I think Basra is current at the Lakeside and Haverthwaite railway, although not in LMR livery. I may stand corrected on that though!

Cheers,

Stephen

 

This one?
BR Diesel Web - Shunters, AD601

Richard

 

That would be the one! So looks like it is in LMR livery, or at least has been at somepoint.

Cheers,

Stephen

 

Here's some history on it..
BR Diesel Web - Shunters, AD601

it is a longmoor pretender.
been an interesting afternoon reading of these shunters, ( i use this collectively as each small but similar batch inherits a new class number, but essentially all of them are neanderthal evolutionaries to what became an 08.)
one thing I noticed is records suggest only 1 is preserved at the Dutch national railway museum in Utrecht.. When I was there a few weeks back, there were 3 examples. Similarly I saw one in Dordrecht that didn't seem listed.
similarly 1 is being overhauled (picture was dated April 2012) for industrial use in Italy still ! And another is preserved in Italy.

 

Is it a pretender though? States it was used at Longmoor, so it could have been 'Basra' and subsequently renumbered.

Looking back through various books of Longmoor, I can't find any shunter bearing that number, 601, was of course the number asigned to 'Kitchener', the WD 2-10-0 which featured in the opening sequence of St Trinians Gret Tain Robery.

Cheers,

Stephen

 

610 did get a lot of use at Bitton (Avon Valley Railway) a few years back but its been out of use now for a good while. They've more steam locos available and a DMU for non steam days, plus in recent years have had the 73 (Royal Alex) and now a 31 for diesel runs.

 

UK Locos has it as being at one time WD 70272 - 878; which if it was 878, makes it Basra. 601 was probably its number at Bicester. My MoD locos book is at work, will check tomorrow if I remember.

 

Does the NRM have the paperwork from the LMR or do the Army still have it all? On the subject of the LMR (and unfortunately moving away from diesels), what is the latest on Gordon?

 

WD 70272 became 878 Basra and was new to the WD in 1945, went to Swindon for overhaul 1965-66. Went to Bicester on 14/7/69, renumbered AD601 after 1968. Went to Shoeburyness in May 1970, Welford Park July 1971, Thatcham and Shoeburyness 1972, Bicester February 1973 until sold to Lakeside July 1980.

876 Bari was scrapped in 1969.

This from Locomotives of The Ministry of Defence by the IRS publihed in 1992.

 

The best source for Longmoor data now is Black Dwarf Lightmoor - The Longmoor Military Railway Volume One : 1903-1939

and volume 2 will have everything I am sure!

 

I don't recall 2-10-0 in that film...a couple of wickhams, one of the 08 lookalikes and two Austerities plus a Hampshire Unit I recall....

 

Kitchener featured in the opening sequence of the robbery itself. It was painted BR green and as it had been withdrawn by then, it was pushed from out of shot.

 

i'm going to have to go re-visit it now !

 

Right at the beginning, before the opening titles. Blink and you'll miss it.

 

I know the scene being referred to, I haven't seen it for a while, but I'd never of suspected it being an Austerity 2-10-0 unless told, think there was a few cosmetic changes too ?.

 

All that was done was that it was gash painted on one side in BR Southern electric green, had a front numberplate and headlight fitted:

Google Image Result for http://plumbloco.smugmug.com/Trains/Longmoor-Military-Railway/i-9M9Fbsb/1/L/GMP_Slide1986_AD600_601_Longmoor_300466-L.jpg

The film is a close up and shot at half light so you don't see how scabby it looks!

 

So much lost.... :-(

 

Thank you chaps for unraveling the Basra / Bari mystery for me, oddly enough I'd been pictures of the loco at Lakeside and always assumed it was a Class 11 disguised as an LMR machine. Now I know better. Merry Christmas.