02 No24 Calbourne

I am happy to read that Calbourne is returning to the mainland this year to guest at a couple of galas, there is one thing that im not sure about though, she is air braked is she not?, so most railways run with vacuum braked stock, so i imagine that she will not be able to work passinger trains whilst away, are there plans to re fit vacuum brakes before she leaves the island? i would prefer to see her working rather than as pilot engine, plus if she was duel fitted then further guest appearances would be a possibility , i for one would love to see her next to the M7, or hauling a train at the bluebelle next year , i certainly wouldnt mind having her on our vintage train rake at the KESR

The austerities based at havenstreet are already duel fitted, how difficault would it be borrow the vac system off one of these?

 

According to SR she's going to Bodmin for 1 weekend only, and no where else. It also states that due to brake compatibility issues it will only work as a pilot loco or on freight.
Would be a shame if true as it coincides with SSS3's opening weekend.

 

As ever, anything is possible, although it would be very difficult to justify the cost of materials, workshop and staff time etc. for a couple of turns at a Mainland gala – a lot of valuable resources required for what benefit? A massive consideration would have to be the changes needed to W24 in order to accommodate a vacuum ejector and all the other odds and ends of controls, pipework and so on, not to mention the scars she would be left with afterwards! For me it all adds up to a big no, ‘Calbourne’ should stay as she is.

The visit to Bodmin looks like being a one-off. It will be interesting to see ‘Calbourne’ in action on the Mainland for the first time in 87 years, whatever braking system is used!

 

I was curious about this since, when built, they would have had vacuum brake and therefore I wondered if they would have run with air / vacuum on the island (as B473 and 672 on the Bluebell still retain). However, according to DL Bradley, it seems that the vacuum brake was entirely removed when the air brake was fitted during conversion for service on the island. I guess the logic was that, since the vacuum system was no use on the IoW and there was no possibility for them to work trains on the mainland, leaving the vacuum brake would have been a maintenance liability with no benefit. The photos I have of them on the island clearly show air brake only.

Tom

 

A thought occurs - why don't Bodmin hire 3/4 Air Braked Mk1's from Riveira/WCRC for the weekend ?.

Preserved line may be 95% vac stock, but getting hold of air braked stock isn't like looking for uranium.

 

Different system? IoW used single pipe whilst modern mainland stock is twin pipe.

 

Not too knowledgable on air brakes but won't modern twin pipe stock work as single pipe? The older systems used to.

 

It should do indeed, all the second line does is add a direct charge to the equalising resevours, which on single pipe, only get recharged with the brakes in release. This is fine much of the time but on long prolonged down hill runs you have to fit in charging cycles somewhere or us loose your brakes....thus more skill required and more risk.

 

So technically it could be run with standard Air Braked Mk1's, but not advisable on a 1 in 37 ?.

 

Cost of hire and transport making the difference between a weekend profit and a gargantuan loss perhaps?

 

http://railways.national-preservation.com/steam-traction/34636-02-no24-calbourne.html

Hi. I thought you might like to know that CLASSIC TRACTION are organising a one-off photographic & video charter on the Bodmin & Wenford using Calbourne. The cost for the charter is £75, and as far as Im aware, are the only people organising a shoot with her. The consist will be EITHER a short freight (5 wagons) or possibly the BWR's Southern Green PMV + Blood + Custard BCK. Spaces on the charter are naturally filling fast and you can see full details and book by going on-line to:
the Classic Traction website at: www.classictractioncollection.weebly.com - As Calbourne is likely to be piloted during the gala, mainly because of the line's 1 in 37 gradients & 02s braking system, the charter represents a real one-off opportunity to do a never to be repeated event. As with all Classic Traction charters, spaces are limited, and there are only approx 25 - 30 spaces (with some already booked). Payment secures youre space, which can be made on-line. The 02s were ofcourse an everyday occourance over the BWR, had a daily turn from Bodmin General to Bodmin Road (now Parkway), and from Bodmin North through Boscarne Junction to Padstow & Wadebridge. An excellent opportunity to recreate this wonderful period recreation of the 1950s Southern Region in North Cornwall!

 

If Bodmin were going to hire in air braked stock for Calbourne then they might as well borrow a few coaches from the Isle of Wight railway. It would probably work out about the same cost as hiring mainline registered mk1s and transporting them to Bodmin.

But either option would be too expensive just for a weekend, and would probably lose the railway money, so it won't happen.

 

Sadly the B&W is just too far away from me for this great sounding charter. But wouldn't the appeal be to see the second option rather than the wagons as seeing the latter option is rather impossible at the IoW! Would it not be possible to do both consists during the day though as it is a one off charter?

 

Hiring air-braked stock for the weekend to run behind Calbourne would be very desirable, but totally impractical given the high cost, which the BWR would have no chance of recouping over just three days. Other contributors have stated that 'the BWR is so far away', which is one of the challenges that the Railway's management is constantly faced with. Its geographial distance also means that transporting locomotives and stock is also more expensive. Surely the sight of a LSWR '02', 'T9' & Beattie well tank back in steam together in Cornwall for the first time for fifty years is well worth seeing in itself!

 

Which is why it's a pity it's not 2 weekends.... The weekend is SSS3! I've already committed ... I suspect many other have too, I was thinking to do the photo trip... But the Monday photo dshoot is just too far to be able to drop the family off and get down there...
The following weekend sees 2x bulleids to Penzance, 5043 to Plymouth, and obviously 70013, and 5029 from Bristol..a good enough excuse to have stuck around see BWR.