6100 Royal Scot..Progress 2010/2011/2012

Re: 6100 Royal Scot..Progress 2010/2011

Hmm, there's frames/alignment problems here too, are there not? Poor old engine; hope she gets sorted soon too

 

Re: 6100 Royal Scot..Progress 2010/2011

Alan Bloom must be spinning like a top, so many people have let him down it is past being a farce i am afraid.
I do hope that at sometime in the future we get to hear the truth, theh whole truth, and nothing but the truth.
Perhaps someone could write a book and use the income to assist the restoration funds.

The Melter

 

Re: 6100 Royal Scot..Progress 2010/2011

Anybody else remember the days of indignant enthusiasts insulting Alan Bloom for keeping 6100 safe at Bressingham and the cries demanding that she be moved out. Perhaps Mr Bloom was more 'visionary' than people gave him credit for...
What I am puzzled by is did she start out as a basket case and was tidied up or did she start square end ended up in her present state?

 

Re: 6100 Royal Scot..Progress 2010/2011

That is a very good point but no one seems to want to say, it could very well be a case that the engine was out of true when withdrawn after all it was never intended to steam it again, it was purchased as a static exibit for Butlins and might have not been the best member of its class .

Or on the other hand, it would be the opposite? does anyone have the Br records cards for 46100? or know the engines history up to withdrawal,

 

Re: 6100 Royal Scot..Progress 2010/2011

Alan Bloom tried to misrepresent a loan as a permanent arrangement and prevented the proper stewardship of three locos from the national collection for over thirty years - lets have no bones about that.

 

Re: 6100 Royal Scot..Progress 2010/2011

He also saved many engines from being scrapped.

One thing for sure he would be turning in his grave if he knew what was going on today.

Stan

 

Re: 6100 Royal Scot..Progress 2010/2011

From people i know who work at LNWR crewe, i have been told that they have just had the nod to re start working on 6100.

 

Re: 6100 Royal Scot..Progress 2010/2011

The question is did the engines suffer because of it, and were they looked after better or worse than other NC engines of the time,
For my money he did a good job overall. It is true he could be cussed but thats what it took at the time and he did it quite well.
I for one doubt many would have had the mental strength and agility to do what he did at the time.

The Melter

 

Re: 6100 Royal Scot..Progress 2010/2011

So, to revert back to the mechanical side of things, I presume the boiler will require a new ticket to prolong use?

 

Re: 6100 Royal Scot..Progress 2010/2011

In the region of 20 traction engines plus severel other narrow gauge locos including 2 foreign mainline locos.

Alan Bloom was one steams early supporters and should be remembered for the good work he did.

Stan

 

Re: 6100 Royal Scot..Progress 2010/2011

So - in other words Stan - for thirty years plus he was a dog in the manger as regards the UK standard gauge preservation movement, and nothing has come to light since that alters that basic fact.

 

Re: 6100 Royal Scot..Progress 2010/2011

Bronylld would have been broken up had Alan not saved her, the Krieglsok would have also been broken up.

Times and things and attitudes have now changed, lets face it who would have thought the Duchess Of Sutherland and Oliver Cromwell and hopefully Royal Scot would ever run on the mainline.
Alan did what he thought was right at the time and without doubt many of todays enthusiasts owe their beginnings to this wonderful hobby by trips to Bressingham.... and maybe a footplate ride on a big engine.

The 70013 saga was a sad affair, but lets put this to bed as rights have now been made.

He who does nothing wrong does nothing at all.

Stan

 

Re: 6100 Royal Scot..Progress 2010/2011

Some news at last thanks Gav .I see RTC have it or Scots Gaurdsman to work a trip to York Railfest in June up the old LMS through Bedford good spot for pics no wires after Bedford northbound .Dont know why steam trips dont use this route more often hardly any frieght on it specially Sundays

 

Re: 6100 Royal Scot..Progress 2010/2011

It is amazing how big the balls grow on cuda woulda shoulda's with hindsight.
If he had not been there to put his own money out to accomodate these engines what would have happened to them no one really knows.
You have to remember that the establishment at the time was adamant that steam would never run on the mainline again and decisions were taken against that backdrop.
there was not even a national railway museum at the time, the national collection was spread about the country and as far as i know non of them steamed ever.
Railway preservation was in its infancy (main line anyways) as one who was ther i can tell you the seventies would have been a poorer place without this crazy gardner that was happy to do what he did, he never did claim to be a engineer just an enthusiast that was happy to share his hobby.

The Melter

 

Re: 6100 Royal Scot..Progress 2010/2011

I'm not criticising what happened in 1968 - I'm criticising the way it was hijacked later.

 

Re: 6100 Royal Scot..Progress 2010/2011

Alan Bloom was a human being and, like all human beings, he wasn't perfect. Undoubtedly, he made an error of judgement concerning 70013 in 1993. His desire for another big-name exhibit to replace 70013 was not entirely unreasonable - after all, he had taken the financial risk of building the exhibition hall to house the NRM locos at Bressingham, and he needed to maintain its viability as a visitor attraction. But, yes, he was wrong to hold 70013 to ransom in the way that he did.

However, that was just one incident in a very long career. Bressingham was a pioneer of steam preservation. Remember, in 1968 there just two SG preserved lines, the Bluebell and the Worth Valley. OK, the NRM engines probably would have survived without Bloom - but he provided a place where they could be seen and appreciated, even steamed. Don't underestimate how popular those Bressingham footplate rides were in the days before driver experience courses.

Yes, I know he came in for criticism for keeping his engines static even before the 70013 debacle. But while there were certainly those who wanted to see 6100, 6233 etc. restored, did anybody actually have the resources to do so at that time? And if they had been restored, would there have been enough work to support them in the much more restricted pre-privatisation main line steam market?

As a history student, it frustrates me that so many enthusiasts still take a "Whig" approach to railway history; all the "great men" must be cast as either heroes or villains. The continuing prejudice against Edward Thompson is a classic example. Bloom was a man who made one very serious mistake, but on balance did a lot of good for the preservation movement. Please, can we leave it at that?

 

Re: 6100 Royal Scot..Progress 2010/2011

Without wishing to be pedantic, as a history student you really ought to brush up on your history...