Bluebell Motive Power

From Mansell News Summer 2013

Stowe

£ 95,000.00 raised for overhaul. Note excludes the £ 20,000 which the tender overhaul cost.

Overhaul of the chassis likely to cost £ 100,000.00 +
and Bolier up to £ 250,000.00 ( allows for replacing the Inner fire box).

 

From the Bluebell newsletter:

And specifically about Sir Archie:

Tom

 

The roster says 5521 and 92212, just checking if that was accurate. The other week the roster didn't say an 09 would be running!

 

The PTI page, updated today, also says L150 and 92212, with 592 on the Golden Arrow on Sunday. If/when I get the STN (likely tomorrow) I'll update if there is any change.

L150 has been in action this week without any problems AFAIK. There is a video from John Sandys (shot from the second carriage) showing it climbing between KC and EG and managing OK, though getting slightly slower (*) towards the top after a pretty sharp start away from Kingscote. I assume the train was the mixed five coach Bulleid / Mark 1 set, which is 177 tons.

(*) Edit: Of course that may be by design rather than down to the loco struggling - without being on the footplate you can't tell.



Tom

 

The two P tanks were running last weekend as well so it would appear to be a steam substitute even if something goes bang before the weekend. Hopefully not, of course, there's been enough bad luck in that yard in the last month to last a while.

 

The STN is confirming 92212 and L150 this weekend.

Tom

 

Tom: In the video from JS there appears to be a "feather" drifting from the safety valves soon after passing the summit.

Looks as though the crews have got the measure of L150 now.

46118

 

Looks that way...

The limit for L150 has been set at 185 tons, which puts a five coach Bulleid / Mark 1 rake (177 tons), or the six coach Maunsell / pre-group bogie coach rake (182 tons I think) within scope, but not a six coach rake of Mark 1s. Still working pretty hard up a 1:55 gradient though!

Tom

 

I see PLEG is in negotiation with the railway for an 09 charter on 1st Sep.

 

Thats not all, I hear on the gossip list and the Bluebell Yahoo groups that the Bluebell wanted to borrow the Isfield lines "Thumper".

Any truth in this please?

Chris:

 

Still think it's a shame the opportunity slipped through our fingers first time around, although I can totally understand why it was rejected for practical reasons

 

Practical reasons my a**e, it was the short sighted membership that rejected it when the Society Chairman asked for their opinion in Bluebell News.

IMHO the armchair members have only themselves to blame now.

Regards
Chris:

 

Is there really any advantage to a unit over a loco on a line where coaching stock and run round loops are plentiful ?, a loco takes up less space than a 2/3 car unit, if they ever desire a diesel train full time, a 33 of their own isn't a bad choice.

 

Chris you should know that if you read it on the Yahoo group, it is about 90% conjecture, 5% untruths and 5% truth - your job is to work out which is which! As for whether it is true: it isn't Bluebell policy to announce any hires of equipment, visits etc unless they are signed and sealed (hence the recent rumours about Tornado, which were announced by every Tom, Dick and Harry except the Bluebell and the A1 Steam trust!) So you'll just have to wait and see.

Tom

 

Not short sighted, IMHO. A Thumper is reckoned to be a tough ask to maintain (given the number of doors). Given that, and limited workshop capacity, maintaining equivalent capacity of loco hauled stock is a better use of resources than a vehicle which can only run on its own.

Tom

 

I did hear this rumour the other week. I assume if BR would of kept the line open then class 205s would have been used at some point?

 

Tom, I asked a perfectly polite question and you nearly jumped down my throat, so I can only assume from your reaction that there is some truth in it then? There is also some hearsay that another Railway in the south was asked if they would loan either a tender or a tank engine, however because this is the high season this was turned down.

And where do you get the 90% conjecture from, and what on earth has Tornado got to do with it?

You need to understand that there is life beyond the Bluebell Railway my friend, it cannot always be good news.

Kind regards
Chris:

 

Chris - I was simply using Tornado as an example of a rumour that turned out not to be true, despite being widely predicted, including on the Yahoo group. Ultimately, it was just a rumour. Maybe there was a grain of truth somewhere, but ultimately, until it is announced by the railway, it is just that - a rumour. Same goes for the Thumper and, for that matter, a loan of "either a tender or tank engine from another railway in the south". Both are simply rumours: in fact, for both of them, the first I have heard of either was from you! Certainly neither was being discussed around the loco department this weekend. Not to say that one or both might not be true, but right now they are simply gossip.

The point about the Yahoo group being 90% conjecture was slightly tongue in cheek, but the point is, it is an unofficial group, not connected to the railway. Sometimes there are little nuggets there, but there is also a lot of speculation, so you have to sort the wheat from the chaff. The fact that people may or may not have speculated about a Thumper on that group isn't proof that one is coming.

Tom

 

Really? It seemed like a perfectly decent response from where I'm stood. Where did he "jump down your throat", exactly?

 

The whole Tornado visit was definitely discussed at the railway but obviously didn't happen. This is the first I have heard about the thumper unit visiting, I'm pretty confident that some rumour or Chinese whispers would have been going around at the railway and to my knowledge no such talk has happened.

I think Tom was simply trying to answer your question Chris, I think you just may have read it wrong.

Hopefully now with 592 being settled back into traffic and L.150 now semi familiar with crews the loco crisis should be eased. I think the loan of a Thumper would not have done much for morale at the railway either.