Bluebell Motive Power

A photo of 1638 in happier times, take no notice of time and date on photo i didn"t set it right.

 

Those are some impressive yard lights at Sheffield Park for 2:26am

 

According to the latest issue there were two bidders and Ian Riley was not one of them ( They state they had spoken to him). One of the bidders is a Railway the other a private individual. Neither bid had met the asking price.

 

5 years according to Steam Railway.

 

Read again!

 

Very unlikely I'd have thought - our problem is not a lack of locos per se, it is keeping sufficient ones in traffic. Given that, even if there were a spare £x floating around, it would be better spent on overhauls of the existing fleet than simply buying another loco.

Tom

 

A loco's only worth what someone will pay for it. If the asking price won't find a buyer the seller needs to change his ideas on selling or keeping.

 

Yeah yeah, we've all heard that. But I'm not sure its really true when it comes to items of very limited supply and demand, like steam locomotives. If no-one happens to want an xxxxx when you put it up for sale then if you insist on selling it that day then all that you will get is scrap price. However if three months later two exceedingly well heeled buyers simultaneously appear who desperately want one immediately, and yours is the only one for sale and you get them into a bidding war then the price you will get may be many times scrap value. However the real worth of the locomotive hasn't changed in the three months, only the price someone is willing to pay.

 

All depends how long your willing or indeed able to play the waiting game really, do Llangollen want it gone by a certain date or is there no time limit ?.

 

The time limit will be set by the buyer surely ? Llangollen's interest will be more concerned with its availability for traffic rather than simply its presence on the railway.

 

I should have stated reserve price rather than asking price. There were 7 or 8 expressions of interest but only 2 bids. They are apparently still taking to both bidders.

 

Quite a surprise to see this on the Bluebell e-mail, but a lovely loco. I hope I'll be able to get down and see it in action. Does anyone know if 45231 is a replacement for 92212? i.e., is 92212 returning to the Mid Hants soon?

It won't be 45231's first visit to Sussex. Below is a picture taken at St. Leonard's Warrior Square in 2005, with a return "Cathedrals Express" that visited Eastbourne and Hastings. I could hear the exhaust of 45231 through the tunnel as it pulled away from Hastings - a magnificent sound indeed (attached image is a scan of a print - reproduction hasn't come out as well as I had hoped)

 

Yes 92212 is shortly to return to the MHR in time for use on the Santa trains.

 

Can't wait to finally see a Black 5 on our railway and 45231 is no stranger to Southern metals with two rail tours to Eastbourne in 2005 and I think o6. Here's my slide scan of 45231 approaching Eastbourne in 05. Fingers crossed Jon can get a photo charter or two organised with her.

 

What I was getting at it many items that are up for sale, the railway that are currently based on wants them removed by a certain date, not sure if that's the case with 44806 but it does happen.

 

If I remember rightly, 45231 was the backbone of the SD programme during that period. It certainly visited Chichester in December 2005 and Canterbury in September. I don't think it visited Eastbourne in 2006. We actually had a decent summer that year, and if my memory serves me correctly, a class 31 was used on what would have been the steam legs of the trip due to fire risk.

 

I thought 45231 did one of the Faversham Spitfire Railtours from Brighton or was certainly booked to haul them. Unless that was to do with the Class 31 you mention

 

Just checked my old diary - The Steam Dreams 2006 Eastbourne run took place on Thursday 10th August. Weather wasn't up to the standard of 2005, so my camera stayed in its case. I'm having to rely on memory, but I'm pretty certain a class 31 was used - would still have been worth a photo had the weather been decent - after all, they have never been common sights on the Eastbourne line. On Saturday 2nd and Sunday 3rd September the Shepherd Neame Spitfire trains ran, with the Sunday working running from Brighton along the coast in T&T mode, but I don't seem to have recorded what worked them, as I was otherwise engaged. Could have been 45231.

 

10/8/06 - from Uk Steam info

THE SUNNY SOUTH SPECIAL [Times]
London Victoria-Newhaven (FRMR) [fmr]
71000 45231 Diesel: Victoria-Eastbourne, Lewes-Newhaven, Lewes-Eastbourne, Hastings-Victoria
[Revised date from 09-Aug, 45231 replaces 71000]
[Now diesel hauled top and tail]

2/9/06 from Uk Steam info

THE SPITFIRE [Times]

Brighton-Faversham-Sheerness (FRMR) [fmr]
45231: Brighton-Eastbourne, Ashford-Faversham, Faversham-Sheerness, Gillingham-Faversham, Ashford-Eastbourne

 

From LE Movements and Test Runs Thread : -