Bulleid Pacifics - Past or Present

Excellent stuff. Now for the opportunity of having a mainline double-header of an unrebuilt and a rebuilt for the first time in donkey's years (if not in preservation, and not including the LE move of 34028 and 34070 behind a diesel to Eastleigh).

 

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A special edition print depicting Bullied West Country 34028 Eddystone
Departing from Waterloo on a Summer's morning in 1961 bound for Bournemouth where she was based at the time.
Measuring 23" by 14" this lithographed print was limited to 100, of which 15 now remain. They are individually numbered and signed by the artist, and are just in time for Christmas.

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I hope the painting is better than their spelling. Bullied?

 

If it was so close to restoration by 1998, how come it stalled for so long ?

If it's laid untouched for 12-14 years and outside I am sure Carnforth would treat it like a Barry wreck and start again... 34016 looks barryesque and it's only been gone a few years.

 

Partly, but the restoration wasn't so far advanced that 12/18 months was realistic anyway. 3 to 4 years would be a better estimate. The "12/18 months " response was just the standard answer to any enquiry and would be given to anyone regardless of the actual amount of work left to be done. There were a lot of fittings to machine and pipework to bend, not to mention the boiler to overhaul.

 

For all Bulleid fans (especially originals), a very interesting article by Jim Lester (the Churchill funeral train fireman, and author) about 2009 footplate experiences on 34067 "Tangmere" and including a mention of an alleged 112 mph through Axminster with an unrebuilt MN on the ACE..........great article, well worth reading!

see link: http://svsfilm.com/nineelms/westward.htm

 

Reading SR mag today. The project to return 35011 General Steam Navigation back in to a air smoothed loco has stalled and for the time being the project has stopped. According to the article there isn't the support for this project at this point in time. I wonder if we will ever see a unrebuilt MN grace the main line. Is there enough support out there for a unrebuilt MN. I only ask this question because if you read a few pages forward in the latest issue of SR mag the P2 project has already smashed through the £200.000 barrier.

 

If organized, launched and handled well at a later time, when some of these new builds are finished and running, yes. There will always be an interest in creating something that can't be seen today, and a unrebuilt MN I think will always be high on the desired list for many, certainly it's high on mine!

 

Whilst a wholehearted supporter of Bulleid's work I can understand the seeming lack of support foor35011. With the P2 we would see a loco shape which has not graced british metals in years. However take the badges off and how many can tell an air smoother MN from a WC/BB from a distance. had no air smoothed WC/BB have been saved then there may be more support for the project INMHO.

 

Like threelinkdave said, they look too similar to a BoB for people to be willing to part with serious cash I think when they could see almost the same thing when Tangmere next passes through town on a railtour. If the plan was to retrofit one, but give it the casing a la Channel Packet, which looked markedly different when first rolled out, then maybe there could be more interest, if properly marketed

 

Yes - an original 12C1 might tempt me. Looks much more impressive than the modified casings we are used to. Of course you'd have to cure the drifting smoke and forward vision problems that brought about the front end and cab changes though.

 

12c1? That would make it a 2-6-4.

 

Oh - ******* and I even looked it up to check too

 

Out of curiosity - why did OVSB use "21C" and not the more logical "2C1" - or even "231" - as a prefix to the loco number?

Tom

 

Or even more simply because he could. We are talking about OVSB after all

 

I see from Facebook that City of Wells is being steam tested today

 

Assuming it is still the intention, a return to the northern main line pool can't come soon enough. This loco certainly conquered the S&C back in the day and wouldn't be short of work with wcr so hopefully the owners will hasten the day.

 

Thank goodness! Maybe it will be in light steam at the forthcoming KWVR gala with a bit of luck. There's been a Bulleid drought in the north for too long (aside from 34067's trips to Carnforth and its surprise CME turn last year).