Bulleid Pacifics - Past or Present

Quite right, even enthusiasts tend not to look at the wheels of a tender, too distracted by the big thing with an oversized kettle at the front!

Generally the only way you'll know about the inauthentic wheels is well... if you know about them, and even then most would argue that it's a touch tedious to gripe about that.

 

There's no issue here. I stated earlier that I'm not sniping at the restoration (or in the case of the tender, new-build) as its good to get another MN back from purgatory. Furthermore, there will always be an opportunity to address it in future if there's the will and money set aside to do it.

Equally, I'm not ashamed of being a purist when answering a query about my earlier post. If someone has learnt something new as a result of my post, then my reply has done its job. For those on here who have expressed that they don't care about such observations, it's your prerogative, but since there was an interested party, please don't shoot the messenger. Incidentally, Siquelme, I believe 35005's tender has the correct-pattern BFB wheelsets.

Let us now move on from this potential rut of a conversation...

 

Certainly no intention on my part to shoot a messenger or accuse of anyone sniping Bulleid Pacific, on the contrary, I'm one of those who'd prefer things to be done correctly too, though have no real issue about it if it dosen't either. I'm always up for learning something new, especially on a subject I love.

Speaking of a rut of a conversation, while Merchant Navies are one of my favourite steam locomotives, I just know (with a sense of wariness) that someone's bound to comment "well a fine restoration it may be, but what exactly are you going to do with this great big beast?!"

Yes... the dreaded discussion of the practicalities of MN... I'm bracing myself...

 

Someone did tell me that CanPac currently has P&Os original tender but not sure how much truth there is to that.

If we were being practical on heritage railways we would run diesels and eletrics far cheaper than steam locos. Thats the good thing about our railways they are run by peoples hearts as well as there heads.

 

I've got a much better idea - why not backdate 35006 to spamcan form? It would give them something else to do, they're running out of things to put on and take off again...

As for practicality, when CanPac was at the GWSR some time ago apparantly it was much more economical than they expected.

 

35006's tender (No. 3116) did survive into preservation, and I believe it now belongs to 35027. 35005 has tender No. 3119, which was originally attached to 35009. However, whether there has been a swap since is anyone's guess! The only tenders still accompanying the locomotives they were withdrawn from BR with are 3113 (35029) and 3342 (35028).

 

If you look at the wiki page on 35027, it says " From 2007-2011 35027's tender had been in use with rebuilt West Country class 34046 Braunton, owned by Hosking. It was until recently in use behind unrebuilt West Country class 34007Wadebridge."

 

Presumably a similar circumstance to what they found at they SVR which confirmed this revelation with 34053.

Hmm. I thought 35005's tender was itself used behind 34046 for a time, but started leaking... Might well have been 35027's, though.

 

From memory didn't 35005 tender go behind 34007 which was then swapped with 34046. Wasn't this all to do with 34046 needing the larger tender for main line running. Also wasn't there another tender which was behind 34007 which made its way back to SVR to go behind 34027.

 

Right deep breath, although I have said this somewhere before so excuse the repetition.

The tender currently behind 34007 was originally used in preservation behind 35027. 34046 then used it until its own newly constructed tender was finished. 34046's old tender was then swapped with 35005's for future use behind 35027 (I think 35005's was made bigger when it went mainline in the 90's). The tender behind 34007 at the moment is eventually intended for 35005.

34007 also has a long winded tender story. It initially ran for a few years with 34039's tender but when this went back to Loughborough, it borrowed the tender of 35005 until the swap I mentioned above where it received 35005's future tender (hence the 2 different shades of green between the loco and tender). The plan is for 34007 to eventually receive its own newly constructed tender (not sure if it has frames and wheelsets but the tender tank has been made and is sat on a waggon in the headshunt between Alton and Medstead and Four Marks.)

Now I'm off for a lie down .

 

Pint for that man...

 

So the thing to take away from this is, if CanPac and P&O are steam together dont leave them along incase someone tries to swap the tenders back. I thought this was the case thanks Dan.

 

I'd really fancy seeing the two together, particularly as they are direct classmates and the OAPs of Bulleid's designs, and I can't recall a time when two operated together at one place.

But yes, best not to leave them unattended or risk a secret switcheroo, both for the tenders and locos sake!

 

Might have to paint CanPac blue again then ;-)

 

Think I need one after that. Anyway I'm looking forward to a good year for Bulleid locos.

 

There is a tender tank from a Bulleid down at Sellindge with the corpse of Brocklebank line. looks like a new one but is deteriorating already it is sitting in a field...

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Who says P&O is staying in green? The rumour is that she's coming down to Winchcombe Paintshop to be painted - that's where I work, so anything could happen... In all seriousness, it would be nice to help paint P&O, not sure if they'd let us carriage people, or if they'd just want to spray it anyway, I think they did with 4270 when she was in the paint shop.

 

If my memory serves me correct the Brocklebank group had the original tender tank from the tender that is currently being overhauled with 34105. It was removed and sent to Loughborough in the early 1980's.

The chassis had a new tank built by Plenty of Newbury, which incidentally is now being rebuilt with the correct internal baffles.

So maybe the tank at Sellindge is this tank, that had some refurbishment prior to the group being evicted from Loughborough.

 

Correct the tender tank for 34007 is sat on a well wagon in the Butts Head Shunt, however the good news is the tender frame is also well advanced (currently sat upside down in the car park at Ropley) the Wadebridge website http://www.wadebridge34007.co.uk shows the group are currently working on the axel boxes.

On a different note but still on the topic of tenders, I have been told that 34058 (Freddie Pile) has the constitute parts of a tender (Chassis, BFB wheel sets and tank) however these are currently offsite from the MHR… I think I was told the tank is at the WSR can anyone confirm if this is true?

 

I always wondered where that tank at Alton came from...