Bulleid Pacifics - Past or Present

At the risk of being a stuck record (see the Swanage thread), what sort of mileage and number of days in steam do Mid-Hants locos do each year?

Thanks

Steven

 

I believe 21B has already answered that in another thread........ NYMR?..... Swanage?...... cant for the life of me remember.....

 

My spies tell me that the final coat varnish hadn't yet set, so 34051 wasn't ready to roll. Its not going to be put on display until near the end of January, anyway. In other news, Pullman Kitchen Car 'Lydia' and the luggage van are now at the NRM.

 

34027 trial fitting of boiler to frames.

Taw Valley is really progressing well.

 

A few months ago in Bridgenorth Yard I saw a Bulleid boiler and asked a member of staff which it's from. He replied it's not off any loco currently on the SVR. He thought someone had bought the boiler and left it at Bridgenorth whilst overhauling the loco elsewhere.

Anyone able to enlighten me please as to which loco the boiler is from and future plans for it?

 

I believe that's Sidmouth's boiler.

 

Yep is Sidmouths boiler, I believe was used to aid 34027's overhaul for measurements?

 

Yes, that's what I understood too.

As for its long-term future, This is what the SLL website says (although the comments were written a couple of years ago):-

In other words, as far as one can interpret these comments: (1) There is interest in restoring 34010, but (2) no resorces to fund its overhaul at the moment and (3) even if there were, SLL is pretty tied up with 34072 and 34028 at the moment. I'm open to correction here if anyone from SLL has more up-to-date news.

 

John, that's pretty much it. If SLL stopped everything and worked on Sidmouth it would take five years and cost a million plus, while the income from operating locos would dry up as they came out of ticket. Clearly overhauling locos (2 years/£250k) makes more sense than embarking on a project which can't be funded. If anyone has a serious proposal how to restore Sidmouth SLL would be delighted to hear from them.

 

They've been playing that "if someone has a serious proposal we'll listen" card for a long while now and I honestly can't see someone just coming along out of the blue willing to fund it's restoration. Having said that, Sir Keith Park was in a very similar situation a few years back though, but even then that was more to do with the significance of it's name then anything else.

Is amazing to think though how quickly some engines fortunes can change. When the SLL bought SKR there was little left and at the time it was viewed more as a aspirational project much latter on, even further down the line then Sidmouth, but as we all know that soon changed.

I'm sure the SLL desire to restore at some point though, being the last Barry restoration they have to do, then it'll be the usual overhauls from then on. When exactly they'll start work is hard to say, but it wouldn't be unthinkable of them to start on it after Eddystone. After that they'll have a good decent period of time when income is coming in from all the engines running that can get the Sidmouth project off to a good start.

 

There's also Manston's overhaul to consider of course, but after that they should some leeway to handle a restoration project, as after Manston is back running, the boiler tickets for all their engines will be fairly recent and give them some space for such an operation.

 

'Norman' will be out of ticket a year or two after 34070 and will need doing, so it will depend on whether it is done in-house or under contract. 34010 will pretty much remain a 'rainy day' project (as 34072 was at one time), but with 6 locomotives in steam and awaiting or under overhaul/repair, I think there's a lot to get on with for the time being, along with the odd bit of contract work for the SR. That's not to say I don't want it to steam again, though...

 

Fair enough, it's a pity then that someone else couldn't purchase and restore it, but even then, who anywhere realistically wants to take on such a huge project.

As is often said about these kind of situations, switching owners isn't always a good move for the future of the engine.

Let's just hope this raindy day won't ever seem to come round, wouldn't want to see it waste away to nothing... Though I'm sure the SLL are not the kind of folks to let that happen, being such big admirers of the Bulleid locomotives.

 

The latest Bulleid Express includes an appeal leaflet for a new inner firebox for 21C123. This will cost £ 199,900.
In Bulleid Express it states " it is unlikely that the Bluebell Railway will finance all the cost of a future overhaul and there is a policy that locomotives with a good financial backup will be considered for a more rapid overhaul. If the Society can assist with financing the inner firebox renewal there is a possibility that the engine might return to traffic for her 75th birthday in 2021.

 

And bear in mind that SLL only have the space for one large loco + tender in Herston works at any time

 

Those of thus that were there to photograph Winston Churchill are under strict instructions not to publish any photos yet......(s)he looked a treat in the sun though, we even got a chance to photograph the "real" Winston too! 34051 was tucked up back in the workshop by late afternoon . The transfer to York is now in the hands of Moveright and their fleet of low loaders.

 

What about 80104? Surely SLL would want to overhaul the standard tank. Unless they consider selling it to fund the overhaul of one of their Bulleids.

 

Having been lucky enough to spend some time working on him, I can personally vouch to say Churchill is looking a million dollars, quite rightly the NRM are keen to ensure that photos do not leak before a grand unveiling at the end of the month on the anniversary of the funeral (I wonder if they will use the same big black sheet they had over Scotsman on the turn table to provide a grand unveiling)!

 

80104 will shortly re-enter service following major boiler repairs with a 7 year ticket. Other work has been done while the boiler has been away. It will need work on the bottom end at some point, but not a general overhaul.

 

Thanks for the update.