Churchward 2221 'County Tank' class & 2800 class

Evening All
I have started adding more photos to the GWR Galleries
2 small collections both by Churchward
Churchward 2221 'County Tank' class
2243 Old Oak Common shed 1936
http://railway-photography.smugmug.com/GWRSteam-1/Churchward-Locomotives/Churchward-2221-County-Tank/
Churchward 2800 class 2800-2883, a lot of help needed here please with some locations
http://railway-photography.smugmug.com/GWRSteam-1/Churchward-Locomotives/Churchward-2800-class/Churchward-2800-class/i-SF2McSQ
Neil

 

Does anyone know if there's a group considering building a County tank. I read the main difference between a County tank loco and the tender loco was the use of a Swindon number 2 boiler. With the tender loco using a Swindon number 4 boiler. Surely a County tank loco would be a useful loco for most preserved railways.


Cheers

 

I've heard rumours that a County tank is on the Didcot long term list. But to my mind its hard to think of a circumstance where a County Tank would be more use to a preserved railway than a Large Prairie, and there are extinct Large Prairie versions that could do with reviving, most notably the Churchward 3150 with Std 4 boiler.

[next day]

It does seem to me that say 5227 and 4121 have between them enough large pieces to make the beginnings of a 3150 project, and that a 3150, with the standard 4 boiler, sat on an adjacent line to 4144 and 6106, would be a useful addition to the GWS collection. Be interesting to see the two boiler sizes side by side.

 

From the Great Western Echo November 2013 regarding the Barry 10 "In November 2005 after 8 years of phone calls, letters Richard ( Croucher GWS Chairman) signed the GWS part ( 2 counties and 47xx) of the " Three Counties , Grange and 47XX agreement " and goes on to state that the County Tank is by a third parties. No further information given.

 

IIRC the No2 boiler from 4115 was to be used for a recreated County tank but it went to Crewe for use on 6634. I tend to agree that there would be far more useful classes for a preserved line than a County tank. Ray.

 

Neil

2842 number 4/6 is at Eastleigh.

 

This is Didcot we're talking about though. 29xx, 47xx, 10xx, none particularly useful for a museum with a running line that short. And don't get me started on the fact they're cutting up other locos to make them.

 

Well it would still be far better suited to the average preserved line than, say, a P2. Personally, I'd be far more likely to travel to see a County Tank than another Prairie.

 

I have just uploaded some pictures of 2807 which was guesting on the Moors this autumn you can see them on

http://steammemories.blogspot.co.uk/

 

Though the P2 is expected to visit preserved lines, its prime stamping ground will be the main lines, where a County tank would be too small to be useful on today's charters except as a pilot loco. On a preserved line with a 25 mph speed limit, the County tank's larger wheels would offer no advantage over a Prairie, and the lower adhesion weight would be a significant disadvantage. So it wouldn't be very useful anywhere. The only justification for building one is that it's a good looking extinct class that can be built partly out of existing parts rather than requiring a complete new build. With the number of GWR new build and rebuild projects already on the stocks, however, it must be a long way down the priorities.

No, they're reusing parts that would otherwise be very unlikely to be used. And reuse is supposed to be very virtuous nowadays, even better than recycling.