Current and Proposed New-Builds

But don't read *too* much into it. AIUI the fleet wasn't being expanded or contracted, so it would be surprising if the number of withdrawn 43s *didn't* match the number of new build Manors. According to Cook about half of a withdrawn 43 went into the Manor or Grange. Frames were new, as were cylinders and much platework. The people who work on them now could tell us more, but if the main reused parts pre war were standard components, motion and wheels, how much of that would not have been changed in heavy generals in the meantime? If a given BR built Manor had a *lot* of components all stamped with the number of a given 43 withdrawn in the right time period that would be very interesting, but otherwise I'm not sure we could know unless records survive of how many individual components were machined in the works. I don't know how much Swindon would build a new locomotive from completely new parts, and how much they'd use "Good as new" parts in stock. By this stage I think just about all locomotives were classed as renewals.

 

100 43xx & 53xx were withdrawn to build the 80 Granges and 20 pre-war Manors. In reality though they were 'accountancy rebuilds' as only the wheels. motion and some fittings were re-used. As these were mostly 'pool' parts they could have come from any loco or mixture of locos.
Ray.

 

Son the Manors and Granges are Frankentrains?

 

Didn't you know?

 

I did not, I am not a Western Man.

 

As there are several Manors and a shortage of Moguls, you could reverse the original process and using parts of a Manor to build another Mogul. Not to say you should.

 

Now your just giving Didcot Ideas!

 

I wonder how the pros and cons were perceived at that time. The power of a Pacific would have been useful over the South Devon banks, but the adhesion weight would have been no better than that of a King, possibly a bit less, giving a worse tendency to slip. For anywhere else Castles were powerful enough for most trains with Kings where needed, and the weight of a Pacific might have been too much for most lines.

 

Hawksworth has been quoted as saying the GWR had no need for a Pacific. The only need, presumably, would be if there were any services where the Kings literally ran out of steam. Its not as if they had to run to Glasgow.

But one of the yet unrestored 5101 large Prairies would be a much better starting point. The 5101 would provide nearly everything except the boiler, the Manor would discard frames, cylinders and bogie as well as the boiler. basically, of course what the WSR did when they created 9351, except that they didn't build a new Std 4 boiler.

 

What the hell ..... why not go the whole hog while we're about it and just stretch a Big40 into TGB?

........ or not!

 

No more GWR new builds than we already have please...!

I want my Thompson A2/3 and L1 first please...

...but before that, a Sturrock machine to take advantage of no.1s now spare tender.

 

A few Midland Railway designs'd be nice too...

Johnson 0-6-0 2F, maybe a 2000 class and most certainly a 1p 0-4-4.

Maybe a Kirtley design or two for a laugh as well...

 

a Kirtley 0-6-0 is a serious bit of kit - as would be a LNWR 19" goods 4-6-0

 

I had exactly the same thought but decided that it was too risky to suggest it. Knowing Didcot they would take the Manor and make it a Mogul and take the Mogul they have and make it a 31xx.

You'd need to do a batch build so that you could run all those under-powered double headers...

What is that rhyme about the Midland, two engines on the front crying for more.

 

Now you're talking

This'll do.

 

Oh no, how terrible. We'll have to batch build some beautiful Vermilion Red liveried machines...

In terms of power though, the 2000 class should be ok. They were designed for suburban work.

 

At least no one could accuse the Midland new builders of being obsessed with large engines.

 

And the bad riding wouldn’t be a problem st 25mph

 

Get rid of the complicated moving front axle thing, don't stick the superheater on it and probably tweak couple of other things (roller bearings?) you'd probably be alright at higher speeds.

 

Exactly the one I had in mind. What a beauty.