EOR announces TWO mainline steam locomotives are destined for the branch....

Assuming you mean the SVR? Whilst its true that we are stuggling for numbers in our active fleet (and have been struggling for the past couple of years) I don't think we're really in a position where we need to buy locos. Our problem isn't a lack of locos on the line but a turn around rate which just isnt good enough at the moment. Thats being worked on though!

Sorry to hijack the thread. A great coup for the EOR these aquisitions. The EOR iscertainly building up a name for itself pretty quickly! It s a long way away from me but I'm certainly tempted to make a trip down in the not too distant future to check it out. Good luck with the many projects!

Cheers
Andy

 

Andy: I agree with your comments, I was thinking rather of a benefactor with deep pockets rather than the SVR itself. The SVR I am sure would put the money ( if it had spare funds...) into progressing 4150 at BY, and 4930 out of the Engine House and into the shops if they wanted another Large Prairie, and a "Hall" active soon.
My worry is whether the SVR does actually have the money now to put a large engine through the shops. What a pity the Waterman 66xx has not turned out to be a quickie, likewise the spare Pannier boiler.

Sorry, off-topic. Reprimand taken....

 

Congratulations to the EOR for their latest aquisitions. As a local resident I for one am looking forward to the railway reopening and I quite confident this lien will be an outstanding success and will at long last give Essex a decent preserved railway that goes between 2 places. There are also many places of interest at either end of the line and indeed at intermediate stops.

I quite agree though that undercover storage is very much needed and hopefully this will come once the railway is on its feet and making some money.

Stan

 

Just to pick up on this one ...

We are upto 5 pages in a few days on the subject of Epping Ongar... When was the last time EOR attracted this much attention ?

EX-BR steam engines work as an attraction.

Nothing wrong with an industrial in its right setting, or a railway devoted to them, but exBR steam on an exBR line has the pizazz.

 

....Even when working in a different part of the network from where they originallly operated, and from EOR's point of view, this is a good thing. Ex-LNER engines (let alone items of ex-GER stock of any kind) looking for a new home are pretty rare - in fact probably non-existant, and the bottom line is for all the derogatory comments made about Great Western engines by some enthusiasts (including on this forum!), there are plenty of others who like them, and will travel miles to see ex-GWR types operating well away from Swindon territory. Sometimes railways with one of these "alien beasts" in residence actually become quite fond of them - e.g. 5775 on the KWVR or the Dukedog on the Bluebell. I'm sure 4141 and 4953 will be a great success in Essex.

 

As someone who has read the article in HR I can answer one or two questions. The chief benefactor and new owner of the two locos used to run a bus company that he has since sold for what appears to be a tidy sum. The line has been painstakingly rebuilt and the pictures in HR show the work to be of an exceptionally high standard. While 4953 maybe a little big for the line, it will remain mainline registered and the new owner is not adverse to it undertaking further mainline work. IMHO the EOR have pulled off a masterstroke here in bringing the spotlight on their new operation which has got success written all over it. If the condition of that 37 on Great Railway Journeys is anything to go by, the steam locos will be well looked after.

As an aside it would be interesting to know what price was paid for these locos as 4953 had over a million pounds spent on her during her last overhaul and has done little work since and 4141 will have a fresh ticket . Two locos in excellent condition! Best of luck to this new operation.

 

I can assure you that £1million was not spent on the last overhaul. Only myself, the support crew, the previous owner and Tyseley know how much was spent and I'm not prepared to tell what was the actual figure but £1 million is way off the mark.

 

I think that the £1m figure came from an article about the original restoration during which the then owner said the loco had cost a lifetime of consultancy fees or words to that effect.

 

Well I can only repeat what was widely reported at the time and that was the figure that was reported. I don't remember it being questioned at the time and it did indeed come from article to which the then owner was directly quoted. At the time it was reported as one of the most expensive Barry restorations to date (pre 4472 and 6100 of course), however, i'll happily stand corrected!

 

would it be possible to get the hall off the heritage line and onto the mainline network via the Central Line?

 

The only connection is at the other (Ruislip) end of the line, so unless it'll fit down a 12 foot diameter tube, then NO.

 

The connection at Leyton was removed in the 1970s after freight services ceased.

 

Also the Central line is fitted with a computer based ATP system, which means it can't even operate around the Hainault loop without suitably equipped Battery Locos piloting it.

Regards,

Dan

 

I'm sure the necessary excavation and track lowering under the M25 was undertaken some time ago. Don't recall ducking when their 117 DMU passed under it to get to their (then) terminus near Coopersale Common road bridge.
No doubt Simon Hannay will confirm - or not!

 

Ironically there are bits on our Battery Loco fleet which are older than the Hall and 4141!!

Regards,

Dan

 

Yes, indeed the trackbed under the M11 was lowered during the "117 DMU" days, and the track graduated either side, so you get a gentle approach and plenty of headroom... I have a photo of 03170 under the M11 somewhere, I will try and dig it out. So potentially Pitchford Hall, 4141 and the diesel fleet can go right down to the boundary at Epping (of course, future passenger trains down to here depend on a new platform at this end, but all in good time, lets get passenger trains running again first)... )

Thanks for your support, and good to hear your thoughts and suggestions )

Simon

 

Please be corrected Acorb.

Commercial confidentiality prevents me from quoting figures, but you may be assured that as 63601 has said, the plus £1 million figure is wildly out - certainly as far as the work which we did is concerned. We took the woebegone remnants of a locomotive which had been abandoned to the elements next door to a travellers permanent caravan site and returned it to main line condition. During its storage at various locations many parts had disappeared or just been plain stolen, including 5 out of the 6 coupled wheel axleboxes and in many instances what contract repairs had been carried out to the loco and tender can only be considered to be poor, and certainly not to the standards required for Network rail operations. The total figure included all of the costs for the fitment of TPWS and trial running. What I can tell you is that it was done totally commercially and yet still cost much less than 5043 did even given massive amounts of volunteer input on Edgcumbe.

Of course we cannot speak for JFK but obviously he had incurred expense elsewhere with some of the nugatory contract repairs, etc.

Hope this corrects the exaggerated figures quoted in articles about it. As I often say to some of mycolleagues in this business " I won't believe what they print about you if you don't believe what they print about me", as there is an awful lot of incorrect info printed in the press.

Believe it at your peril.

regards
Bob

 

Many thanks Bob, I very happily stand corrected, particularly by yourself whose comments and input I and I am sure many others on here respect greatly. The quality of her restoration, like any other out of Tyseley is a credit to yourselves. It is indeed a widely reported figure and is still being quoted. Someone needs to correct Robin Jones who in the lastest HR is claiming 4953 to be 'the most expensive Hall in History , with the final bill nearing £1 million as exclusively revealed in HR issue 59'. He has in the past contributed to this forum, so hopefully he will see your comments.