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Great Escapes

Discussion in 'Steam Traction' started by JFlambo, Mar 9, 2015.

  1. JFlambo

    JFlambo New Member

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    I've been reading about locomotives that couldn't be saved in time from the cutter's torch. To lighten my mood I'm creating this thread hoping people can share some uplifting 'great escape' stories. I am particularly interested to learn if there has ever been a case of a locomotive thought to have been lost having been found.

    Additionally I remember seeing a picture of a narrow gauge locomotive with a slice through it's cabin where somebody had began cutting it up before it was rescued. However my memory is hazy about what locomotive this was or the story behind it. So any information about that too would be great.
     
  2. Matt37401

    Matt37401 Nat Pres stalwart

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    Would 4965 count as being thought of as lost then found? I think 71000 had lucky escape it was towed to Cashmores despite the paper work saying Woodham Bros then Cashmores started stripping it, until someone noticed and told them to stop.
     
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  3. Reading General

    Reading General Part of the furniture

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    i don't subscribe to the 4965 story....
     
  4. Matt37401

    Matt37401 Nat Pres stalwart

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    Whats your theory then?
     
  5. Martin Perry

    Martin Perry Nat Pres stalwart Staff Member Moderator Friend

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    (4)5305 was reputed to have survived at Drapers scrapyard in Hull, because it was the cleanest 5 left.
     
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  6. goldfish

    goldfish Nat Pres stalwart

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  7. Jimc

    Jimc Part of the furniture

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    Assuming the story of the two Kings only ending up at Woodhams because of their use in bridge tests is true that might qualify.
     
  8. Martin Perry

    Martin Perry Nat Pres stalwart Staff Member Moderator Friend

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    GWR 1363 was on the end of a long line of withdrawn locos at Laira. When they were being towed away for scrap, the drawhook was pulled through the bufferbeam, thus rendering 1363 unfit to travel. It was put to one side, and the breathing space was enough to allow it to be purchased for preservation.
     
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  9. 61624

    61624 Part of the furniture

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    62005 was originally bought to provide a spare boiler for 61994 - it only survived because it was subsequently found it would not fit, but even then it was a lucky survivor , having been used for a while as a stationary boiler at an oil refinery.
     
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  10. PolSteam

    PolSteam Member

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  11. MarkinDurham

    MarkinDurham Well-Known Member

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    The story of the surviving J21 is pretty good - not one but two escapes from the gas-axe...
     
  12. Jamessquared

    Jamessquared Nat Pres stalwart

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    Can we include foreign locos?

    Rogers K88 in New Zealand. Built 1877. Rolled into a river to help stabilise the bank in 1927. Dug out after 47 years under water in 1974. Restored to service 1982.

    K95, another of the same class in situ in the river bank:

    [​IMG]

    K88 once dragged ashore:

    [​IMG]

    K88 restored:

    [​IMG]

    Source: http://www.whitebusfamily.co.nz/k88_restoration.htm

    Tom
     
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  13. PolSteam

    PolSteam Member

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    Just how much of the engine did you save?
     
  14. Matt37401

    Matt37401 Nat Pres stalwart

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    Beat me to it I was going to say the J21! I think the B12 was called for scrap several times but Bill Harvey refused to have it sent for scrap. Tallyn no's 3 and 4 deserve a mention too kept at Machynllth and Tom Rolt and co went down to Swindon to negotiate the £65 per loco down to somthing more reasonable. To quote Mr Rolt 'it was a figure that would enable us to accquire both locos for less than the original price of one'.
     
  15. Robin

    Robin Well-Known Member Friend

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    From the Severn Valley Railway Stock Book seventh edition:
    StockBook7.jpg

    And from the eighth edition:
    StockBook8.jpg

    Close, but no gas axe...
     
  16. Jamessquared

    Jamessquared Nat Pres stalwart

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    A couple of LSWR examples:

    The preserved T3 No. 563 (now part of the national collection) failed on a goods train in March 1939 and was immediately withdrawn in preparation for scrapping - all but one other of the class had been scrapped already between 1930 and 1936, so it was already a late survivor of its class. However, the worsening political situation at the time put a hold on scrapping; instead it was repaired and returned to traffic, along with the only other survivor, 571, working goods services from Basingstoke. 571 was withdrawn in 1943, but 563 made it to the end of hostilities, being withdrawn a second time in August 1945. It was then stored at Eastleigh until January 1948, before being towed as far as Kimbridge Junction on its way to Dinton, where the Southern stored locos awaiting sale for scrapping. At the last moment, someone realised that if action wasn't taken, there would be no Adams' tender locos left for the impending Waterloo Centenary celebrations, so the loco gained a second reprieve and was towed back to Eastleigh, where it was restored as far as possible back to Adams condition.

    Adams radial tank 488 was sold out of LSWR service in 1917 and eventually was bought by the East Kent Light railway (part of the Colonel Stephens empire). By March 1939 it had been laid aside but fortunately wasn't scrapped. In 1946, the Southern Railway desperately needed more motive power for the Lyme Regis branch, as the two surviving Adams Radials were in need of overhaul but neither could be taken out of traffic. Therefore, the SR bought 488 for £800 after 7 years of dereliction: it was overhauled and put into service and thus survived long enough for preservation in the 1960s. Its history means that it was the most original of the three surviving radial tanks when the Bluebell were looking for one; the other two had Drummond boilers and had had new frames in the 1930s, whereas 488 has her original frames, with evidence of crude frame repairs made by the EKLR.

    Tom
     
    Last edited: Mar 11, 2015
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  17. Jamessquared

    Jamessquared Nat Pres stalwart

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    Boiler, frames, wheels, cylinders - there are Barry escapees that have come out with not much more!

    Tom
     
  18. 1472

    1472 Well-Known Member

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    Well the evidence is there & conclusive.
     
  19. PolSteam

    PolSteam Member

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    Some more lost engines are the loco boilers found at a woodworking firm in the late 80's. I know one boiler was moved to Bitton, and was, I think it was an LSWR tank, but I've never heard anything of the other two.
     
  20. PolSteam

    PolSteam Member

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    Just wondered, as it looked as though there was not that much that was restorable.

    Great job that you saved as much as you did. Some people here, buy a Barry loco, and scrap most of it, and build a near replica!
     

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