L1 new build

Afraid not. They've got a centre dart door fixing.

 

Proper loco's have a dart - oops - just justified the L1 ! (Rats - just seen Std Tank's post above - beat me to it).

 

Well after posting who would support a new build L1 the answer seems to of drifted into be a good idea to build an LMS fowler tank and an L1 might work if they were in with an establised railway.
Then we start to squabble over how you should tighten up a smokebox door.....
Come on guys the L1 needs to know if the support is out there
If we all think its a no goer then tell em
If you think it will work ( once set up right of course) then plaese let them know
There is money and time being spent right now on the L1
Market research needs to be done to determine if the support is out there somehow

 

Having read most of this thread I get the impression people are sitting on the fence/their wallets until the group behind the idea establishes full credibility in terms of infrastructure and capability. Until these are in place I can't see there being progress but the counter argument is does the group really want to go to the expense of establishing themselves if the idea is a no-goer.

On a personal note it's not one I would be willing to financially support but good luck to the group.

 

Er, there is also a very good Hornby model of an L1.......not that I'm sure what relevance it has anyway :confused1:

 

We're not exactly over-run with large LNER tank locos, but it won't be high on my list of possible donations - there's only so much one can afford to give away. And much as I hate to raise the dreaded spectre of livery - but if they go BR black for 10 years as stated then it's a complete non-starter for me - I'll be dead and buried before it even stands a chance of wearing Apple Green, which would be its obvious USP.

 

Back to the L1, not convinced this is a wise move. The reputation of the class was fairly dire so there might be better options all being considered. The J39 cylinder block were based on the A5 pattern and the 4-6-2T was far more popular than the L1. The class did suffer frame problems, nothing that could not be dealt with and increasing the B.P. from 180psi would drive the nomimal T.E. beyond the standard 23,743lb if required. Then there is the V3, a newer design than the A5, more complicated but very competent on the train handling front with a T.E. a little short of 25,000lb. Given the reputation of the L1 it is hard to see how the engine could be made viable without substantial modifications.

 

I sense a person here who doesn't see the comedy value of Gav106's post. He said this because, ironically, the L1 group was set up not very long after Hornby had produced their 1:76 scale L1, hence why he referred to the Fowler 2-6-4T, which Hornby also makes a model of.

After looking through this thread, it does just seem to be a fantasy idea that someone has had from browsing through the Hornby catalogue and doing bit of Googling and thinking "Ooh, there ain't one of those preserved... I know, let’s build a new one! They did it with Tornado, and are doing so with x number of other projects. How hard can it be?" and I doubt it'll get much further than the stage it is at now. I mean, why on Earth are people going to want to donate to a group of people whose 'group' started life as a page on a social networking site and the only thing they have decided upon thus far is what livery it will appear in, which of course is the most crucial starting point to any new build project. I wonder what critical decision will be taken next; what brand of polish to use to clean the paintwork with "when" it's finished? Or how many tins of Humbrol gloss black enamel it will take to cover a whole locomotive...?

The other new build projects out there had plausible aims and objectives, with people behind them to back it. This just hasn't. Like has been mentioned in previous posts, people will put their hands in their pockets if the project had a workshop with the tools and personnel required to build a locomotive, or if there is a railway backing the idea, or if it was better promoted than a Facebook page and a website with hardly any information on, other than plans for "looking at" drawings of frames and deciding what shade of black to paint the locomotive in (personally, I prefer the green shade of black that is commonly called Brunswick Green, but there we go!), but seeing as this group doesn’t have anything of that extent, it's just another one of those fancy ideas which will go forgotten in the future.

I wonder how long after the release of one of Hornby's latest catalogue additions it'll be when we see an appeal for a new build LNER Class 01 2-8-0 freight loco... Or perhaps someone will make one out of Robinson 04 no. 63601, or am I perhaps being a bit unrealistic?

And just to lighten the mood a bit, here's a llama :llama:

 

Im no expert or a huge LNER fan but looking through all the LNER new build possibilities i would of picked Gresleys last design the V4

Bantum Cock and never named Bantum Hen are a very interesting design, suitable for many preserved lines very powerful as well, no doubt they would be a good candiate for mainline use...Jacobites?

Could you market it . sell it? well i believe you could more so tha an L1

You could name it Bantum somthing or other, its a very pretty loco and it was designed by Gresley who designed some quite well known LNER locos

I feel they are going to struggle to raise the money to build this L1. early days i know, its not there enthuiasum thats lacking I think the choice of locomotive is not an easy one to attract the finance it will need

If they sat down and did the maths,and ask thenselves how can we sell this to raise 100k a year they might just reconsider

Just my thoughts

 

I propose a new real life build of Hornby's GWR 101, it's an 0-4-0T that almost every kid must have owned at some point, nearly 200,000 produced, obvious USP, small ergo cheap to build.. standard parts... you just need life sized can motor and 1 gear.. FAST... I'm sure Didcot's rail motor guys can provide a template

http://www.hornbyguide.com/item_details.asp?itemid=5

 

even better, maybe someone should go the whole hog and build a full size smokey joe!

but seriously, I think the L1 project may be a bit of a white elephant, but I hope they prove me wrong. some will succeed, some wont, but as people say its all down to the financial and engineering backing of the project. so no, I dont think I will donate to this and instead I may donate to a more exciting project like the 47XX. obvioulsy id donate in a shot it if someone said they were gonna build a H16 tank. hmm I wonder? come on guys, they only made six of them so must be a good idea! :tongue1:

 

You'd certainly have no problem hitting the 'ton' in one of them! Who needs an A4?!

 

After a very depressing 10 minutes reading the Crewe Heritage Centre and Flying Scotsman threads, this gave me a much-needed laugh.

Sir, I thank you.

 

"Bantum and Robin"?

 

I cannot believe there are 24 pages of dribble on this subject. This the J39 and any other pie in the sky projects will not succeed.

This is national preservation, not national lets build a new locomotive every week because hornby have released a model.com

Im sure the reasons behind these ideas are fair enough but they are dragging attention away from the rest of the more important subjects. Trying to protect what we already have is far more important.

The more of these hair brained ideas get off the ground (which is easy now facebook is around) then the more established groups, 6880, the clan etc will suffer.

Sorry lads but reality sucks, respect the movement by getting involved with saving what we already have.

Remember new builds are 90% Technical Skill and 10% DIY. Restorations are 20% technical skill and 80% DIY....now which category do you fall into?
If you ask yourself that question, you will get the unfortunate answer.......

 

What Swanrail , and others before, have said... seconded

 

Very true I think it was David Elliot who came up with that last part of your post about the technical skill.

In some ways it'd be nice to have another Thompson loco as we only have the 2 B1's but because most had problems and styling of his locos I'd say its best to stick to what we have.

I can't see this or the J39 etc getting off the ground. I like the idea of new builds but they'll struggle where the Patriot and A1 projects have profited.

One thing I found that could suggest that they hadn't done much homework is that someone posted a link to the L1 Project Facebook page onto the 1306 Mayflower Facebook page and then the same person asked if there any L1 parts still around.

 

To even contemplate a new build you need a very professional team, with fundraisers, legal experts, systems annalists as well as engineers. This is where the A1 trust were very fortunate and supremely professional in their approach to the entire project. .

If you have not got a totally professional team from day 1 you are never going to get the project off the ground.

 

Having the above would be an ideal situation and may at times even be a hindrance

I think anyone or group can to start a new new build

There are certain qualities/attributes required that you will need and some that you will aquire along the way, having the correct balance of being thick skinned and keeping your feet on the ground is a good start

If you have a good product backed up with good market research, this should give you the confidence that the project can be sold/marketed in order to raise the funds for it ....then why not?

It has now been proven that the engineering can be bought in / contracted out, so taking the worry out of being attached to any railway or having a base to start from

The ability to listen to people who have been there before is vital....not somthing you ignore

Not taking too much notice of "some" of the comments on this forum ( thick skin required )

Taking notice when it comes to comments to researching the viability of a new build L1 & j39

Reading through this forum no one seems to have a desire to support these two, and from this maybe they should reconsider the future of these "ideas" because right now thats all they are