Save Colne Valley Railway

Colne Valley Railway site’s owner, an Australian property developer, has given the Colne Valley Railway Preservation Society until next year to find the money to buy the land.

http://www.gazette-news.co.uk/news/10945491.We_ve_got_a_year_to_save_Colne_Valley_Railway/

 

It"s a delightful little line i say little as it"s only a couple of miles in length but a very friendly line, it has a lot of loco"s for a short line when i visited a couple of years ago 35006 was there in scrapyard condition, think its moved on since, but lots to see there, had a great day out there.

 

35006? I think you mean 35010.

 

Some things were nicked from 35006 a few years ago, although not the whole engine!

 

35010 is still there but has more recently been moved nearer to the station to allow visitors to see her.

There are also two Black 5's, No. 45163 which is undergoing restoration in her own shed and No. 45293 which is undergoing slow restoration, she is owned by the same people who own 35010.

I expect progress has since moved on since I last saw her but this is how 45163 looked in 2009: http://khardy.zenfolio.com/p435144864/h2ddc3af7#h2ddc3af7

And the most recent progress posted on the site of 35010: http://www.besps.org/Progress01.htm

 

Thanks for the link. The BESPS doesn't have a particularly high profile, but it does seem to be slowly getting on with a few tasks. Obviously, the day 35010 steams again is a long, long way off, but it's good that it is getting some attention and not just being left to rust away, even though the focus is more on 45293 - and understandably so, as it is a less complex engine.

 

Furthermore, the new cylinder casting might not cost quite so much as the £50k previously bandied about in the railway press now that the precedent for using polystyrene has been set by the 45551 gang. It would be interesting to hear a reappraisal of the cost.

 

£30k to £50k is the right order of magnitude depending on how much of the machining / setting up they are able to do themselves.

 

All depends on who does the cad work. It can I suppose cost a fair bit. But it would be very usefull for a black 5 to have it done. 45551 is soon to have the outside cylinder patterns made. And cast in spring.

 

My apologies for remaining off topic for a few more moments.

I can't entirely agree with some of the previous posts here.

Whilst I have to concede the concept of using a poly pattern is entirely sensible for something that is an entirely one-off new build like 45551, that apparent wisdom becomes far far more questionable regarding parts for locomotives as populous as those from Messrs Bulleid (in the form of his pacifics) or Stanier (in the form of his Black 5s or 8Fs) for instance.

I would cite the use of the cylinder pattern set commissioned by the 82045 Steam Locomotive Trust being used to make a replacement for 76079 before those for the new build class 3 had been cast.

Although I wouldn't wish it on any locomotive owner, mishaps and corrosion will lead to the need to replace cylinders of these aging steads from time to time.

The £££ figures quoted may be vaguely correct for a complete machined first-off but subsequent items become much cheaper. Moreover that investment in tooling may be recouped through pattern usage fees.

I'm sure by now, as the maintainer of the BRSLOG pattern register for several years, I would have heard if there was any criticism of the common usage concept of durable patterns it permits and promotes.

 

B.oldford, its an interesting subject.

As a pattern maker your self can you give an estimate quote for a black 5 cylinder pattern?

I would like to work out the savings for the initial group. Because if said black 5 group were to stump the initial cost of the pattern how long would it take for that group to re coup there money? How much could you charge for the use of the pattern? Because if it doesnt save you money then whats the point? Apart from saying well we have a pattern for someone else if theres goes wrong. Plus you have to store this pattern in the mean time. And although poly patterns do cost money to make each time they also save money on the amount of metal poured into the casting, cutting back some of the money spent in the poly pattern, and if that said group were also charging for the pattern there may not be any cost saving to the second group. So the first group has made a patten for a large sum of money and no one is saving? I think some figures so some calculations could be done would be usefull just to see what is the saving/expense of one vs the second.

I can only go on the figures from 45551, but the costing of our inside cylinder from traditional ways would have cost £45k all in, poly cost us 10K all in. Thats 35k, so if we were in a situation of there being 10 other pats how long would it take for OUR project to get the 35k back? Because if im a member of black 5 group I want to see it in steam and know that our board is making the best decisions to get it in steam asap. Not worry about another loco that may have an issue in the future, who could just as easily spend the 2.5k (which is pretty cheap) for the pattern for their cylinder as when they need to?

Kind regards gavin

 

This is an interesting discussion. Isnt it surely where Brain refers to holding a physical pattern with the new system you would just hold a copy af the CAD cd and hirer that our to any group needing a new casting?

 

Any chance of this thread getting back on track? Do the Colne Valley Railway have any ideas as to how they are going to raise the funds to buy the freehold?

 

Agreed. We have drifted off thread. Those interested may care to contact me via p.m. if they want to continue the discussion.

 

Maybe the Aussie developer is watching all the flooded rivers on TV and may worry that his land in the Colne valley is being devalued and might accept a low offer..