Streamlined Duchess, past and future

Wicked!!!!

 

Dont take life too seriously I was joking cheer up

 

Sooner than you think eh ?... given that theres another Duchess with all the mainline bells and whistles currently under overhaul /stripped down etc , wouldnt it be easier/cheaper/ quicker to clad the sister and run it in Guise ? especially since the streamlining is an add on rather than an integral part like on an a4... save on overhauling a boiler...

 

No, i really dont think it would - unlike Hamilton, 6233 wasnt a streamliner so on historical grounds alone its a non-starter. In this case i think there's more than enough room for another Duchess on the mainline; even as someone who wasnt much in favour of having the 'bathtub' back, the end result is so stunning and so unique that it could capture the public's attention in the same way as Scotsman, Mallard and now Tornado have done - great news for preservation, and especially great news for a financially squeezed NRM.

Chris

 

This surprises me , Historical grounds aside i wouldnt have thought that the physical details (bit of running plate thats differentand swapping the smokebox for a semi) would not cause a major problem. Still no two steam locos are ever exactly the same are they.

This is speculation and where the money might be coming from is not clear, it may be the NRM, or it maybe the NRM financially supported by a.n. other. My supposition was on the basis that the PRCT would supply nothing but the willingness to let their loco be so altered, cant see their bookings suffering as a result (gauging Isuues ?) and that this would save the complete removal and renovation of the boiler from Hamilton.

At this moment in time another Duchess would be very welcome, but within a few months there will be (touch wood) two LNER Pacifics returning to add to the 3 pacifics just back on the mainline this month then later this year another King and potentially another Bulleid pacific and Royal scot ? by the end of the year there might be some black fives with very little mainline work to do.

And as for the coaching stock....Mk 2'S ?

 

There'll always be work for the Black5s. They can go where these big locos can't.

 

Your still removing cladding from a NRM loco and putting it on another loco which was never even streamlined, owned by a seperate organisation who have been very reluctant to
even change the livery of the loco, let alone its historic fabric and complete outside appearance - as the NRM would need some kind of revenue share to make their contribution worthwhile, i just cant see them even considering it.

IMO, if the NRM launch an appeal once Scotsman is restored i think it has a real chance of success - there could even be some commercial support, if the one-time VSOE proposal is anything to go by.

Chris

 

Although I was not directly involved in the streamlining (before my time at VT) I have seen evidence of the work involved in the streamlining.

The idea of simply swapping the streamlining in laughable!

And the smokebox would need to be replaced...as we are currently in the process of swapping Clun's smokebox, please believe me when I say this is no small task!

The cab would need to be seriously modified with new windows, etc.

If a streamlined Duchess is to steam again, it will have to be 6229.

I can't wait to find out more!

 

Keep 6229 unique. The only LMS Streamliner in preservation - and in that gold/red livery, imagine the crowds she could draw on her image alone.

If they announce it good and proper, despite being LNER through and through, I'll chuck some pennies the NRM's way. I don't think one has been seen since 1948/9 with City of Lancaster? All the more reason to do it, so people can experience what it is truly like. Bathtub or not, it has great presence, and that's before we've even seen a fire in it!

 

An organisation reluctant to change the livery, but now allowing this to be determined by a phone in ? perhaps they are much more amenable than given credit for... and as for the streamline swap well Isnt it all going to have to come off anyway ? or is 6229's Boiler ready to go...? so sorry i cant believe that taking the smokebox off involves more work than taking the boiler and smokebox off and overhauling the boiler... or it possible to leave the streamlining on and if neccessary make any firebox repairs and tube replacement through the firebox door...
Since the overwhelming consensus of opinion is that we all want it to be Hamilton anyway my point is somewhat irrelevant. I shall shut up and rest my case because i dont have a problem with that at all and will happily chuck in a bluey or two...

 

Which to be fair, is a temporary repaint for a year, from which it goes straight back into LMS livery.

The whole smokebox would either need to be replaced, or significantly hacked about (as Hamilton's was, in fact) to make the "semi-streamlined" sloping smokebox usable for streamlining.

 

Sadly not. If there are any repairs required to the foundation ring, or indeed any of the outer wrapper of the boiler/firebox, you would need to remove the boiler from the frames. And then there's the stays to do.........
You'd have to remove the boiler to determine what repairs are needed anyway, and not to mention its much more convenient for those who have to do the work

 

Well, it begs the question - why not just overhaul Hamilton then?

 

I am sure that will be "somewhere" in the plans. But let's not be too hasty.....!

NRM have quite enough on with "CROMWELL" and the other steaming locos, not to mention NRM+ and other projects.

There is enough interesting things happening in the steam world without having to start yet another one! Let's give the King, the railmotor and the two Britts, not to mention the "new" A4 their days of glory [and hopefully some needed funding] before we start demanding even more projects!

Ian

 

I know chaps, it was just the suggestion of a) swapping smokeboxes and b) overhauling the boiler anyway, I can't see what class8mikado was getting at with regards swapping components (my apologies), in that so much would need to be done to sutherland to support the casing anyway, it would be easier to just steam hamilton again...!

 

Not convinced it would be easier, or cheaper... but in terms of overhauling Hamilton and leaving Sutherland out of it the extra money would be money well spent...