Steam Railways

[Gordon]

Hi Gordon, We we're supposed to be getting King Edward II down here for a bit, I understood is was one of the locos booked to do The Torbay Express runs, alas it's still at Didcot I think and King Edward I is in bits on the West Somerset Railway being overhauled, now The Western's we're fabulous, there's one due on the main line again soon, D1015 Western Champion with an excursion through Bristol on 27th April. But The Deltics were awesome, they take the whole thing up several notches, Thank's for the links

In a previous life I used to go down to Goonhilly Earth station regularly on the sleeper from/to Paddington. I always used to get there early and drool over the invariable Westerns that hauled it!! Typically Western Region independence!! Flying along through Dawlish and Teignmouth on a sunny day..... roaring up Hemerdon!! That'd give a Deltic something to work on after those flat East Coast runs!

Those Warships were not so interesting. I now live in N Hants and we used to have them coming through here on the Exeter-Waterloo run operated by Exmouth Jn and Salisbury crews. The famous Southern engineman Bert Hooker told a tale of running out of fuel at Grately once because the gauge was faulty!! They gave way to the Hoovers eventually. Now we've only got 159s!

Anyway I'm getting off topic here - it's supposed to be STEAM!! Toot Toot!

[mangerton]

Now there's an idea! Maybe I could bring my friend along who is Celia Johnson's grand-daughter - she can play the tea lady

I too am sorely tempted to make a trip of it... Could tie up with a family visit to rellies not too far away, as well, so do a duty en même temps... To be thought on...

Thanks to M3 and mangie for the links, anyway!

Yes, this sounds like a good idea. There is as Anna said a Brief Encounter Restaurant at the NRM, Betty's Famous Tea Room is not too far away, and there are some jolly good pubs in York too.

alycidon mentioned the NYMR. It's not too far from York, though sadly it's no longer accessible very easily by train from there.

[Mahler's3rd]

Hi Anna,

Here you go

http://www.westernchampion.co.uk/

http://www.tyseleylocoworks.co.uk/tours/tr_2013_0427.htm

[JFLL]

Anyway I'm getting off topic here - it's supposed to be STEAM!!

Strange for slightly older-timers to hear younger-timers enthusing about diesels. To us they were the wretched things that sent most of the Kings, Castles, Halls, Granges and Manors to their doom!

[Mahler's3rd]

I was pricing up a trip by rail to the Mallard 75 event, how barmy is this everyone?. If I book a return from Bristol Temple Meads-York on the day it's over 200quid.If I go up to London the night before on a evening from BTM, stay in the good old YHA St Pancras, £25. I can get a return Train from Kings Cross-York for less than £40, and get another service back from Paddington in the evening to Bristol Temple Meads. The Mallard 75 event is free, how crazy can get you get,

Get Richard Branson to win back the Crosscountry Francise, that might help

[Nick Armstrong]

how barmy is this ?

Very!

Apart from the odd 'heritage' sighting of a steam engine at full pelt, I am alas from the diesel age. I found myself looking up Hymeks last night after one was seen in the 'Scotsman' film (the clip with Johnny Morris narrating).

But although they remind me of my childhood (like old buses from my home town), they lack the majesty and poetry of the steam-powered thoroughbreds...

[Mahler's3rd]

Hi JFLL, I'm 58 this year, so can just about remember Steam in the early 60's, as it was being run down, I lived in a village just outside Taunton, and Western's/Warship's etc etc we're the thing at the time, I think it's marvelous there are so many Steam loco's preserved (I ventured over to Barry several times), and I reckon that some of the steam locos now are in superb condition, much better than they ever we're in service, and of course theres new builds like Tornado It must be very difficult for the preservationists to keep some of the steam going given the materials that are used now compared to when they we're built, it would have been all whitworth thread and proper British Steel then not metric and cheap material's now, I dont think there's a finer site than a steam engine in full flow on the main line, just wonderful. I was also amazed to discover how old some of the diesels are now 50+ years in the case of Western's & Deltic's

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Hi Eine Alpensinfonie, you're right it was a class 50 Diesel "50007" Named Sir Edward Elgar, it was named thus as part of the celebration's for GWR150 in 1985, resprayed in Brunswick Green and was joined in that livery for a while along with some other loco's, 47484 "Isambard Kingdom Brunel", being another. Thought the documentary on The Flying Scotsman was excellent. Incidentally is there any friends/colleagues here planning on going to York in July to see The Line Up of all remaining A4's, 6 in total, it will be a one off, never to be repeated as two of them are going back over the atlantic

I shall definitely be going. But it's only a short journey for me. Anyone who hasn't been to the NRM should pay a visit. It's free (though the car park is £9 for the day).

[Nick Armstrong]

Not sure anyone's yet posted the link to this: another steamy documentary ....

(narrated by the late, great Brian Redhead)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode...0_at_Rainhill/

[Gordon]

Many years ago I went to a Communications conference at York Uni and the dinner was held in the NRM among the engines. The speaker for the evening was a steam enthusiast. He opened his talk by looking around at the audience and then said "I suppose you all think you're Engineeers?". There was a kind of confused silence. "Look around" he said, "at all this, THIS is Engineering, not that Poofter stuff you lot do!"" Brought the house down.

[JFLL]

Hi JFLL, I'm 58 this year, so can just about remember Steam in the early 60's, as it was being run down, I lived in a village just outside Taunton, and Western's/Warship's etc etc we're the thing at the time, I think it's marvelous there are so many Steam loco's preserved (I ventured over to Barry several times), and I reckon that some of the steam locos now are in superb condition, much better than they ever we're in service, and of course theres new builds like Tornado It must be very difficult for the preservationists to keep some of the steam going given the materials that are used now compared to when they we're built, it would have been all whitworth thread and proper British Steel then not metric and cheap material's now, I dont think there's a finer site than a steam engine in full flow on the main line, just wonderful. I was also amazed to discover how old some of the diesels are now 50+ years in the case of Western's & Deltic's

Hello M3, you’re right of course about maintenance difficulties with steam. I believe there’s some problem with the blue King, isn’t there? (I think I remember a blue King when I was about 2 or 3!). And to think that some loonies (in the nicest sense of the word) have actually built an LNER A1 from scratch! Steam engines were very neglected after about 1961, but I remember them in fine fettle on the Paddington-Wolverhampton expresses in the mid- and late-1950s, when there was a bit of a conscious revival of the GreatWestern spirit, with chocolate-and-cream coaches and so on. My grandfather having worked for the GWR, I even got a few footplate visits.

My first surviving book!

[hmvman]

I live but 20 minutes walk from the NRM and I'm really looking forward to seeing the six A4s together this summer. It looks like we might be away on holiday on the actual anniversary day, 3rd July, though but I'm hoping they'll all still be here when I get back!

I have happy memories of the 50th anniversary in 1988 when Mallard was in steam and hauling special trains - a far cry from the days when, as a boy, I saw her in the cramped shed of the Clapham Transport Museum.

[JFLL]

I was wondering what British steam locomotive boarders thought was the most aesthetically pleasing (of any period). I think mine would be the GWR Churchward ‘Stars’. What a pity only one was preserved, and that not in running order, though it does seem to be wheeled out from time to time:

http://rickeborall.zenfolio.com/p221445103/h870e0c9#h870e0c9

From an earlier period, the Dean Singles of the GWR:

http://earlyrailwaysunpublished.files.wordpress.com/2012/02/3003-avalanche.jpg

or the Johnson Singles of the Midland Railway:

http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~emgeedee/johnsons.htm

Any thoughts?

[Mahler's3rd]

Hi JFLL, As far as I know "The Blue King" went for running in trials in Norfolk when it had been rebuilt almost from sratch at Didcot (Those guys to an amazing job at Didcot). It's being run at Didcot over the course of a few dates this spring,see link attached, http://www.6023.co.uk/news/news.htm

There's a delay in getting it up to spec for the main line due to cost's, My favourite steam type is probably "The Spam Cans" as they became affectionally known The "Unrebuilt" Bullied's

[JFLL]

Hi JFLL, As far as I know "The Blue King" went for running in trials in Norfolk when it had been rebuilt almost from sratch at Didcot (Those guys to an amazing job at Didcot). It's being run at Didcot over the course of a few dates this spring,see link attached, http://www.6023.co.uk/news/news.htm

There's a delay in getting it up to spec for the main line due to cost's, My favourite steam type is probably "The Spam Cans" as they became affectionally known The "Unrebuilt" Bullied's

Thanks, Mahler3, for this interesting link. It might be worth getting over to Didcot to have a look. Of course blue livery is anathema to some GW diehards (too much like a 'streak' as we used to call the A4s), and the Kings only had it for about a year, in early BR days, but I think it looks rather good. I remember the first time I saw an unrebuilt Bulleid West Country, at I think Exeter, on the way down to Paignton for a holiday. I thought it looked like something from outer space.