Steam loco survival myths

Going back to Johns point about the 8F's under the sea theres some far closer to home in the Bristol Channel. Ship was caught in a storm so they cut them lose and sent them over the side. Also just to throw somthing else into the mix isn't there supposed to be a contractors loco under the pitch at Wembley buried there after construction of the Empire stadium?

 

I believe that there was (repeat was!) some element of truth in the "strategic reserve" story - after all Sweden, Finland, Austria, E.Germany and the USSR all seemed to think it was important to have them. As regards the U.K. a friend of mine, a fitter at Speke Jc (now deceased) was adamant that a number of low mileage Black 5's and 8F's were to be collected at Edge Hill and prepared for long term storage in the Wapping tunnel. The plan seems to have got as far as transferring a few locos to 8A during the closing months of steam before it was abandoned. I think the plan was real enough but it just didn't happen.
I've heard the Rhydymwyn story too. The place was real enough - it was used for storing chemical weapons but, IMHO, not locos. Mind you it didn't stop Steam Beano doing an article about it.
As far as lost locos go I seem to remember reading that a number of M.R. Kirtley 0-6-0's were lost at sea en route to the Middle East during WW1. Closer to home I believe a contractor's loco was derailed and buried during the construction of Otterspool prom in Liverpool. This would be in the early 1930's as it was built using spoil from the first Mersey Tunnel. During a geology field visit to the limestone quarry at Horton-in-Ribblesdale in 1971 the transport manager told me that they had disposed of two locos by pushing them into one of the abandoned workings - a trawl through the IRS or Industrial Loco Socy. lists would probably confirm whether this was true or not.
Ray.

 

I think we are still waiting for the discovery of a Dean Goods in China.

 

One implausibility in that story is one of the locos being in steam to haul the others. If three steam locos had needed to be moved from A to B several years after any of them had last run, they would surely have been towed dead by a diesel.

 

It was actually a hoax, the 9F pulling the consist was in fact and 08 with some extra wheels and a casing added on, and a smoke generator at the top.

 

I don't think it could have been an 'Austerity' as, at this time, all production had been for the WD or Ministry of Fuel and Power. IIRC it was some years after the formation of the NCB in 1947 that they acquired their first 'Austerities'. Happy to stand corrected though, it's an interesting story.
Cheers,
Ray.

 

I'm not certain whether it was an "Austerity", I was shown a photo of the loco concerned which, IIRC, was a fairly large 0-6-0ST. Just an assumption on my part.

 

you think it's a Porky?

 

http://www.wiganworld.co.uk/stuff/past1.php


Keith

 

NIR and CIE dumped railcars and carriages in the flooded Crosshill quarry, Crumlin. These were mostly MED and 70 class railcars which were contaminated with blue asbestos. I remember seeing photos (might even have been cine) of the operation at an RPSI meeting. Apparently the remains were recovered a few years back and could be summed up as a suitcase size block of rusting metal. I assume the quarry would still be classed as contaminated as the asbestos fibres would be in the water.

I've never heard anything (even rumours!) about vehicles being bricked up in tunnels over here.

Keith

 

No it doesn't!

It's a Peckett loco identifiable by the smokebox wing plates.

 

So both The S.G. and I were mistaken. Never mind, that's just how all the best myths start!

 

I thought the Wembley myth was debunked when they rebuilt the stadium.

As for the various South American rumours, the continent or at least some parts of it are full of abandoned railway relics, some quite remote. It's unlikely a complete loco would exist without someone knowing about it but you never know, and it's nice to dream. Though personally I think I'd focus my efforts on looking for a Kitson-Meyer instead of a Baldwin tank engine.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

David Wardale looked into setting up a strategic reserve in South Africa but even there it was far from straightforward.

The Kriegslok at Bressingham was part of a strategic reserve that just rusted away in tunnels.

In any event, surely the appropriate locos for a UK Strategic Reserve were King Arthurs not Granges

 

You could argue that 30777 is part of 'the in open sight' strategic reserve...

 

slightly off topic, it was rumoured that after the takeover of Hornby by Triang in 64/65 much of the unsold 3 rail stock was dumped in to landfill at liverpool docks.

cheers
Colin