Bulleid Pacifics - Past or Present

I can only lay claim to having driven 3 flat tops and none of them was Tangmere, but 92 Squadron, Wadebridge and Wells were all very different. Much more so I would say than the four Terriers, three Black 5s and two Ivatt tanks were to their respective class mates. My take on it is that maybe a flat top is particularly sensitive to the way it is restored and maintained? This would fit with BR experience about the maintenance needs of the unrebuilts too, perhaps.

 

Having said all of that since Wells left the mainline has their been any other flat top other than Tangmere? That would sort of imply that, at least in in last operational period, the expertise resided at Southall in the like of Pete Roberts.

 

34072 was Mainline very briefly quite some years ago I believe.

 

34072 ventured on to the national network in 1990:


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As well as 34072 mentioned in the post above 34070 also travelled on the Main Line to Eastleigh and back. 34070 also operated along the lines in Eastleigh works providing driving experiences:





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Many will no doubt be aware that several long-stored locos and carriages are now being broken up at Carnforth.
From what I can tell looking at photographs, the frames of 34073 looked (a few weeks ago) to be possibly in the same area as the cutting is taking place.

Has the Bulleid been cut too?.

 

I hope not, I've long had a bit of a soft spot for 34073, kicked from pillar to post and gradually diminishing. I know it's a long shot but I think I've always held a faint hope that we'd see an unrebuilt emerge from Carnforth a few years from now badged up as something else, as is their way.

I've never quite been able to label 34073 as a no-hoper despite the general direction of travel.

 

Out of morbid curiosity do you have a link to the photos?

 

I would've thought that any steam loco would have a greater value being sold for restoration/static display than the scrap value.

 

Depends how much is available. 34073 donated its boiler to 34067 in this cycle apparently. All the pictures I've seen have been little more than boiler and frames anyway.

 

Didn't someone say recently that 34073 had regained a boiler (presumably the one previously on Bodmin)?

 

The boiler was the one off of Tangmere, so i wouldn't think its been cut up, because of the spares, it could provide for Tangmere, and possibly Bodmin, besides i don't think its owned by West coast 34073 was privately owned.

 

Imagine if you cut up a set of frames only to need a set in a few years for Tangmere to have issues and need frame replacement......

 

The photos were on the wnxx site a few weeks ago. They've been showing pictures as and when locos and stock are being scrapped.

 

34016,34067 and 35018 were privately owned too …

 

You would have a new set cut. Not in fact a huge job, thought setting up absolutely is. The question is what would create that circumstance. It is pretty unlikely.

 

Just out of interest, how prone were the Bulleid Pacifics to frame fractures? I've read about fracturing on LMS classes, and on the LNER A3s. I've not seen a lot regarding the Southern Pacifics though...

Richard.

 

I think the definitive answer would be in the record cards, but anecdotally, in all the reams of commentary about them (and they have probably been dissected more than almost any other class of loco) I can't recall frame issues being mentioned. The one caution to that is that, in mainline service, they generally only ran about 20 years - 25 maximum, so since frame problems are often mileage related, they had rather less opportunity than, say, a Gresley pacific to get to the point where frame issues might have started to occur.

Tom