Current and Proposed New-Builds

We still have one, but I doubt CSRM would let 4294 out.

 

For no other reason than curiosity, did Betton Grange "beat" the H2 Atlantic into service (noting the glitch at the end of the Grange build)?

What do we think will be next?

I'm going to put my metaphorical tenner on the G5 (hey, if I predict it often enough it will come true...), but I'd have to worry about the Standard 3 coming up on the rail

 

First traffic days for the H2 (pulling actual passengers, rather than just test runs and running in):

August 18 - gala launch for key project supporters
August 23 - public launch for fare-paying passengers

Open to correction, but I think Betton Grange’s first day in revenue traffic was 25 May at the GWSR. @flying scotsman123 probably knows. So the Grange got their first.

Tom

 

Betton Grange is a lovely engine but not one I deem to be a 'New Build' as such, more of a 'kit bash' in the nicest sense of course.

In terms of next 'New Build' I think 82045 is best candidate with 1014 at Didcot the next Kit perhaps?

 

The H2 does of course have its own tender. The grange does not.

 

Wonder if Cogan Hall will ever get restored to working order?

 

The next batch of new builds will probably all hit at a similar time.

It will be between 82045, 5551, P2, gwr county maybe? Did the G5 ever manage to sort out the crank axle that was causing them issues in finding a supplier to make it?

 

The most recent bit about that sort of thing on the website says

"The crank-axle, two tyres and wheel have been collected from the unit and have started their journey to Buckfastleigh, Devon"

So unless something else has gone wrong, that sounds positive.

How is the Patriot doing?

 

If I were a betting man, my money would be on 82045 - they seem to have a stable set up attached to a major heritage railway, which is a massive help (and will be a massive help in the transition from "project" to "operations"); their funding appears to be able to keep pace with the rate they can do engineering; in construction terms they have most of a rolling chassis, a lot of the plate work (cab, tanks, bunker etc) and are well advanced on the boiler - so many of the major items exist, or are coming together - and they don't seem to have been beset by any major QA problems requiring work to be redone, a benefit I think of in-house assembly. (Which in turn suggests to me that there is a low probability of some left-field engineering problem emerging in the future that causes a major set back).

I wouldn't write off the P2 being in the running for next to emerge, but even if they were firing on all cylinders as a group (and the suggestion is that maybe they aren't) it's a hell of a big project with a lot remaining to be done, including one area - the valve gear - that presents considerable design risk (= timescale risk, since that is what we are discussing).

Tom

 

Yes, the things that seem to slow projects down are unexpected engineering issues (rather by definiton, as if you expected them they would have been programmed for, but the clan, the patriot and the P2 have all had similar product issues), and the fiddly bits, joining all the big bits up seems harder than getting the big bits.

 

It does strike me odd in the scheme of things that the P2 cylinder block, albeit a hybrid one has been brought to near completion yet the valve gear that actuates it is still on the drawing board and still needs to be worked out via models. Now i cant see why the valve gear would not work, or why it would not interface with its intended recipient but surely the right time to work that through was before the block was signed off and whilst the CME was still with us. In the very unfortunate event that a plan B is required making alterations to the block whilst a lot simpler than with a casting, are still fraught with unwelcome possibilities...

 

Other than the boiler which I believe 6880 has borrowed from Cogan Hall, what else is there of substance on the Grange that isn't it's own? Yes it's borrowing Foxcote Manor's tender for the moment but it's own one is being built, and given the amount of tender swaps that happen I wouldn't count that against it. Plus, Beachy Head doesn't have a brand new boiler but a GNR C1 boiler which is pressured to a lower operating pressure than the original Beachy Head would have been in the 50s. From that perspective I would say 6880 is actually a more accurate new build because it has the right boiler at the right pressure, not a close match

 

I'm pretty sure that 6880's boiler came from 7927 but the bogie was 'borrowed' from Cogan Hall.
Ray.

 

That's right. I understand that Cogan Hall will be restored at some stage. Betton Grange will have its own tender, which is currently being built/rebuilt at Tyseley as far as I know.

 

Weren't the wheel originally those on 7325?

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In which case you could argue 6880 is even more authentically a Grange as the original 80 all took wheels, valve gear and tenders from withdrawn 4300s!

 

Ah, but Beachy Head has the regulator handle and whistle from the original, so as we know from our colleagues in Spitfire restoration, this counts as a rebuild rather than a new build… ;-)


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I'm slightly confused whether we were debating New Build criteria or authenticity? 6880 is most certainly an authentic GWR locomotive but apart from plate work, I think only the Frames & cylinders are new as opposed to recycled GW components from multiple donors. 2999 is in similar situation with some new components amongst majority recycled. 32424 however, excluding boiler and a few bit and pieces tender-wise, is more new that old.

 

No, they were going to use those, but then when being tested there were issues and at the time 6880 was planning to go mainline, so swapped the wheelsets with 5199. So 6880 now runs with 5199, and 5199 has 7325.

 

It should start to make really good progress from now on visually. We obviously had a period of no work taking place on the chassis after prclt stopped the contract work, finding a new contractor, and then waiting for Tyseley to then have space for us to "move in". All of that has now happened and Tyseley have agreed a joint plan for the way forward and this starts with the cylinders that have literally just been finished by Rileys. The replacement driving wheels are due to be completed soon as well, which gives us most parts to really crack on with the chassis (not sure off the top of my head what we are actually missing tbh)

Meanwhile over at HBSS work has been taking place on the boiler. This has been doing really well, we have just place the order for our small tubes, and i believe the plan is still for the boiler to be completed next year (minus the start of the cert obviously)

One part that has never let 5551 down is the fundraising and this is still the case. We have had an excellent start to the 2024/25 financial year giving us very good reserves.

While we haven't been as active on the publicity side, things are very positive within.