Bulleid Pacifics - Past or Present

An absolute beauty, indeed. Looks to have been pretty smooth work getting the tender attached, too. Well done, so far! Won't be long before the Valley resounds to some Bulleid chatter and a middle c whistle once again!

 

All credit to the SVR for tidying up the rat's nest behind the boilerhouse that move would not have been possible before the clean up, looks much better.

Congratulations to SLL for a very fine job SKP looks superb, an object lesson to the dismal jimmies who say no to restoring wrecks, and this one looked really sad at one time.
Great job lads.

Cheers Dave

 

The loco sure does look good and be great addition to the SVR fleet hope to see it in service soon. I am assuming mainly weekends going to be the best time to see it in service.

 

Changing the subject slightly ,I see in one of the mags that 35018 is now at Carnforth to be finished off and returned to the main line , so is it now owned by West Coast ? it was reported as having been sold quite some time back , so in the future we could very well see 4 merchants on the main line , how nice would that be to get 35028 and 35018 side by side against the stops at waterloo in a couple of years time on a certain july date. having worked trains in from Weymouth and Salisbury arriving with in minutes of each other , all thats needed then is one of the panniers to act as ecs mover back to southall or stewarts lane

 

Perhaps you should have a word with Marcus Robertson and Graeme Bunker!

Something like this happened once before IIRC involving 35028 and 30053.

Edit: It was march 1995 and here is the evidence:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=23be-efJWY0

 

Nice idea Martin to see 35028 and 35018 at Waterloo station in the future. Does anyone know when 35028 main line ticket expires. I would think all the work done on 35018 at the MHR would now need doing again. Is there enough time left on 35028 main line ticket to allow this idea of Martins to become possible?

I did hear from a Bluebell member once 35028 mainlline ticket expires she would leave her mainline adventures behind and see her days out on the Bluebell Railway.

 

I too was told this sometime ago Lee with someone connected with the Bluebell. And others have told me that is ludicrous. I am inclined to agree with the majority of Clanline NOT spending the end of her ticket at a preserved railway. The MNLPS surely wouldn't give Clanline up and surely look towards her next overhaul? (I for one would see her or any other Merchant a waste of time at the Bluebell)

 

Really? That would be amazing. 35028 is a loco thats close to my heart after I had her on my first railtour behind her and to have her on the Bluebell would be great especially when paired with 34059 and 21C123. Although the Bluebell did have 35027 (my Dads favourite loco even though he isn't into steam locos like myself) which I don't know why she left. Sadly I'm not sure if it is true about 35028.

I think she returned in 2006 so would have been due out of service in 2013 assuming she had a 7 year Mainlinbe ticket but looking at the MNLPS it says she recieved an intermediate overhaul last year and that she was given another 5 year ticket so she should be in steam until 2016 I'd have thought. Should be enough time to have 35018 ready should Martin's idea come to life (I think its a great idea).

 

Mixed feelings about 35028 if she did go to the Bluebell. Would be such a shame to see the loco just trundling along at 25 mph rather than 75 mph on the mainline, however the bonus would be matching the loco with the Bluebell's excellent Bulleid carriage set and a potential double-header with 34059.

 

I would be very surprised if 35028 came off the mainline, i would guess she is the first choice steam loco for VSOE, and the owning group keep her in very good mechanical condition ,Injectors apart she seemed to never break down but i guess that at some stage she will need major boiler work which will keep her out for a while, so a spell at a mainline connected heritage line to bed everything in might be a good thing as long as she returns to the mainline

 

She seems to have survived perfectly well at Stewart's Lane up 'til now, I don't see why the MNLPS would want to change a clearly winning formula.

 

Exactly, she has regular work and a team of volunteers that keep her running like a Swiss watch and turn her out looking like a work of art, less like a steam loco!

P.S. Jamie, she's based at Stewarts Lane along with the VSOE stock, just over the river from Victoria. Another part of the winning formula, minimal ECS mileage!

 

Thanks Matt, London isn't my strong point! Post amended.

 

But you were close as 35028 was based at Southall I think up until the late 90's/early 00's as was I think 34027.

 

The great thing about Stewarts Lane is that 35028 was based there during the 1950s, when a certain R. H. N. ("Dick") Hardy was there. So its pretty much at home...

 

Smoke has been seen rising from SKP's chimney at Bridgnorth according to Twitter

Paul

 

Correct. First warming fire put in at 5.28pm. I'd just finished my training shift in the 'box and took a wander over the bridge to see what was going on.

 

Excellent! I hope it goes well.

 

So does the first warming fire mean there is movement in the next few days to test things?

 

I don't know, and wouldn't like to speculate. What I do know is that the SLL and SVR boys will take things very slowly and carefully and safely.