Sir Keith Park

Depends if you need tea to help with reading the weighbridge screen... then surely "upstairs" !!

Back on-topic, lets hope the visitors for next weekend's "Peep behind the scenes" have a surprise at Bridgnorth, even if SKP is just "pottering"!

 

Just one last digression - I can understand wanting to keep the locking room closed up as much as possible, so having the gubbins upstairs makes sense. More than one key floating around for a locking room could feasibly lead to trouble. The other thing is that if the operator of the gubbins needs to see what is going on he won't get a great view from the locking room!

 

SKP was under more tests today but had to return to the sheds because of a hot crosshead according to the SVR twitter feed
nxajxxnj

 

Southern Locomotives Ltd | Latest News July update

"As expected various glitches were found during the preparation and testing of Sir Keith Park since its arrival at the Severn Valley Railway, some quite minor and one potentially more serious. We haven't commented on this hitherto as, frankly, we didn't know things were going to pan out. However on Friday 13th July, at 13:00, Sir Keith Park passed its final steam test, and started moving under its own steam for the first time since 1965. The next step is running-in which will doubtless throw up some more glitches though we can now be optimistic that the loco will enter regular service within a few weeks".

Patrick

 

Great news - it will have been worth the wait.!

 

Its been 47 years, a few more weeks to make it perfect wont hurt.

 

34053 moving under own power - 34053 Sir Keith Park on test at Bridgnorth 17.07.12 Severn Valley Railway - YouTube

 

34053 was found to have a hot crosshead on returning from a LE trip to Hampton Loade. Easy to fix, and something else ticked off the list. Getting nearer.

 

Was this today, or earlier in the week?

 

The hot crosshead was discovered on Tuesday.

 

Thank you Andy2857.

 

34053 did a light engine run last night to Kidderminster and was out this morning as well. Looking good

 

According SVR Twitter, 34053 worked 14.55 Bridgnorth - Kiddy service train today! Well done everyone.

Edit - @svrbridgnoth - "34053 Sir Keith Park and GWR Panner 3650 on a nose-to-nose double-header on our 2.55 dep today. Good luck both!"

 

'Working' is more correct here, it still hasn't arrived at kiddy

 

Oops. Only said delayed on Twitter, not the severity of the delay. Should've left Kiddy 10 mins ago. Still, double headed steam on SVR for the first time in a long while!

 

Arrived about 55 mins late, but worth the wait.

 

55 minutes late after waiting 47 years to haul a passenger train ,certainly worth the wait. I hope he/she is a crowd puller in the future .

 

Yes, a long time coming, but most definitely worth the wait, certainly when you consider the condition it was in when the SLL took it under their wing.

As for pertaining to the subject of identification of the locomotive's gender, with some it is debatable, but I would say 34053 is most definitely a HE with it having a male's name.

 

Ah, but to quote comedian Mark Williams on the footplate of 5051 when filming 'On the Rails' in 2003, "...so 'Earl Bathurst' is a bird"...

 

All steam locomotives are classed as 'she' regardless of the name.