If you register, you can do a lot more. And become an active part of our growing community. You'll have access to hidden forums, and enjoy the ability of replying and starting conversations.

Bulleid Pacifics - Past or Present

Discussion in 'Steam Traction' started by 34007, May 13, 2008.

  1. Big Al

    Big Al Nat Pres stalwart Staff Member Moderator

    Joined:
    May 30, 2009
    Messages:
    21,063
    Likes Received:
    20,773
    Location:
    1016
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    No I do not currently volunteer
    That's a question for which there is no 21st Century answer.

    Carnforth is a 'Stanier expert' set up that can also turn its hand to other engineering solutions. But I don't believe it is arrogant enough to think it knows all that's necessary with locos of other regions even though it does work with whatever comes its way.

    I guess the same is true of loco crews. That said, one of the drivers I alluded to up thread was not an ex Southern man so loco specific skills can be picked up.

    Crews will possibly know the answer but I would have thought that a combination of loco specific knowledge with detailed route knowledge is the ideal mix. The Carnforth crews are experts on the Fells and it shows.
     
  2. 21B

    21B Part of the furniture

    Joined:
    Sep 2, 2009
    Messages:
    2,944
    Likes Received:
    6,303
    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.
     
    green five, MellishR, Chris86 and 3 others like this.
  3. Gladiator 5076

    Gladiator 5076 Part of the furniture

    Joined:
    Oct 2, 2015
    Messages:
    6,074
    Likes Received:
    4,889
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    Swanage
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    No I do not currently volunteer
    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.
     
  4. Matt37401

    Matt37401 Nat Pres stalwart

    Joined:
    Jun 8, 2014
    Messages:
    15,326
    Likes Received:
    11,663
    Occupation:
    Nosy aren’t you?
    Location:
    Nowhere
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    No I do not currently volunteer
    34072 was Mainline very briefly quite some years ago I believe.
     
  5. green five

    green five Resident of Nat Pres

    Joined:
    Apr 30, 2006
    Messages:
    6,595
    Likes Received:
    2,242
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    Hampshire
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    No I do not currently volunteer
    34072 ventured on to the national network in 1990:


    Sent from my XQ-BT52 using Tapatalk
     
    mgl likes this.
  6. green five

    green five Resident of Nat Pres

    Joined:
    Apr 30, 2006
    Messages:
    6,595
    Likes Received:
    2,242
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    Hampshire
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    No I do not currently volunteer
    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:





    Sent from my XQ-BT52 using Tapatalk
     
  7. bristolian

    bristolian Member

    Joined:
    Jul 25, 2005
    Messages:
    399
    Likes Received:
    123
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    Huntingdon. Formerly from Bristol.
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    No I do not currently volunteer
    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?.
     
  8. DismalChips

    DismalChips Member

    Joined:
    Apr 11, 2016
    Messages:
    636
    Likes Received:
    657
    Location:
    9A
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    No I do not currently volunteer
    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.
     
    Mrcow likes this.
  9. Mrcow

    Mrcow Member

    Joined:
    Jun 30, 2019
    Messages:
    244
    Likes Received:
    543
    Gender:
    Female
    Location:
    Sheffield
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    Yes I am an active volunteer
    Out of morbid curiosity do you have a link to the photos?
     
  10. ghost

    ghost Part of the furniture

    Joined:
    May 29, 2006
    Messages:
    3,967
    Likes Received:
    5,064
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    N.Ireland
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    Yes I am an active volunteer
    I would've thought that any steam loco would have a greater value being sold for restoration/static display than the scrap value.
     
    Johnme101 likes this.
  11. Big Al

    Big Al Nat Pres stalwart Staff Member Moderator

    Joined:
    May 30, 2009
    Messages:
    21,063
    Likes Received:
    20,773
    Location:
    1016
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    No I do not currently volunteer
    I find it hard to imagine that West Coast would see any value in bringing an unrebuilt back into life. One is enough and the ability to manage an air braked train (34067) ticks the only box they are realistically interested in. The clue is their larger Southern 8P that gave them a bit more power but even so, they didn't see the need for air brake capability.

    As for 34073 I think I will have to content myself with the run behind it on the 1 pm ex Waterloo. Woking to Andover in 43 min for the 42 miles with 11 on. So it could hurry along..... once.
     
  12. Paul Grant

    Paul Grant Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Oct 6, 2010
    Messages:
    1,188
    Likes Received:
    988
    Location:
    Fife
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    No I do not currently volunteer
    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.
     
  13. Dan Hill

    Dan Hill Part of the furniture

    Joined:
    Aug 1, 2008
    Messages:
    2,575
    Likes Received:
    545
    Gender:
    Male
    Occupation:
    Brick Machine Operator
    Location:
    Haywards Heath
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    No I do not currently volunteer
    Didn't someone say recently that 34073 had regained a boiler (presumably the one previously on Bodmin)?
     
    ilvaporista likes this.
  14. martin1656

    martin1656 Nat Pres stalwart Friend

    Joined:
    Dec 8, 2014
    Messages:
    17,609
    Likes Received:
    11,222
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    St Leonards
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    No I do not currently volunteer
    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.
     
  15. Hurricane

    Hurricane Member

    Joined:
    Nov 1, 2013
    Messages:
    823
    Likes Received:
    307
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    71A
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    Yes I am an active volunteer
    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......
     
  16. bristolian

    bristolian Member

    Joined:
    Jul 25, 2005
    Messages:
    399
    Likes Received:
    123
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    Huntingdon. Formerly from Bristol.
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    No I do not currently volunteer
    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.
     
  17. D7076

    D7076 Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Dec 21, 2007
    Messages:
    1,401
    Likes Received:
    484
    34016,34067 and 35018 were privately owned too …
     
  18. 21B

    21B Part of the furniture

    Joined:
    Sep 2, 2009
    Messages:
    2,944
    Likes Received:
    6,303
    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.
     
  19. Richard Roper

    Richard Roper Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    May 22, 2006
    Messages:
    1,310
    Likes Received:
    1,355
    Gender:
    Male
    Occupation:
    Librarian
    Location:
    Just up the road from 56E Sowerby Bridge
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    No I do not currently volunteer
    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.
     
  20. Jamessquared

    Jamessquared Nat Pres stalwart

    Joined:
    Mar 8, 2008
    Messages:
    26,099
    Likes Received:
    57,414
    Location:
    LBSC 215
    Heritage Railway Volunteer:
    Yes I am an active volunteer
    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
     
    Richard Roper likes this.

Share This Page