Remaining Ex Barry locomotives?

I have seen reports of minor work being carried out on 6984, but since these were in a 'members only' Facebook group, I suppose that doesn't count as publicly available.

 

92219 is definitely being worked on, currently being stripped down, piston and valve covers, slide bars, smoke box rivets etc.

 

Apologies for the thread bump, but Steam Railway had a really good set of pieces in the latest issue covering the current state of the remaining ex-Barry locos. I was quite surprised to learn how close 5539 reportedly is to completion to the point where they said there's a chance it steams by the end of the year. Each one got an update, though they did highlight the cases where a loco was last reported to be under restoration, but they couldn't get any recent information from their owners.

 

great to see another 55xx return to steam especially with the surviving examples achieving their centenary in 2027. I wonder if there will be a special event to mark this somewhere next year?

 

Next one's to return are 4253 (K&ESR) & 4150 (SVR) I believe - not sure what's following those two?

 

4253, 4150, 5539 and 5532 are all on the home straight or heading to the home straight. After them, less clear what will steam next. 5538, 9629 and 35009 are all being worked on in commercial workshops by owners of said workshops but probably not at the speed of the commercial jobs. 7200 and 7202 are claimed to be only a year away and feel like they have been for years. SLL have three Barry condition Bulleids under active restoration with a deadline planned for one. 75079 looked like a decent contender but Steam reports 2028.

Edit: forgot 45163 which is moving at a decent pace.

 

I had a look at 7202 on Monday. It will be a long "year"! I don't like criticising voluntary activities but the state of Didcot's loco workshop wouldn't encourage me to work there.

 

Also the 76077 is coming along nicely, a couple of years away only.

 

Does the Bluebell still have an unrestored BR4 tank engine?

 

Yes 80100.

 

Untouched since arriving at the Bluebell according to the article.

 

Prime opportunity for a wealthy benefactor there ......

 

Assuming, of course, that whoever owns it wants/is prepared to sell!

 

I didn't mention selling it, I said "benefactor". That could include another person or organisation taking it on without ownership necessarily changing. I believe 80100 is owned by the Bluebell Railway itself, it wouldn't be surprising if they've received enquiries or offers in the past but obviously nothing persuasive.

 

There's a list of Barry restorations out there but I'd struggle to guess what order they might complete and when? There's also a few that have gone really quiet - 3814 for instance? Then there's 45163 which is now under the wing of Ian Riley I seem to recall?

45491 was going to get sold or scrapped but not seen any more recent news? I'd gamble that 34010 will be the next "new" one from SLL at Herston but not for some time yet.

The kit of parts that is 1014 County of Glamorgan (7927/48518 etc) might be a contender?

Then there's still J94 68078 as a non-Barry engine that doesn't get talked about since announced in the Railway press that it would be completed by last year?

 

80100 is owned by the Bluebell Railway plc. For a long time it was being held because an 80000 tank is considered an important preservation objective for the Railway (being a type closely associated with last years of the line before preservation) and the other two such locos on the line were owned by private groups. That position may have changed over time, since although 80064 has moved away, 80151 - while still technically owned by an external group - now has 90% of that group's shares owned by the Bluebell Railway Trust.

I suspect nonetheless there will be a desire to hold onto it and restore it, though probably not until after 78059 / 84030 is completed. That loco, while still a way off, is nearer the end than the beginning of its restoration.

I believe the list of Barry locos restored, wholly or substantially, by the Bluebell or Bluebell-affiliated groups is

- 1638 (Maunsell U)
- 1618 (Maunsell U)
- 847 (Maunsell S15)
- 541 (Maunsell Q)
- 34059 (Bulleid BoB pacific)
- 92240 (9F)
- 80151 (BR Std 4 tank)
- 73082 (BR Std 5)

with 84030 substantially restored / rebuilt.

Add in a new build (32424) and No. 65 (which, while not a Barry survivor, was probably in worse condition than many of the early Barry locos when it arrived on the railway) and it is not a bad record of restoration.

Tom

 

It surprises me that none of the three surviving GWR 72XX locos have ever steamed since leaving Barry. It's over 50 years since the first (7202) left there. I'd have thought that they would be useful locos on the longer heritage lines.

 

On 45491, the latest press reports state that GCR received a satisfactory offer for the loco but the owner is naturally contending the Company's contractual legitimacy so the matter is due to be formally arbitrated in the near future.
As to 68078, you could add '77 to that as well, steamed once at KWVR upon purchase ex NCB then sold after a long period in storage at Oxenhope to a group based at Spa Valley who have probably had it now longer than KWVR did .....

 

Speaking from a fireman's perspective, the fewer 42/52/72 tanks are available to blight a generally enjoyable experience the better ......
They're not great to work on Steve, albeit they do steam well and can of course pull any load up any hill with ease.
I never had the pleasure of a 56xx though for comparative purposes.