5668 to follow 4253 to KESR

If you had ridden the West Somerset in the days of the ex-Longbridge Bagnall saddle tanks, you could cope with anything in the way of lively rides! But I do miss them.

 

Fireline-my opinion and that only- I would say that there is a possibility that DS 238 will be out ahead of No 25. There could well be a period which sees all 3 Hunslets out of ticket - for a while anyhow.

 

Right. Now the big question. Any chance of the class 25 beating either of them...................?

 

What about 68078? Is that still destined for the KESR?

 

There is no agreement or projection as far as is aware.

 

Now come on Fireline- you know it works-it did for Gervase!

 

The "if Colonel Stephens was alive he would have..........." is always barking up the wrong tree. There's no way there'd be a single steam loco left on the line. I think he would most likely have purchased a couple of Hastings DEMUs at £1 a pop and supplemented with a few industrial cast off diesels. He was a businessman doing the job in the cheapest way possible, never an enthusiast or operator of a tourist railway. He wouldn't undertake expensive overhauls on old steam locos, take No 5 Rolvenden as an example! If he was alive today he'd be carting the steam locos off for scrap, pocketing most of the cash and buying the cheapest available stock he could get his hands on.

 

Don't want to see the steam fleet binned obviously, but love the idea of a DEMU or two on the KESR! Was great having the Hastings unit there in the early 1990s, sounded stunning up Tenterden bank.

 

Yet the Hastings set was not popular with many visitors, apparently due it being too like main line stock at that time. Hey ho!

 

Yes I remember during the gala many passengers refused to board the DEMU sat in the station at Northiam and opted to stand in the pouring down rain for about 20 minutes for the next steam hauled service to arrive.

 

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Almost. 5668 herself is NOT a source of spares. There is a large collection of parts included that can be used to keep the other engines going, or get them going.

 

It was mentioned upthread that the Norwegian loco is nearly ready. Are there any photos online of the overhaul?

 

I think there are no photos of the overhaul, full stop. In order to get into Rolvenden shed these days, even as a KESR volunteer, you need written permission in triplicate from the head of MI5. Anyone entering without permission is likely to be taken out and sold 4253 shares.

 

So that's how you're getting people into all these GWR engines; conscription! :lol:

 

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Hey, that's a novel fundraising strategy. The Directors deliberately propose something they know will be so unpopular that the membership rise up in revolt and lavishly fund the complete opposite, which of course was what the Directors secretly wanted all along. I wonder if the SVR Directors have been taking notes... (Ducks and runs for cover!)

Tom

 

Has any thought been given to converting the austerities from tank to tender engines perhaps a more tasteful version of the Maureen to Douglas one done at the mid hants many years ago? Whilst not everyones cup of tea it would solve the coal and water capacity issues a tank engine has on an extended line whilst keeping a rugged and relatively simple loco.

 

So would you advocate doing this to the KESR's USA tank 65 which doesn't hold enough coal for a days running at Embsay? I think not.

The length of the wheelbase on an austerity will always make it look an odd tender loco. The Maureen conversion as you say was a real tacky looking job, a decent chimney could have helped it a lot. If you loose adhesion weight and then add it to the hauled weight by way of a tender you must be looseing at least one mark 1 from the train length such a loco can haul. Since when has water and coal capacity on an Austerity been an issue? The NYMR ran Antwerp on 6 coach trains over 18 miles day in and day out don't forget.