Steam engines available for traffic in 2014

Briefly interrupting, the BR Standards are fairly easy to track down. As I see it.

46 Total (not including 72010, 82045, or the ‘standard austerities’).
14 In service
16 Overhaul/Restoration/Type conversion in progress.
14 Stored awaiting overhaul
2 Permanent static display (92240 and 92245).

I’ve counted 73050 as still in service (just) but 71000 as an overhaul .

If nobody else is on the case I might have a go at the LMS, if only because most of them are in the Engine House at Highley at the moment. It would be good to hear from our LNER correspondents on how many of theirs still work, if they can spare the time from telling us how much faster they used to be than everyone else!

Please carry on...

 

Interesting, that's 31% currently serviceable - to all intents and purposes the same proportion as SR and GWR locos.

Incidentally, I'd classify 92240 as awaiting overhaul - I assume you meant 92220 as permanent static display?

Tom

 

Sorry, yes I did mean 92220. Typo.

 

If it's downhill, all the way. And further. Need to specify gradients to get a better idea.

 

Yes when makes other innocent people look stupid. Just because it didn't affect you.

 

Are you now seriously suggesting that this was all one well considered and executed joke at the expense of your contributors. The very same people who's hits ensure this site makes money for those who run it- probably best let the matter rest.

Back on track: Robin. I am not sure why under the BR standards, 82045 and 72010 are not included in the "Under Restoration/Overhaul" - new build category. They are likely to steam long before many under other categories, and their inclusion would give a more complete data set. On the basis of completed frame construction, it could be assumed they already exist.

 

Well said Neil

 

Oh dear.

 

Oh god! I'm thick again, spelt it wrong & the spellchecker didn't pick up on it.

misdemeanors!

 

Indeed, because the frames exist I count both on my own personal "have i seen it yet" list, and I look forward to seeing both up and running soon. I called it the 2014 Census, but it's really a quick and dirty look at the current situation in response OP's original question which in fact was only "how many are currently in service", not "what state are the rest in". Nobody set any rules for doing it, so I've no idea at the most detailed level whether Tom included Beachy Head in his numbers for example, or if Jimc included pre-GWR company locos like OW&W34 (now there's one which will never steam!). Just a bit of fun to while away a wet afternoon really - happy to present such data as we can find in whatever format is preferred.

On which subject, I make the LMS (including pre-incorporation companies) in your preferred format:
106 Total
29 In service
25 Overhaul / New build (45551)
25 Stored awaiting overhaul
25 Museums
2 Donor locos (assuming the frame for 48518 is still around).

Since Tom mentioned he'd gone back as far as Invicta, I've done the same for the LMS so Museum exhibits include all sorts of oldies - Rocket, Columbine, Lion, Cecil Raikes et al. At the newer end it also includes City of Birmingham - that's my judgment, I know there are many who would like it classed as Stored awaiting overhaul!

 

I didn't include absorbed locos by and large.
There might be some mileage in having a database of preserved locos as part of this forum which can be updated in a crowd source type manner. I'll pm a Mod...

 

Alright, fair play, I did think of that but asked for it anyway. Let's assume level track!

 

I included any surviving steam engine previously owned by the SER, SECR, LSWR, LBSCR or SR, plus locos built to SR designs by BR, wherever they are in the world.

As such my list includes:

- C&W "Invicta"
- The four original surviving USA tanks on the Bluebell, KESR and KWVR
- All the MNs / WCs etc, including those after 34070 and 35020 that entered service after 1947
- Terrier "Waddon" currently in Canada

It doesn't include:

- Beachy Head new build nor any of the narrow gauge L&B new builds
- Any of the USA-type tanks subsequently imported from Yugoslavia (fictitious 30075 etc)
- Any locos built to non-SR designs in the SR workshops (I'm thinking e.g. Stanier 8Fs - not sure if any of the SR-built ones survive, but I didn't include any in any case).
- Any industrial locos that spent their time connected with railways in Southern England but which weren't at some point owned by the mainline companies (i.e. Baxter, Sharpthorne etc).

Tom

 

Thanks Tom. I work along very similar lines and my SR list in total came within 1 of your total. I wouldn't have included Waddon, as not being in the UK, in the same way as I have included the re-imported Turkish 8Fs, but not the ones still overseas, in the LMS numbers (with some overseas 8F's its rapidly becoming a moot point whether they exist or not).

I too classify locos like 30075 as "Imported" rather than SR, as I would classify USATCs and Cockerills as Imported rather than Austerity or Industrial. On that basis there are 27 imported standard gauge locos around - more than half the number of surviving BR Standards which might come surprise.

Robin

 

There's no shortage of starting points, there are a number of places mentioned in this thread where lists have been compiled. The challenge is working out how to keep the data updated, current and reliable, not to mention presented in an understandable manner. But once you've worked out how you can maintain and present the data, sure all those sources will be valuable starting points.

 

Not forgetting another starting point and my own first port of call, uklocos.com. Very useful as a search engine; the owner does an excellent job of updating it at least monthly with reported sightings, location changes and so on.

Whether we could design and maintain a flat file database that would bring anything to the party is certainly worth discussing, but we need to be sure that it will before proceeding otherwise we will just add another partially complete list. In my wilder moments, I think that what we really need is a dedicated wiki site called "steamwiki" or "wikisteam" or whatever (no I'm not volunteering to set it up or run it!).

 

A bit OT, but a few thoughts. As I understand it, in essence the fireless steam loco and standard loco work the same way. In one case you start with cold water and use coal on the loco to turn that into superheated water. In the other case you do the heating externally and store all the superheated water before you start. In both cases you convert the superheated water to steam as required. In both cases, how much use you can get before you have to replenish the water depends on how much you start with (in the case of the loco mentioned before (an 0-4-0) the BRC stockbook mentions 160 psi and 15,300 lbs tractive effort, but unfortunately not the tank capacity).

The fireless loco has the advantage that it does not blow off excess steam, because you do not have to balance the rate at which you superheat the water with the rate at which you use the steam. That made them quite efficient in their main role of shunting, particularly if it involved intermittent pauses between moves. Also, if you do run low on water you may come to an embarrassing stop but you don't melt fusible plugs and generally damage the boiler. However I'm sure normal steam locos have a host of other advantages...

Fireless steam locos come in all shapes and sizes (Wikipedia even mentions an 0-10-0 example!). So I don't think there's an absolute answer to the question posed, you can only say "probably about the same distance as the fired equivalent using the same amount of water, all other things being equal."

Back loosely on topic, Wikipedia also suggests ARPG are working on restoring one for operational use; if so I may have been a bit hasty in my earlier judgement that none are under overhaul!