1014 - County of Glamorgan

Didcot had a shuffle around of engines in the works this past week. This loco emerged into daylight for a few hours.

 

That Jocko’s a cracker.

 

Think the new County looks absolutely amazing, well done Didcot for such an imaginative project. Hopefully they will have a double heading photo charter with the Night Owl soon

 

I don't mind the Counties, I think they look purposeful. But County of Frankensteinshire Hall is no County, no matter what numberplate sits on the smokebox door. I'd have had more interest if the boiler & firebox hadn't been cobbled together as a half-arsed lookie-likie instead of the real McCoy.

Richard.

 

Fantastic! Thank you so much for sharing this photo Lord Belborough !

Knut

 

We've all rambled on about the pros and cons of these mix and match projects, but how is the County relevant to the subject of this thread.
Edit: Now in this (new) thread: OK here.

 

Because the way the County and Night Owl will compliment each other will be marvellous.

 

Not at all. I thought the objective of a discussion forum was to debate differing views rather than a group think agreement with a single opinion? Outside the Natpres bubble there is stacks of people who support the recreations of lost classes. Despite what you would think if you only got your news here, when the County first runs there will be a massive scrum of photographers pointing there cameras at it and stacks of people wanting to ride behind it.

 

I’m not one of those ‘stacks of people’ wanting to ride behind it, I really wasn’t that excited about seeing 2999 last summer… the GWS has lost a lot of my respect the last year or so.

 

The comment might have been to inflame or it is relevant to 7027, how so? Well its a grand GWR tradition to recycle parts of old engines into ''Renewals'' There are plenty of examples. The WSR has continued this far sighted policy with the rebirth of a
2 6 2t into a 2 6 0 number 9351. I suppose it might be jealousy provoked by the huge number of GWR locomotives that made it to Barry that such anti GWR feelings surface. That and the standardisation of parts make Renewals an attractive proposition. I think l counted five different class numbers stamped on an axlebox for 1014. So the increasingly likely use of the Castle boiler for 4709 is not only hugely less expensive than creating new, it is also in the GWR tradition. I saw 7027s boiler unsheeted and chimney less out in the open in September. It deserves better than that.

 

That's the beauty of free thinking. One man's meat is another man's poison. Maybe a recreation Star would be more to your taste?

 

Not really.
47840 already exists, as does 4003, That’s plenty.

 

Who can I complain to about this thread. I posted this photo in the 7027 Thornbury Castle thread. At no time did I use the words "kit bashing". I'm very proud of what Didcot/GWS has done. Please rename as 1014 County of Glamorgan or delete the thread completely.

 

Thankfully I've worked out how do to this. In future can moderators not make titles up to suit their own needs!

 

It was needed at short notice by MHR ( it's been discussed elsewhere why they may be short of motive power) for their Santa Specials even though it was meant to be in the Didcot workshops for some work. It's performed very well and will be returning to Didcot for some TLC later this month. No big drama!

 

I'm sorry Mr Sidmouth but questioning my sobriety because I hold an opinion that is different to yours is poor form. Apart from a brief tipple of sherry after Evensong with the vicar I rarely touch the stuff...

To all intense purposes the recreated County, Grange, Night Owl, Saint and possibly Star will be exactly that. Recreations that have used some new components and some salvaged from long dead machines all of which have multiple representatives in preservation. To be fairly realistic a loco withdrawn 60 years ago and hasn't been reinstated back to working order is now unlikely to be so now. 99% of people who ride behind the Frankenstein machines as they are referred to here simply won't care where some of the bits have come from.

After all the wailing, threats and complaints mainly directed towards me when Thornbury Castle was bagged by Didcot, and then all the demands for it to be plucked to safety what actually has happened? Is there now a huge next egg ready to purchase it from Dick Dastedley and his gang and then the engineers ready to work on it, or is it (more likely) the fund is at £9.50 and a family bag of monster munch?

Think Didcot have called everyone's bluff with th six month deadline...

 

That is one point of view, but it presupposes that all those locos could ever have had any better uses. Their prospects for being restored in their own right were very remote.