48624

Think we'll have to agree to disagree there given the austerity of Paignton & Goodrington, colour light signals etc, Paignton IMO is a business, albeit a very successful one.

 

The video certainly makes it look like one side is finished, but the other side isn't yet. The tender looks to be in undercoat, and the loco not lined out on that side. But no-one is pretending that it is finished yet.

Personally, I like it. It reflects what will be a new chapter in the loco's history, which will be hauling passenger trains, and it makes a change from all the BR liveried locos we currently have.

Congratulations to the team. Not having been actively involved in a loco restoration project, I really can't imagine the patience and dedication that must be required to work on a project for 28 years. Enjoy it, guys, you deserve it.

 

I'm as critical as anyone of Peak Rail but the fact is that years before NR was invented or Railtrack, BR (remember them?) wanted loadsa money to connect to Ashwood Dale, money they didn't have. At the south end there's no doubt the formation would be the A6 now if Peak Rail hadn't turned up, in fact the new bit of Matlock bypass heads straight for it before re-joining the old A6.

Ralph

 

having followed the story myself as a volunteer of the line for twenty years, if we hadnt moved to darley dale, then certainly the southern formation would have been lost, the housing estate at church lane would have been built over the trackbed there, as it was the estate was built right upto our door in 95,the only reason it wasnt built over the track at church lanes because we were there!

likewise at rowsley the council are now building a big area reclamation and recycling site,the boundary has just been marked out with the railway so that the railway can secure its alignment without the recycling site encroaching on the railway land, if we hadnt moved to the southern end you wouldnt have had this site as these sites would now be gone thanks to those developments, dont forget matlock also, sainsburys and all would have took land if we hadnt been around.

the buxton end has always been a no winner, to date no signalling alterations have been made to accomodate any extra trains as was one of the original problems BR made note of that would need to be sorted out before scheduled passenger train could run down ashwood dale,all in all i have no problems with leaving buxton and moving to the other end, whilst it is a nice tourist town, its been on the decline for the last ten years tourism wise,with many tourist attractions going, the centre of the town becoming a concrete jungle and the closure of most of the towns historic buildings,whereas matlock has been on an increase both tourism wise and as an area where activities for leisure are flourishing, weve done far better at the southern end than wed ever have done at the buxton end, sorry its my opinion but i am a local and see a wider picture than most and i have been there twenty years,thats twenty years where ive seen more leaps and bounds than id ever have seen at the buxton end, do i miss the buxton steam centre --yes!, do i regret us leaving there- no! -we have to learn to walk before we can run!! =; :-k

back to original subject, well done all the 48624 lads n lasses!

 

Let's not get carried away too much about 8624 being in LMS passenger livery. [-X

As someone who is a staunch LMS/ BR (M) fan, I was pleased to be able to visit Peak Rail on Saturday and see 8624 in all its glory, moving under its own power for the first time in 44 years. Let's not lose sight of the fact that this is the most important thing. It was a stirring sight, and was about the best thing I've seen, despite having worked on various other restoration projects over the past 15 years. Well done lads!

Certainly when I saw it, the tender top was only in an eggshell undercoat, and wasn't gloss red, though it may appear so on photos. The tender has only been painted and lined out on one side; the other side was only in undercoat too. It may be unprototypical per se but it is still very eye-catching and, strange though it may sound, passenger livery suits it! I know 8Fs have never been anything but plain black, but the loco now stands out from the others of its class, rightly drawing attention to the fantastic achievement that the 48624 Society have made by returning it to working order from Barry condition. =D>

I'd like to see it paired with a Fowler tender too, as it had through most of its working life.

Make the most of the red though, as because it's not going to be varnished it won't be round for long!

 

Here's a copy of the video WITHOUT music ;-) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gcI5NKey33Y

 

I don't know where you got that from, and I don't believe it's true.

It was one of the 8F's involved in a tender swap with the 5X's in the late 1950's, to provide the passenger engines with the larger tender. So 48624 had a midland tender for a few years, but by the time it was withdrawn it had lost that in favour of another stanier 4000 gallon tender.

Just as interesting was that it was one of two 8F's used in trials for extra reciprocating balance for fast fitted freight work. The engines so fitted once the trials had finished had a yellow star on the cab side, though surprisingly I don't think 48624 was one of them.

 

It appears to have had one in BR days. This photo of it at Barry shows a star. http://wilbertspics.fotopic.net/p38129837.html
Can't comment on the tenders.

Steve

 

It was paired with a Fowler tender for a while - there is a photo in a book (Stanier 8Fs at Work I think) showing it running with a Fowler tender.

 

I got it from two sources - some photos in my personal library, dated 1947, 1949 and 1957 show it coupled to a Fowler tender. Add to that the conversation I had with some of the very knowledgeable chaps in the 48624 Society who showed me further photos illustrating the same pairing and took the trouble to talk to me on Saturday, and I think that's sufficient for me to make my statement...

I am well aware it was withdrawn with a Stanier tender - I did choose my words carefully and used the term 'most of its working life' - I would deem 1943 to at least November 1957 to be just that, as the loco only lasted another seven years in service... It may have had a Stanier tender at other intervals, of course... the point I was trying to make was that it would be nice, and prototypical to boot, to see it paired with a Fowler tender. Frankly I'm surprised that, given the fact Impala appears to like an argument, more hasn't been made of the fact that 48624's tender is a welded one...

But I obviously know nothing! [-(

 

Without going to the expense of making a new one, how many Fowler tenders are their around that could be used?

I can think of 9, i.e those currently allocated to the 3 Crabs, 3 4F's, 2 S&D 7F's and the Stanier Mogul. Unless any of these are tenderless, of course.

When the Stanier Mogul was first restored and the Fowler tender was shot through with holes, it ran with the Stanier tender from Black 5 5000 and I think it looked good. Why not try a (temporary) swap, if only to ring the changes and upset the rivet counting purists. Yes, I know it'll upset some, but it will create interest and won't actually hurt anyone, will it?

(Takes out protective headgear and retires to a safe distance)

 

Well, according to the book "LMS Locomotive Profiles Vol 8 The Stanier 8F 2-8-0s" Fowler tenders were fitted to some 8Fs between 1958 and 1960. Some kept them until withdrawal, but some had them replaced with Stanier 3500gall or 4000gall tenders from withdrawn locos.
There is actually a photo of 48624 with a Fowler tender in the book. The photo was dated July 1963.
If 48624 was fitted with a Fowler tender new cab wing plates would have to be fitted.

 

Fowler tender off 48173 at Churnet Valley ?

 

There are still a few Fowler tenders that aren't allocated to locos, having been used as sludge carriers etc. I saw one at Didcot a few years ago, and as reported in one of the railway magazines out this week, the East Lancashire Railway have just bought another (scrap) Fowler tender for their 'Crab' to provide a new centre wheelset. If one of these could be obtained it would add another unique feature to the '8F', that would continue to make it stand out once it reverts to black livery - and it would still satisfy the purists. [-o<

These arguments over the length of time the loco was paired with a Fowler tender (which, if the dates in the books were correct - not guaranteed, I accept - seems to be rather longer than even I thought) aren't really relevant to the point I was trying to make. An 8F with a Fowler tender would be a very interesting, and genuine, variation to see. At the minute, 48624 isn't fitted with air braking and all the other paraphernalia required to enable it to run on the main line, and a Fowler tender would provide enough coal and water capacity for even the longest preserved line.

 

Didn't 48431(?) run with a Fowler tender at Keighley?

 

Yup,

Looks like she still has it too: http://exbarrysteamlocos.fotopic.net/p54672302.html

A better shot of her in operation carrying it:

http://steamphotos.fpic.co.uk/p14633827.html

 

I like the suggestion of a temporary swap with 42968's tender - perhaps 2968 could be repainted in LMS red to match the tender!

 

I might add that 48305 on the Great Central Railway all though never carried in BR days is a hybrid tender. She has a Jubilee tender tank sat on Fowler 4F frames. I believe the owner obtained the tank from Bounds Green as it was a slurry tank whilst at Bounds Green and obtained a spare 4F tender frame.

 

Ah yes, but this tender belongs to a '4F'.... and presumably, will go back to it when it returns to traffic.

It would be nice to have an 8F matched to its own Fowler tender, permanently!

Incidentally, the aforementioned 'Crab' spare tender came from the Churnet Valley...