Brighton Atlantic: 32424 Beachy Head

For those who have access to it, Trackside Magazine has posted a very short video on their Facebook of the loco being unloaded into the loco yard.

 

It looks as if they also made the cab slightly bigger.

 

No, it's just pleased to see you....

 

From memory the LBSCR had a slightly larger loading gauge, so the Southern modified locos to a composite one.

GNR cabs seem to have been a little austere though. I'll be happy if the loco allows us six footers to stand up straight!

 

The GNR C1s were 13' 5" over the cab mounted whistle, 13' 4 1/4" over the chimney. Amazingly the D2 4-4-0s were initially 13' 9" as built! The cab was considerably lower than the chimney though - it wasn't until Gresley took over that the GNR had a decent sized cab fitted to their locos.

 

The LBSCR gauge wasn't particularly tall in the centre, 13'6 as opposed to 13'9 GNR, , and it was one of the narrower ones at 9', but it was notably tall at the eaves (12' the tallest there I've found so far), so there was plenty of potential for headroom in the cab. The GNR was over 18" lower at the eaves. Presumably the LBSCR foresaw a need to get high cube containers on flat wagons [grin].

 

Which begs a question really, what does the Bluebell (and other preserved lines) use as a loading gauge? Platform clearance is probably the big one I suppose, although it seems to be regarded as less of an issue with slam door stock, as opposed to automatic sliding doors, but presumably there's also a need to watch height clearance when relaying track.

 

Bridge Girders below platform height catch some people out, also End and Centre throw.

 

In theory standard gauge heritage railways are required to comply with the structure gauge shown in RSP5 for any new works. This requires a height of 15 ft above rail level at the track centreline. This is the same structure gauge as BR used to have to comply with until the rules were changed after privatisation. However, historical structures may not comply with this and there is no obligation to alter these.

 

I wasn't commenting on the height. From the pair of pictures it looks to me that the LBSC cab is a little longer from front to back.

 

What a wonderful sight, especially the last one, at rest in the running shed. I look forward to seeing and hearing it in action soon. Livery? I hope to live long enough to see it in several appropriate, and maybe fanciful, guises over the years.

 

From Atlantic News issue 42 purchased on my visit to Atlantic House during the branchline gala.

"The new date for Beachy Head's launch is likely to be Spring next year". Note this was also confirmed by who I spoke to, who also advised it will be 12-18 months from launch before it visits other railways.

They had hoped to hand over for traffic in August, but there is insufficient time for all to the testing and adjusting to ensure everything worked on the big day.

 

The frames behind the trailing axle were extended rearwards by some 15" which permitted a longer cab than the GNR locos.

 

From what I have seen on FB and other medias, it looks absolutely amazing.
Though, would it be considered a Giant or Branch Line engine?
Either way, if and when, it will certainly be an engine on the bucket list to ride behind.
Any plans for a recreation of that railtour it pulled in 1958 once launched?

 

https://www.facebook.com/share/v/9Zf1ixNvS2r689Dn/

First movements in steam!

 

Beat me to it! Fenchurch looks on approvingly …

Tom

 

Fantastic to see the loco make it's first movements. A loco I really can't wait to see in action, when everything is ready of course.

 

Two Brighton-built engines look on approvingly technically...

 

One is Brighton built. The other is Brighton-ish built.

 

How can something be " Brighton -ish" It was built at Brighton, OK it may have been a Standard design, built decades after the A1X's, but they are both brighton built engines,