Swanage Railway General Discussion

I wonder if 41312 will return to the MHR towards the end of this year or the beginning of 2018 to work over the February steam gala and to work the early part of nexts years timetable February and March.

 

It's always unwise to open the oven until the Yorkshire pudding is cooked!

 

Soufflé even more critical to not open the oven door to check progress......

 

I can just about manage yorkshire puds but can neither cook nor spell the other thing. Would you say the T9 is more of a Yorkshire or a Souflay?

 

Nine Elms probably closer to France than Yorkshire!

 

Thanks for the heads-up on this.
The Swanage Spring Gala is March 23rd to 25th 2018.
Unfortunately that's the same weekend as the West Somerset SSG.

Stef.

 

Swanage it id then Least at a Swanage gala you dont have hour long waits between trains and get a ride behind the full line up easily

 

Many thanks @Mogul and @Gladiator 5076.

Is there an 'engineering closure' as such for track work, or do you run weekends all year?

Steven

 

It varies from year to year depending on the winter work program. We will generally shutdown in January to give P-Way an opportunity to tackle something. We will be shut for 5.5 weeks at the beginning of 2018 but we have been known to run weekends right through either with the DMU or Steam. It generates a little welcome income to ease the cash flow during the quiet months. We will run every day during Feb half term and then weekends till Easter when we start every day running again. There are currently only 3 days in november without any booked workings. There are only 12 days in Dec not timetabled and I'm not sure how many of those have charters, driver ex etc. All told with DXs and charters we probably operate nearly 300 days a year. With the departmental movements thrown in on top it's a busy busy railway for most of the year.

 

Can anyone in the know confirm if the Ivatt is out this weekend? Thanks

 

I was fireman on it yesterday. Wow, just Wow! Its a credit to the MHR and an absolute joy. With 4 on it sweeps up the bank at holding 195psi against a feed and the steam heat with the flap up and glowing cherry red and making just an incredible sound. If the needle threatens to move you just flick 2 or 3 over the flap and its very responsive. The small wheels give it a rapid staccato beat that makes me think it must have been superheating. Not sure it's possible at 25mph but coal and water usage were minimal. Get a ride behind it if you can.

As to whether its on at the weekend I don't know but the fitters have a number of engines that they are trying to get ready for Santa season. To have them all available and with enough steaming days before washout available to ensure we can cover for eventualities is going to need a little juggling so I suspect the plan will be changeable.

257 Squadron, 30120 and the U are all undergoing work and 80104 is in washout so the Ivat is currently the only loco available. If (and it is an if) somthing else can be made ready for the weekend it suspect the Ivatt will be taking a well earned lie in.

Hopefully someone with something a little more definite will be along shortly......

 

Various videos shot on damp days with steam not condensing until some little way away from the chimney suggests it is indeed superheating properly. 41298 on the I.O.W. (where there will be two running next season) is said to burn little if any more fuel than an A1x.

The low survival rate of this type is one of the more regrettable legacies of the early days of railway preservation.

PH

 

Indeed. Four decades ago there was a distinct tendancy in many quarters to dismiss the locos of Ivatt and Riddles as modernist, uninspired and most unforgivable of all, woefully deficient in the livery stakes. First hand reports by those with practical hands-on experience of these locos in preservation era service tell an altogether different story .... one where the paint colour is of less importance than practical considerations.

Roll on the Bluebell's 84030 .... a direct comparison between these closely related designs is a prospect to relish.

 

I can see from the webcam that the Ivatt which was still on the service trains today but both 30120 & 80104 have been on steam test as well so all being well I suspect one of those will run the weekend to rest the Ivatt. If 30120 is indeed repaired I know there is a list of other jobs that are needed so 80104 would be where I would put my money.

As ever subject to someone with more definite knowledge coming along.......

 

I saw on the Swanage Railway's facebook page that 30120 was running a test train yesterday (Thursday 23rd). and hoped that it might be in use over the weekend. I rang the Swanage Railway and have just heard that it is now fixed but awaiting paperwork from the NRM before it can be used on public services.

Good news that the mechanical issues are sorted, although pity it won't be operating tomorrow as the forecast is pretty decent. (I have updated this post after receiving a phone call from Swanage)

 

Does anyone know which loco will be in service tomorrow please. TIA. <BJ>

 

Mind that bus!

M7 boiler is lifted off the loco and placed on a low loader today.

 

So no chance of the M7 being in traffic tomorrow then a bit like when the GM comes into your workshop and your wheeling out the bogie of a coach and all 4 wheel sets have failed the profile test and he screams, no you cant take it out of traffic, ive sold seats on it for tomorrow and yes that did happen .

 

The T9 was finally in use of the weekend but stalled on its first train yesterday just after Quarr Farm Crossing. Standard Tank sent to rescue it and worked T & T rest of the day which led to watering difficulties at Swanage as Standard on "wrong end". Also meant that the Swanage Belle passengers had the view of the T9 smokebox both ways to go with their champagne & canapés, but operationally a good decision as trains were an hour late by this time.
A couple of images from the weekend of the T9 in happier times, and the Standard making a volcanic departure from Swanage on the first Santa on Saturday.
I do have some poor quality video of the tank restarting the stalled train but not sure how to upload it.

 

Up load it to you tube and stick the link to it on here