WD 196 Errol Lonsdale

You won't hear any argument from me about the merits of Austerities- certainly helped the Gwili maintain a consistient steam policy over the years. If I have one concern about them it is that Austerity boilers seem to be coming under increased scrutiny and more stringent inspections-anybody else had any recent experience of this?

 

Way off the mark. Nothing to do with Austerities, as such. A Bucket was a derogatory term coined by certain people on the Bluebell and referred to any 'industrial' loco. It's basic reason was to denigrate other railways which had perforce to use non BR locos. It's been around since the early 60's.

 

Spot on - they were fitted with urinals in the nose end.
I have heard of tales of heavy weights being dropped on the DSD pedal and driver nipping into the nose whilst on the run (before the days of Vigilance, I hasten to add).

The famous incident that hastened the introduction of Vigilance, I believe, was a driver of a WCML electric loco who had a pee out of the open cab door way and fell out. The train continued without a driver for a few miles before AWS halted it.

G.

 

The term bucket is fondly remembered by several railwaymen who used the in anger. The Bluebell may well have used the phrase but it predates them.

 

I LIKE Austerities. There, I've said it! And I just don't care

(Although I must confess I have a slightly softer spot for the RS&H 'Ugly' 0-6-0STs, which are like a J94 on steriods)

It would be great to see Errol Lonsdale go back to the KESR - fond memories of 'cabbing' it as a kid at Rolvenden way back when...

 

The humble austerity is a amazing loco all work and no play i have seen monkton on 7 coaches out of bolton abbey ideal loco for most lines i will say i dont know how one will manage on the GCR though

 

The humble austerity is a amazing loco all work and no play i have seen monkton on 7 coaches out of bolton abbey ideal loco for most lines i will say i dont know how one will manage on the GCR though

 

"68009" managed on the GCR quite happily before it was sold to the NNR. I'm /fairly/ sure it worked to Leicester and back without running out of water, i.e. the Leicester section was opened before it left. Until the late 80s the GCR was fairly reliant on industrials during the quiet winter months - with rising coal costs and so on, maybe we will be again in the future.

What I /really/ want to see though is one of them in full WD livery pottering around during the annual 'wartime' weekend. This would arguably be more historically appropriate to the GCR (Quorn and Ruddiington both have military connections) than any fake BR livery.

Phil

 

Not sure what you mean by this? The GCR is basically a flat railway and an Austerity will be able to handle almost any train assembled behind it. The only non-starter would be any idea to run it up to 60 mph!

 

I'd have thought that the main limitation of an Austerity on the GCR might be water capacity - don't think there is water available at the Leicester end of the line. Maybe that's what he was hinting at. Also, never mind 60mph, how do these engines take to lengthy spells of 25mph running? The lines that use them on a regular basis tend to be relatively short and more steeply graded so may not reach this sort of speed for long.

 

I guess the lack of water capacity is why I have only seen one on the mainline in the 80s, and it had to make a pit stop to take on extra water even though it was light engine and was not far in distance that it travelled. I have a couple of photos of it out on the big railway somewhere! But that was before it was preservedand, it did not have AWS as it was an industrial, or a speedo! I would guess it was only doing 15-20mph when I saw it.

 

They've got 1200 gallon tanks so there should be no problem. 'Twerp certainly managed Grosmont - Pickering (18 miles) with water to spare. Besides, the GCR is flat. The loco only needs to get up to line speed and it can probably coast most of the way after that! 'Twerp didn't have any problem with sustained 25 mph running, either, although the bearings were well worn when it arrived on the NYMR.

 

The East Lancs seem to be managing very well with the Wemyss Austerity at the moment, although the ride looks rather lively at 25mph from some of the footage on youtube! I can vouch for them being quite interesting at 25mph but they certainly steam well.

 

As well as Errol Lonsdale, how many Austierty's that are preseved that worked at Longmoor?

 

brussels at K&WVR, Waggoner(?) at IOW, possibly some more as well, will dig out my book on the line and check.

 

The three austerities at the K&ESR (3791/52 (WD191), 3797/53 (WD197) and 3800/53 (WD200)) all were delivered new to Longmoor.

Not sure about 3791, but 3797 and 3800 certainly worked at Longmoor.

3797 (as No. 25, Northiam) has visited the GCR and seemed to have no problem coping with train loads or water supplies!

 

The half cab seemed to cope ok a couple of years back, so I can't see a problem... And as for water, shouldn't have any more issues than 47406?

 

I'm not disagreeing that 1200 gallons capacity ought to be enough, but I seem to remember reading something a few years ago on the GCR forum that suggested water capacity could be tight if an Austerity had stand at Leicester North, and that the Standard class 2 was the preferred small engine for that reason. However, it may well have been the prevailing "big engine" mentality on the GCR at that time trying to make excuses for not using to Austerity.

For my own part, I like industrial engines, and I wish we still had no . 31 on the NYMR. I think I read somewhere recently that it may be on the move to the East Somerset for restoration at last.

 

Have the SDR Austerities now been actually sold? If so, to whom?

I certainly miss them - they saved the day in the early 1990s, and became part of the line's history, even though they didn't fit in with the WR/ GWR branch line ethos; at which the SDR now excels. Nevertheless they deserve respect and some affection.

John