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9th August 2010
One of the things we have repeatedly said of late is that the class 14 has taken up a disproportionate amount of our time and money over the last couple of years. We could admit that the controversy caused by retaining its "fictitious" number and adding a "fictitious" livery has been a source of amusement, and also to a certain amount of sadness that the enthusiast in general doesn't give a toss about the historic nature of industrial locos. We have commented in the FAQs that most of the BR shunter fleet owed its existence to pre-existing industrial designs yet unless it wears BR blue or green 90% of railway - even diesel - enthusiasts seem neither to know nor care. Some groups, like Tanfield and Middleton, strive to offset this ignorance, and we applaud their efforts. Andrew was in conversation with officials of the HRA with a view to creating a charitable trust to preserve and protect the more historic examples of the collection.
All of that is now on hold.
We were aware that some people at Elsecar were glad to see the back of the 14 - somebody, almost certainly a volunteer, saw fit to use a corner of the cab as their own personal "pissoire" on more than one occasion but when we attempted to raise this with an Elsecar board member we were told that it hadn't happened and to shut up about it. Another Elsecar official put it around that the route availability of the Class 14 was poorer than the class 31 (it's actually the other way round). A further rumour came to our ears that the "Class 14 used more fuel than the class 31" (!!). We could not of course, determine the full performance of the 14 on a railway with a 10mph speed limit and although Andrew had planned for it to stay longer at Elsecar, the opportunity for it to earn some money back and establish that it could do what Swindon originally intended was too good to miss. Meantime, we had been under pressure from other groups where we were seriously slipping behind planned progress on the 3 to 5 locos we are normally working on at any one time.
This pressure had already forced Andrew to reconsider the future of some examples in the collection. The Gullick & Dobson tamper, completely outside the rest of the fleet being (a) not a loco and (b) n.g. was sold some weeks ago to a Director of the Derbyshire Dales N.G Railway, where it was already housed, and we will give as much co-operation as possible to help him get it running.
The Sentinel steam loco "George" was also put up for sale - the fact that in over two years we had had neither cash nor time to put a spanner to it, and again as a steam loco it was unique in the collection - being a major factor. We hope that someone with more interest and time will take it on, but Andrew is quite adamant that otherwise it will have to be be stripped for worthwhile parts and the remainder scrapped.
While all this has been exercising our minds "Kimberley" was at last moved the couple of miles from Blodwell to Llynclys. We had known about this for some weeks, it awaiting a suitable low-loader to be in the area, as as yet the Llynclys line is still isolated from the "main" Cambrian line north or round to Porth-y-Waen. "Kimberley's" function is largely to act as Llynclys shunter - a role vacated by Ken Ryder's 03 when it was sold recently, and Peter attended Llynclys last Saturday to go over minor defects and discuss crew training arrangements. Of course, once the service had finished seemed a good time to give a "training run" and it explored the length of the Llynclys-Pant line.
Up at Derwent Valley (York), the work has been proceding spasmodically on "James", the news that the DVLR was in dispute with its landlords over unpaid funds not being conducive to fast-tracking the work! Nonetheless most of the vac thru' pipe has been test-assembled and clamps welded in ready. We are searching for a spare dmu type rotary exhauster as being a quicker/easier installation than the 3-pot Westinghouse with the need to engineer a remote drive from the angled engine. "James's" fuel pump has been removed and overhauled - it previously hunted badly.
Over at Scunthorpe, work on "Beverley" has included starting to connect up the new transmission cooler (it will remain on diesel fuel for the present) cutting and welding a new section of pipe on the radiator filler (the filler cap was re-bushed and threaded by John Dunn as both cap and pipe end threads were worn out) and replacing a hose from the gearbox direction change valve to the gearbox cylinder, the original having ruptured. Unfortunately, although Pete had made up a test blank for the oil cooler, Andrew has had no time to do the test and so get the cooling system/supercharger drive back together, but that will progress. The casing front sheet should be refitted shortly.
Back at Rowsley, a second set of racking has been welded up and timbered out, as vital but "unproductive" work of sorting and storing smaller parts in the VBA continues - as floor space is revealed the last few items still in outside storage will be loaded in, tidying up as well as getting it all under cover.
And next week Sentinel 0-6-0DH "Tom" is due to move out of Rutland for its new home. Although the engine is runable, the torque converter is currently with Dave Hartley at the Nene Valley and must be collected and refitted before "Tom" can operate and, inevitably, must be given some priority in order to maintain good relations.
Back at Elsecar, we had stripped the Westinghouse exhauster for the Drewry and found damage to one big end, so had the crank out and all three big ends re-metalled with the intention of it being ready for the next Elsecar diesel gala. On our return to start reassembly yesterday we were however taken before two members of the Elsecar Heritage Railway company board and informed that at a meeting last Sunday the Board had decided to evict Andrew and his locos, and 3 months notice was hereby given. It goes without saying that this came as a bolt from the blue, there being no prior warning and no opportunity of representation. We continued to reassemble the crank to the exhauster but Drewry 72229 will NOT be in action at the Elsecar diesel gala, nor will 14 901 ever return. We wish the Elsecar Heritage Railway well, it has more than enough problems.
Andrew has announced elsewhere that as a result of this decision by the EHR board, he has no option but to put NB 0-4-0DH "Coronation" up for sale, and several interested parties have already come forward.
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