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Flying Scotsman back on the mainline - 2016


colin penfold
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The young chap who never knew the BR steam era and so Flying Scotsman in apple green is the only nostalgic livery to him was something I hadn't considered. So there must come a day when young folk only remember a certain 'Castle' and 'Hall' in Holywood maroon! In the same way we older guys don't really get turned on by gleaming preserved locos when all we remember was the grimy steam-era of the 1940's and 50's. Maybe hard to imagine now, but I only ever saw one gleaming steam loco fresh out of Works (Horwich) in 25 years and it happened to be an Ivatt 'Mucky duck'...!!!

 

Not forgetting that there were plenty of older gentlemen around who saw the post 1948 railway as very depressing, drab and unexciting compared to the optimism and splendour (and general cleanliness) of the inter war period.

Even older gentlemen felt much the same against both the interwar and post 1948 period with a preference for those years upto 1914 when just about everything railway related really did gleam.

Just goes to show it's all swings and roundabouts.

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5 years ago or so (was it that long?) when it was "nearing" completion", the NRM stated that FS would be "run in " in psuedo wartime black livery, aka black undercoat. To this end it would carry a different - but apparently historically correct for the colour - number on each cabside. Hence 502 and 103.

Then the infamous "further work is needed" saga..... so the black undercoat and numbers stayed. The work has been finished, a repaint of the undercoat has not been necessary so the numbers remain. But the smokebox door has had the 60103 plate added ready for when the top coat of green is added (Feb/March?). Obviously the cab will be painted, so 60103 will be added there.  As for the 98872, isn't this carried inside the cab? ThTOPS identity, which all mainline steam now have allocated, not sure if they are all carried.

Simples....

 

Stewart

 

Last time I looked in a steam cab, the loco number painted inside was 98568. Quick quiz- Anybody know which that one is? Without looking at the attached list.....

 

For info, The number is made up of 98 for the class, the third digit is their power classification (using the BR description) and digits 4 & 5 usually correspond to the last two of it's preserved identity. There are anomalies as using this system, some numbers are duplicated (76079 and 80079 for example) and then there's cases where the loco may have carried two (or more) numbers in its previous life.

 

This is an out of date list, but certainly explains it well.

 

Cheers,

Mick

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The young chap who never knew the BR steam era and so Flying Scotsman in apple green is the only nostalgic livery to him was something I hadn't considered. So there must come a day when young folk only remember a certain 'Castle' and 'Hall' in Holywood maroon! In the same way we older guys don't really get turned on by gleaming preserved locos when all we remember was the grimy steam-era of the 1940's and 50's. Maybe hard to imagine now, but I only ever saw one gleaming steam loco fresh out of Works (Horwich) in 25 years and it happened to be an Ivatt 'Mucky duck'...!!!

 

Flying Scotsman has been in preservation since 1963 so the youngest people who did know the engine in BR steam days are getting on for 60.  They aren't "young chaps".   Roughly 3/4 of the British population have been born since 1963.

Edited by asmay2002
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The young chap who never knew the BR steam era and so Flying Scotsman in apple green is the only nostalgic livery to him was something I hadn't considered.

Not even that young. Late 40s to even be alive whilst BR steam was still running, so a minimum of in your 50s to remember it. As someone nearly 40 it all feels like another age, it seems quite strange to think that it ended only eight years before I was born.

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Latest from Ian Riley on Wednesday evening is that the testing and examinations are all complete and they were awaiting the VAB paperwork. In the meantime some of his team have also been at the NYMR preparing 44871 for this weekend which has included dropping the trailing axle and re-weighing the loco prior to lighting up and moving to Bury via the NRM today. Timings on realtime trains at http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/U50581/2016/01/22/advanced and http://www.realtimetrains.co.uk/train/U50586/2016/01/22/advanced

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Excellent new from Riley's - just got to get the pen pushers to do their bit and we can see her stretch her legs again where she belongs. An emotional week no doubt for some ranging from disappointment at some snags (hardly unexpected I suspect) to delight when the shagging is completed. Hopefully there is a feeling of a job well done around as well.

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Excellent new from Riley's - just got to get the pen pushers to do their bit and we can see her stretch her legs again where she belongs. An emotional week no doubt for some ranging from disappointment at some snags (hardly unexpected I suspect) to delight when the shagging is completed. Hopefully there is a feeling of a job well done around as well.

I lke the freudian slip in this post, you wouldn't have thought they'd have time for that at the moment....

 

Word has it that following West Coast's troubles the pen pushers job is somewhat more complex now.

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Excellent....

we can see her stretch her legs again ...... An emotional week no doubt for some ranging from disappointment at some snags (hardly unexpected I suspect) to delight when the shagging is completed. Hopefully there is a feeling...

Do tell us more about the shagging.

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I lke the freudian slip in this post, you wouldn't have thought they'd have time for that at the moment....

 

Word has it that following West Coast's troubles the pen pushers job is somewhat more complex now.

I suspect ot might be more a matter of doing what they were supposed to be doing all along plus probably somebody checking that they are doing what they are supposed to be doing in the manner of the ISA (Independent Safety Assessment) process.  and the latter can take up a lot of time and involve a lot of to'ing & fro'ing with questions and answers all of which have to be documented in considerable detail and eventually signed off.

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I suspect ot might be more a matter of doing what they were supposed to be doing all along plus probably somebody checking that they are doing what they are supposed to be doing in the manner of the ISA (Independent Safety Assessment) process.  and the latter can take up a lot of time and involve a lot of to'ing & fro'ing with questions and answers all of which have to be documented in considerable detail and eventually signed off.

Always a good diversionary tactic in organisational consultations when the Staff side weren't making much progress was to get the conversation round to  "...but whose job is it to check the person who is checking it's done right?" Management Chairman usually lost his thread and called a tea break.

Edited by TheSignalEngineer
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Quote from Ian Riley posted on Sunday:

 

"AS far as we are now concerned, 60103 is now complete, run-in and ready for Mainline Testing at accelerated speeds and loads.

All of our specialist and competent persons are happy with their, and our work.

The necessary scrutiny and paperwork is now in the hands of the V.A.B., once they issue their paperwork, it is down to N.R. to process it as they see fit, then a 'Mainline' test routine can then be instigated."

 

There is no news as to when the 'official' light and loaded test runs will take place, just that they will be before the railtour on the 6th February.

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