Sherwood Forester at Shrewsbury 070919

[corneliuslundie]

When I was at Shrewsbury early on Saturday morning Black 5 "Sherwood Forester" was in platform 4 on a southbound steam special - a mix of Mk1s, but not a very heavy train.

On starting there was an enormous column of black smoke, it primed heavily and then slipped to a halt. After a second attempt, or perhaps a third as I am not sure if it actually moved the second time, it eventually got away down the Marches line. Fortunately I was going to Birmingham so it did not delay me.

 

Jonathan

Edited September 16, 2019 by corneliuslundie
Unintentionally possibly offensive sentence deleted.

[TravisM]

10 hours ago, corneliuslundie said:

When I was at Shrewsbury early on Saturday morning Black 5 "Sherwood Forester" was in platform 4 on a southbound steam special - a mix of Mk1s, but not a very heavy train.

On starting there was an enormous column of black smoke, it primed heavily and then slipped to a halt. After a second attempt, or perhaps a third as I am not sure if it actually moved the second time, it eventually got away down the Marches line. Fortunately I was going to Birmingham so it did not delay me.

No L plates as far as I could see.

Jonathan

 

Are you questioning the drivers ability to start the train?

[corneliuslundie]

You could say that.

Is it a result of just how long has now elapsed since steam locos were regularly in operation on BR? It was not a heavy train for a Black 5, though interestingly there was no diesel in the rear.

Jonathan

[avonside1563]

I'm sure the guys crewing are perfectly fine, sometimes these steam powered machines throw curved balls... in fact quite often! This is one of the locos a friend of mine tends for at Crewe and he's never mentioned any issues with the crews.

[Gilbert]

 

[Oldddudders]

Sherwood Forester? Wasn't that D100? My 1961/2 Ian Allan shows just 4 Black 5s with names - all military, all Scots, I think. 

 

Why are people putting names on locos that didn't have them? Why lovingly preserve something at vast expense and then add fripperies? 

 

Country's gone to the dogs. Mutter, mutter.....

[corneliuslundie]

Many thanks for the really great video.

The start on the video was the complete opposite to what I saw at Shrewsbury. Not a sign of black smoke or slipping. Exactly how it should be, though I fear that with so much blowing off water use may have been a little higher than ideal. And nice to see that the cylinder drain cocks were not open, as they so often seem to be these days, presumably to give lots of steam around the loco.

So I don't know what went wrong at Shrewsbury. The first time it might have been oil on the rails as the loco was starting from the point where class 158s often sit.

One thing which concerned me. I know that quite a long telephoto lens was being used, but that guy should not have crossed the line in front of the loco.

A final thought. If you had been taking the same video in 1959 - technology allowing - how much more would the train have been visible rather than shrouded in trees?

Jonathan

[avonside1563]

Contrary to current popular belief drivers do not open the cylinder drains for effect or to spoil photographs or video, there are many reasons to open the drains some of which are quite fundamental. For instance, if a locomotive has been standing for more than a couple of minutes it is good practice to keep the drains open to avoid a build up of water in the cylinders which, particularly on a piston valve locomotive, can cause damage ranging from scouring of bores or broken rings due to imparement of the lubrication or, worst case, severe damage to the cylinders due to hydraulicing. No owner wants this and so, whilst drivers may sometimes be overcautious, they are not just being spoil sports.

[The Border Reiver]

32 minutes ago, Oldddudders said:

Sherwood Forester? Wasn't that D100? My 1961/2 Ian Allan shows just 4 Black 5s with names - all military, all Scots, I think. 

 

Why are people putting names on locos that didn't have them? Why lovingly preserve something at vast expense and then add fripperies? 

 

Country's gone to the dogs. Mutter, mutter.....

 

...Don't forget 46112

[Oldddudders]

2 hours ago, The Border Reiver said:

 

...Don't forget 46112

Thankyou. Interestingly, I hand-wrote "D100" next to that name in the Combined Volume. But on the diesel pages, D100 is also credited with the name, which I think had been added in 1961. 

[Ian Hargrave]

4 hours ago, Gilbert said:

 

 Great shot.But by no means an unusual sight on the Central Wales line from the late 1930’s to the withdrawal of steam and the closure of the line to Swansea Victoria.

[corneliuslundie]

I was referring to some reported cases where the cylinder drain cocks have been open throughout a journey, usually on preserved railways if I remember correctly. Not sure what it must do to efficiency. I fully appreciate that they have a legitimate function.

Re the last comment, I doubt if Black 5s on the CWR were so clean in the 1940s and 1950s.

I too dislike the naming of previously unnamed locos but that is the prerogative of the owners. At least it isn't green or red. But I suppose it is little different in principle from building a model railway layout of an imaginary place, to which I plead guilty.

Jonathan

[Ian Hargrave]

Salop ( aka Shrewsbury 84G/89A) kept its fleet of Black 5’s and Standard 5’s in good  overall condition as I remember.

[Reorte]

25 minutes ago, corneliuslundie said:

Re the last comment, I doubt if Black 5s on the CWR were so clean in the 1940s and 1950s.

 

Well 40s was wartime and scraping by afterwards but the impression I get from photos is that there was a period in the 50s where there was a reasonable level of cleanliness, dropping rapidly as the decade went on and in to the 60s as the end of steam neared.

[JDW]

On 10/09/2019 at 08:42, corneliuslundie said:

 

One thing which concerned me. I know that quite a long telephoto lens was being used, but that guy should not have crossed the line in front of the loco.

 

 

Aye, there's always one. As soon as I saw all the people on the platform, I wondered who was going to be the dafty and do something silly...

[Zomboid]

On 10/09/2019 at 08:38, Oldddudders said:

Why are people putting names on locos that didn't have them? Why lovingly preserve something at vast expense and then add fripperies? 

 

Country's gone to the dogs. Mutter, mutter.....

The loco's history didn't finish when BR were done with it. It's over 50 years since BR did away with steam locomotives on the main line, so all the surviving black 5s have been "preserved" for considerably longer than BR/ LMS ran them. (The same goes for every other surviving steam engine, and quite a number of preserved diesels too).

 

I don't go in for "if BR didn't do it, then doing it now is 'wrong'" kind of thinking. If you own a full size locomotive then whatever you do to it is perfectly authentic and part of that machine's history.

[avonside1563]

Caught up with my mate at the weekend and he didn't know of any particular issues with the loco and crew on the day in question.

[ikks]

On 10/09/2019 at 19:45, Oldddudders said:

Thankyou. Interestingly, I hand-wrote "D100" next to that name in the Combined Volume. But on the diesel pages, D100 is also credited with the name, which I think had been added in 1961. 

46112+D100 both with the Sherwood Forester namplates in place were displayed at Derby Station in the early sixties, 46112 losing her plates soon afterwards,

whilst I do not like locomotives assuming identities they did not carry in BR service, I  cannot begrudge the name on a locomotive of the regiment in which my dad served....1st battalion in WW2 and in the territorials after in the 5th. his commitment to his country, makes me proud and somewhat  humble.

 

Rgds.........Mike