92214 Cock of the North to stay at the GCR (Now Central Star) - Soon to be 92220 Evening Star

[rasalmon]

Are we overlooking the fact that the GCR now has about the best collection of BR Standards & great skills in restoring them? 3 working, 5 total + the 'Clan' to come. A 4MT would be useful (2-6-4T)?

 

Dava

Of course, the Bluebell Railway still has the largest collection of BR standards, 7 of them, including the only surviving named 5MT, and what will be, when reconstruction is finished, the only 2MT tank.

There were 8 for a couple of years, while 92212 was visiting.  Now, what is "the best collection" if of course subjective, and we probably don't need to argue that - the collections are "different"... and at present there are sadly none actually working on the Bluebell, although 73082 and 80151 are on their way back to service (73082 Camelot in the next few months).

[Wild Boar Fell]

Worth mentioning that next weekend 92214 (as 92220) will be joined by visiting 92212

[Dava]

'Best' collection of BR standards would by definition include a 9F and Britannia.... I wonder if the GCR might host 71000 again someday? That could make 3 Pacific's when the Clan is built!

 

A 4MT tank would round out the collection nicely. They perform well when visiting.

 

Dava

[92912]

92214 was running as 92220 at the model weekend, the first photo shows it approaching Leicester North on Friday 19/6/15 and second one is at Swithland on Sunday 21/06/15

[coachmann]

If I owned a 9f, I would paint it SDJR blue ; so there !

Better late than never?

 

[The Evil Bus Driver]

Surely a 9F is the perfect loco to show what a steam engine would have looked like in BR blue with double arrows, if only they had lasted a bit longer ?

Maybe, although I'd have gone with the Vale of Rheidol locos.

[PhilH]

Often thought that the last steam engine built for BR should have been called 'Death Star'...

[coachmann]

Maybe, although I'd have gone with the Vale of Rheidol locos.

Nice thought but in the 'brave new age of whitehot technology' (politician-speak), the reality was BR wished to portray standard gauge steam as dirty and outmoded hence the dictat 'minimal maintenance and no cleaning'. Trouble was, the workforce was so pi$$ed off with redundancies that they wouldn't clean diesels either. So no way would steam locos have been given corporate blue.

[Mallard60022]

Bit cheeky but I must plug the GCR's dining train service from yesterday lunchtime. This is a great value deal in that one gets a First Class Day Rover (£15/£13) and the sit down/service at table meal (which was excellent by the way) for the overall price. 

I don't normally consider eating on trains as one misses the linside action, however for a more 'social' occasion this was ideal and if taken in the summer there is plenty of time to do other stuff before and after the dining and there is daylight.

Top marks for the young staff too; very professional and thoughtful.

Phil @36E