'Westerns' that were nearly preserved?

[1165Valour]

Does anyone know of any Class 52 'Westerns' that were scrapped, despite efforts or plans to preserve them?

[Matt37268]

Not a Thousand that would have been preserved but I have it on good authority that a certain group that own hydraulics (and a class 17) wanted to take on ‘Falcon’ when BR wanted rid of it. 

[TravisM]

1 hour ago, Matt37268 said:

Not a Thousand that would have been preserved but I have it on good authority that a certain group that own hydraulics (and a class 17) wanted to take on ‘Falcon’ when BR wanted rid of it. 

BR couldn’t sell it to anyone because when Brush sold it to BR, it was written into the contract that when BR had finished with it, it had to go for scrap.  The group went into negotiations with Brush, BR and Cashmore’s but nobody would budge, and the rest they say is history.

[Halvarras]

Didn't D1009 'Western Invader' once attract attention for preservation? Just rings a small bell in the ol' brainbox (it happens from time to time 🙃!)

 

IIRC (cuz I was a member at the time) the DEPG assessed Hymek D7026 for saving (having rejected D7022 due to underbody corrosion), but as we know D7017 won the day. I believe the Group paid £3,510 for it, which is just about the current going rate for a CDA wagon out of the St Blazey scrapline 😲! Blimey, makes you think, dunnit?!

[37114]

There was of course D6319 which sadly got away dud to an admin cock up at Swindon 

[Rivercider]

Was there not a plan for Foster Yeoman to take about five Westerns? There was a row of Westerns at Swindon Works,

some of them were sheeted over, I took a few instamatic snaps of them.

I am just off to work, so cannot remember exact details.

 

cheers

[TravisM]

3 hours ago, Rivercider said:

Was there not a plan for Foster Yeoman to take about five Westerns? There was a row of Westerns at Swindon Works,

some of them were sheeted over, I took a few instamatic snaps of them.

I am just off to work, so cannot remember exact details.

 

cheers

including 1035 Western Yeoman but it was found to be in poor condition, so they bought 1010 Western Campaigner instead.

[The Stationmaster]

6 hours ago, Rivercider said:

Was there not a plan for Foster Yeoman to take about five Westerns? There was a row of Westerns at Swindon Works,

some of them were sheeted over, I took a few instamatic snaps of them.

I am just off to work, so cannot remember exact details.

 

cheers

Yes - John Yeoman specifically wanted 'Western Yeoman' to put on static display somewhere around the quarry entrance at Merehead.  But as already noted it was in too poor a state even for static dsplay so he didn't buy it.

[Matt37268]

9 hours ago, 37114 said:

There was of course D6319 which sadly got away dud to an admin cock up at Swindon 

But then we wouldn’t have ended up with 821 though then would we? 

[andyman7]

9 hours ago, 37114 said:

There was of course D6319 which sadly got away dud to an admin cock up at Swindon 

 

2 minutes ago, Matt37268 said:

But then we wouldn’t have ended up with 821 though then would we? 

It's a tough one, because the loss of D6319 alongside the hulks of D6121 (or D6122, as it may have been) and D601 being cut up by Barry in 1980 meant that not a single NBL diesel made it to preservation , whereas there are two Warships (both from the Class 42 non-NBL batch). 

[Matt37268]

29 minutes ago, andyman7 said:

 

It's a tough one, because the loss of D6319 alongside the hulks of D6121 (or D6122, as it may have been) and D601 being cut up by Barry in 1980 meant that not a single NBL diesel made it to preservation , whereas there are two Warships (both from the Class 42 non-NBL batch). 

832 wasn’t preserved at the time though and with what happened to 818 as well, there were no guarantees at the time.

[andyman7]

2 minutes ago, Matt37268 said:

832 wasn’t preserved at the time though and with what happened to 818 as well, there were no guarantees at the time.

Indeed - I'm looking back with hindsight! It's possible also to conjecture that if 821 hadn't been saved then maybe 818 wouldn't have been cut up (I realise that it was parts from 818 that enabled 832 to be restored to working order).

[Rugd1022]

D1022 was considered for preservation but the collision damage which caused its withdrawal in early '77 was found to be too much so it was rejected. Likewise D1000. I believe D1001 was also considered but it also fell by the wayside.

 

D1015 was only saved by chance when members of the DTG happened to stop at Swindon and look in at the works (they nearly didn't get in) to find 'Champ' chalked up for the cutters torch, a last minute reprieve was granted and it was saved.

[Chris M]

There a a few Westerns still around today that haven't quite made it into preservation.

[OnTheBranchline]

5 hours ago, The Stationmaster said:

Yes - John Yeoman specifically wanted 'Western Yeoman' to put on static display somewhere around the quarry entrance at Merehead.  But as already noted it was in too poor a state even for static dsplay so he didn't buy it.

 

in theory, could he have not just bought a better in shape Western and put Western Yeoman on it? 

[Mike_Walker]

23 minutes ago, OnTheBranchline said:

 

in theory, could he have not just bought a better in shape Western and put Western Yeoman on it? 

Which is exactly what he did with D1010 masquerading as D1035 for some time.

[Peter Kazmierczak]

It still hurts, after almost 49 years, that one "Thousand" eluded me; 1066 Prefect. It spent a lot of time at Landore and was the first to be fitted with dual brakes I believe.

[Matt37268]

1 hour ago, Chris M said:

There a a few Westerns still around today that haven't quite made it into preservation.

Can you explain what you mean by that please? 

[Matt37268]

4 hours ago, andyman7 said:

Indeed - I'm looking back with hindsight! It's possible also to conjecture that if 821 hadn't been saved then maybe 818 wouldn't have been cut up (I realise that it was parts from 818 that enabled 832 to be restored to working order).

Both 800 hundreds have benefited from 818’s demise from what I’ve been told so I suppose in someways it still lives on 😀

[younGGuns7]

1 hour ago, Peter Kazmierczak said:

It still hurts, after almost 49 years, that one "Thousand" eluded me; 1066 Prefect. It spent a lot of time at Landore and was the first to be fitted with dual brakes I believe.

I have the same issue with 1005 Venturer the only one I never saw 

[chris p bacon]

1 hour ago, Matt37268 said:

Can you explain what you mean by that please? 

I think he might mean 1048 western lady, although this now has a new custodian/owner in the last few days.

[Matt37268]

17 minutes ago, chris p bacon said:

I think he might mean 1048 western lady, although this now has a new custodian/owner in the last few days.

48 has run in pres though 😀

[br2975]

3 hours ago, Peter Kazmierczak said:

It still hurts, after almost 49 years, that one "Thousand" eluded me; 1066 Prefect. It spent a lot of time at Landore and was the first to be fitted with dual brakes I believe.

.

Living in Cardiff, between the SWML and the Ninian Park - Radyr freight line gave me an advantage when it came to clearing my thousands.

.

My pre-1970 notes disappared years ago, but here are my sightings of 'Prefect' between late 1970 and 1973.

(not intended to upset you........)

.

Edited October 26, 2023 by br2975

[Halvarras]

1 hour ago, Matt37268 said:

48 has run in pres though 😀

 

Indeed, I rode behind 1048 on the NYMR in April 1979, in the snow. It was incorrectly painted green at that time, but in immaculate condition.

 

The Landore locos - the first air-braked batch 1013/15/25/26/31/55/61/62/63/66/69 - became extremely rare in the far South West in the late '60s, as did vac-only 1000 which also went to Landore for some reason. I had scored all bar 1015 and 1031 before they departed for South Wales via Swindon Works (and still recall 1000 in maroon with its cast BR crests hurtling through Par on a down train in the summer of '66) - having seen 72 Westerns by the spring of 1969 it took me a few months to catch 1031 (at Exeter 6/9/69) and another 9 months to find 1015 to complete the set, at Truro on 5/6/70 - it had taken me 5 years, with a Class I saw every time I went lineside......bit frustrating! As more Westerns became dual-braked those original locos were allowed to roam, thankfully.

 

My biggest spotting failures were Hymeks 7071/79, Class 33 6597 (33212) and Class 47 1788 (47307) - following withdrawal of the last two and thanks to much better info by then I knew where they were stored but by then couldn't summon the enthusiasm to travel long distances in the hope of finding them.......

 

 

[Matt37268]

1 hour ago, br2975 said:

.

Living in Cardiff, between the SWML and the Ninian Park - Radyr freight line gave me an advantage when it came to clearing my thousands.

.

My pre-1970 notes disappared years ago, but here are my sightings of 'Prefect' between late 1970 and 1973.

(not intended to upset you........)

.

Why am I thinking of this man and ‘let’s have a look at what you could have won?’