• Welcome to this forum . We are a worldwide group with a common interest in Birmingham and its history. While here, please follow a few simple rules. We ask that you respect other members, thank those who have helped you and please keep your contributions on-topic with the thread.

    We do hope you enjoy your visit. BHF Admin Team

Steam Locos

if you like a lot of Chocolate on your loco join the club:grinning:
misc-cad119.jpg
 
There is an exclusive feature in the Winter 2021 edition of the Blackcountryman magazine, by Keith Hodgkins….Terry Hyde. A steam Photographer. Terry had donated his archive of railway photos covering much of the Black Country in the period 1959-63.

In the article there are over a dozen photos of steam locos including 5072, 78008, 6418, 49410, 46115, 61258, 49377, 6828, 6946.
 
There is an exclusive feature in the Winter 2021 edition of the Blackcountryman magazine, by Keith Hodgkins….Terry Hyde. A steam Photographer. Terry had donated his archive of railway photos covering much of the Black Country in the period 1959-63.

In the article there are over a dozen photos of steam locos including 5072, 78008, 6418, 49410, 46115, 61258, 49377, 6828, 6946.
thanks p. i had a look they are good
 
Hi

Some good footage from Tyseley to London on U Tube of Princess
Elizabeth. Poor old City of Birmingham dead as a do do yet the Societies
that run 6201 carry on. We owe them a lot.
Clearly the costs of re-steaming 6235 in these days would be awesome.
Personally it would be better to be sent to Tyseley and start some sought of
Society to re-build her back to her former glory. At least try something

Mike Jenks

From Birmingham Post August 1939…

087F7FEB-4B7C-4127-87ED-4AA2EC2743EC.jpeg

6699991F-AF27-4864-A2C2-38961190CA54.jpeg
 
It is good that City of Birmingham has been preserved as part of the National Collection, but I have to ask whether it's current guardians are serving it well. It is still in the paint job that it got when it was sent for its final "resting place" at the then Science Museum in Newhall Street. I saw it there in 1973, but since it's move to the "Think Tank" I wonder if it's really appreciated.

It's one of three members of this superb class of locos now preserved. Of the other two, 46229 "Duchess of Hamilton" has now been re-instated into its streamlined form and is in the York railway museum in its glorious red and gold paint job. Having done many years as a stalwart performer on the main line (I have personally travelled behind it twice on the Settle & Carlisle line), I have mixed feelings that it is now imprisoned in York, leaving 46233 Duchess of Sutherland as the only class member now capable of working on the rail network.

Which is better? To have the loco preserved "in aspic" or to have it working? Either is better than having them turned into scrap metal, but it still leaves us with a dilemma. What do you think?
 
It is good that City of Birmingham has been preserved as part of the National Collection, but I have to ask whether it's current guardians are serving it well. It is still in the paint job that it got when it was sent for its final "resting place" at the then Science Museum in Newhall Street. I saw it there in 1973, but since it's move to the "Think Tank" I wonder if it's really appreciated.

It's one of three members of this superb class of locos now preserved. Of the other two, 46229 "Duchess of Hamilton" has now been re-instated into its streamlined form and is in the York railway museum in its glorious red and gold paint job. Having done many years as a stalwart performer on the main line (I have personally travelled behind it twice on the Settle & Carlisle line), I have mixed feelings that it is now imprisoned in York, leaving 46233 Duchess of Sutherland as the only class member now capable of working on the rail network.

Which is better? To have the loco preserved "in aspic" or to have it working? Either is better than having them turned into scrap metal, but it still leaves us with a dilemma. What do you think?
This question has been raised on other platforms too. The consensus seems to be that to get the City of Birmingham running on steam again would involve considerable and substantial modifications to meet safety standards. When you couple this with the astronomical cost of keeping a vintage steam locomotive running on steam, not only would it be financially inviable, the level of modification would go well beyond conservation.
 
This question has been raised on other platforms too. The consensus seems to be that to get the City of Birmingham running on steam again would involve considerable and substantial modifications to meet safety standards. When you couple this with the astronomical cost of keeping a vintage steam locomotive running on steam, not only would it be financially inviable, the level of modification would go well beyond conservation.
:grinning:
 
These locomotives are now 80+ years old, and, millionaire philanthropists apart, it seems beyond the bounds of sensibility that any of the survivors could be expected to continue indefinitely earning their living on main lines. I think we should appreciate what we’ve got, and the efforts of those maintaining the status quo, especially on Duchess of Sutherland.

I also wonder about the viability of rakes of elderly coaches being dragged down the WCML at the speeds necessary to keep out of the way of the modern train traffic. No doubt someone will advise me if they think I am being too pessimistic.

Cheers
 
These locomotives are now 80+ years old, and, millionaire philanthropists apart, it seems beyond the bounds of sensibility that any of the survivors could be expected to continue indefinitely earning their living on main lines. I think we should appreciate what we’ve got, and the efforts of those maintaining the status quo, especially on Duchess of Sutherland.

I also wonder about the viability of rakes of elderly coaches being dragged down the WCML at the speeds necessary to keep out of the way of the modern train traffic. No doubt someone will advise me if they think I am being too pessimistic.

Cheers
No, I think we have to be realistic about the preservation movement and we should be grateful that there are so many people in the movement who are prepared to put in the time and effort to ensure that locos and stock are as well maintained as they are. I suspect the standards of safety applied to both are better than when these were running in the BR steam era.
 
No, I think we have to be realistic about the preservation movement and we should be grateful that there are so many people in the movement who are prepared to put in the time and effort to ensure that locos and stock are as well maintained as they are. I suspect the standards of safety applied to both are better than when these were running in the BR steam era.
It is very pleasing to hear the comment about standards of safety, and I shall take comfort from that next time I am sitting in a Mk3 doing 85mph down the WCML behind a type 40!
 
Back
Top