Return of 82E 4F 43924

[bristolian]

It's great to see some photos of my old 'back yard'. In '65 I lived in no.81 Barrow Road, almost opposite the Coop and halfway between the south end of the viaduct and the Forgeman's Arms. A tumbledown old house with outside lavy and no electric - all gas lights.

Once homework was done, most evenings were spent on the swings in Atchley Park watching locos arrive on shed. We frequently went round the back and over the wall in Days Road, getting our hands covered in a gooey mess, which I presume was fallout of some sorts from the gasworks.

I do recall it was not unusual to see an ex LNER B1 there at times. Any thoughts on where they worked in from?

It was on a trip to the KWVR in about 1972 that I became reacquainted with 43924 - instant recall told me that this was an ex-Barrow Road engine.

I've read (I believe in Rex Coffin's book) that the 'gooey mess' was applied to the wall to stop people going on shed that way...

[the green mile]

Very plausible. It was horrible trying to get it off your hands. Remember the curved mound of brickwork you had to climb up onto the parapet?

[bristolian]

Very plausible. It was horrible trying to get it off your hands. Remember the curved mound of brickwork you had to climb up onto the parapet?

I wish I do - alas, that was all before my time. I became a regular visitor to the area from the summer of 1975. At that time though, Days Road itself was unchanged, although the houses were long-gone...

[the green mile]

Thanks for that Trafalger. Some of those B1 numbers sound familiar but I never saw a namer. 61394 seems to stick in the mind and I am sure she was stabled in the roundhouse for several days midweek. Possibly a failure? The only other ER loco I saw in Bristol in normal service was a K1 no. 62005 which drifted through Lawrence Hill (GW S Wales line) on a down freight one evening. Apart from that, it was Mallard and Scotsman on specials mid 60's

[Robin Summerhill]

Some of those B1 numbers sound familiar but I never saw a namer.

The first B1 I ever saw was just before Christmas 1962 at the eastern portal of Staple Hill tunnel. It was later reported in Modern Railways as working into Bristol on a Christmas parcels extra. 61033 Dibatag

[worthvalleyfitter]

Good shots of the 4F at work on the Worth Valley.

I have a photo of it in its BR days in 1963/64. I had thought the engine was 44269, but having examined it with a stamp magnifying glass, it is definitely 43924.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/bristolste ... 5157165429

Thanks for that Pat, but I think your original thought is correct as the old girl in the picture is LH drive.

Regards
Ralph

[Marsh'Un]

B1`s in Bristol....

Imagine, if you will, a young transpotter and his elder brother "bunking" 82B on a sunny Sunday afternoon circa April 1964.
The Marsh is in its dying throes, with very little of note on shed.
But wait...what is this lurking at the back of the shed......lo and behold...
61002 IMPALA !!!!

Fast forward to June/July 1964 and another murky Saturday morning at Barrow Road MPD.
82B has recently closed and 82E is full to the brim with ex-GW locos as well as the usual mix of ex-LMS types and BR Standards
But today really is a red letter day - with no less than 3 B1`s in attendance - plus (wait for it) - an absolutely spotless unrebuilt "BATTLE OF BRITAIN" PACIFIC !!!!!!(34079)

I later discovered that 61002 has worked down from York on an ICI train to Avonmouth.

34079 was rostered to work an enthusiasts special to Derby on the Sunday - Does anyone know which route out of Bristol was used?

Also, was this the only occasion when 82E had engines from all four English regions on shed ?

Finally, I saw one of the B1`s (61153) working north on a passenger train the same day, passing Barrow Road at approx 2 to 3pm - Any thoughts on the exact working ??

[trafalgar45682]

According to my notes 34079 was on Barrow Road from Tuesday June 16 until Saturday June 20, 1964. There were 3 B1's on shed on the Saturday, 61315, 61153 and 61167.

The 12.45 Sheffield (originating from Weston) was often B1 hauled that Summer on a Saturday.

61153 was on the train on Saturday July 11.

[NDTSDN]

B1`s in Bristol....

Imagine, if you will, a young transpotter and his elder brother "bunking" 82B on a sunny Sunday afternoon circa April 1964.
The Marsh is in its dying throes, with very little of note on shed.
But wait...what is this lurking at the back of the shed......lo and behold...
61002 IMPALA !!!!

Fast forward to June/July 1964 and another murky Saturday morning at Barrow Road MPD.
82B has recently closed and 82E is full to the brim with ex-GW locos as well as the usual mix of ex-LMS types and BR Standards
But today really is a red letter day - with no less than 3 B1`s in attendance - plus (wait for it) - an absolutely spotless unrebuilt "BATTLE OF BRITAIN" PACIFIC !!!!!!(34079)

I later discovered that 61002 has worked down from York on an ICI train to Avonmouth.

34079 was rostered to work an enthusiasts special to Derby on the Sunday - Does anyone know which route out of Bristol was used?

Also, was this the only occasion when 82E had engines from all four English regions on shed ?

Finally, I saw one of the B1`s (61153) working north on a passenger train the same day, passing Barrow Road at approx 2 to 3pm - Any thoughts on the exact working ??

If the BB is the same loco/train that my dad took some cine of, then it went via Ashley Hill bank. There cannot be many BB's that went that way.

[worthvalleyfitter]

Of course, there is always another possible explanation. If he couldn't get enough steam out of a 4F, and if he had trouble maintaining steam pressure up Fishponds bank with 12 hanging behind an unrebuilt Patriot, his skills at firing these things may have left something to be desired!

I might introduce that possibility into the conversation one nght when he's in a good mood

Great reply Robin, I'd love to see your friend's face when you put that one to him. You might point out that he must have been putting too much rock down the front as Skipton men say that was one way guaranteed to send a 4F off the boil.

I had an interesting conversation last night - we are still on speaking terms The reply went something on the lines of:

"Footplate work is team work. If your driver thought you weren't up to scratch or not doing things properly, he'd soon bloody tell you. When he was trying to drag an express up to Fishponds with a cold unrebuilt Patriot, or trying to catch the train he was supposed to be banking up there with a 4F, both through lack of steam, he knew exactly what problems you were having because he'd had the same problems himself when he was a fireman."

Perhaps "Skipton men" had some superhuman powers? Could be the fresh mountain air up there at the root of it? (There's not much "fresh mountain air" at Fishponds, or even Mangotsfield, let alone at Kingswood Junction )

If our friend from "The Two Pigs" has access to You Tube he might care to look up recent inputs for 43924, in particular that for 22nd October 2011 by Penny Steam. where she's steaming away from Damems Loop blowing off against 1 injector with the driver's side being put on as well. Admiitedly there are no ovoids in the tender!

As one of the lads on the recent Mel Thorley outing, attended by 6 of 82E's finest said " I haven't been on a 4F that's blown off before!"

Rumours abound that 82E's other extant Jub - Galatea- is nearing completion over at 11A - lets hope that West Coast Rail use her on quite a few workings back on her home territory as I can quite imagine the welcoming committee as she pulls in to Bristol TM from the North.

Happy Christmas to all!

Ralph

[trafalgar45682]

43924 is becoming quite a star !

An article, with then and now pictures, of Barrow Road man John Clarke on the footplate in last month's Stam Railway.

And gracing the cover of this month's Steam Railway.

[Pines Alan]

[Fast forward to June/July 1964 and another murky Saturday morning at Barrow Road MPD.
82B has recently closed and 82E is full to the brim with ex-GW locos as well as the usual mix of ex-LMS types and BR Standards
But today really is a red letter day - with no less than 3 B1`s in attendance - plus (wait for it) - an absolutely spotless unrebuilt "BATTLE OF BRITAIN" PACIFIC !!!!!!(34079)


34079 was rostered to work an enthusiasts special to Derby on the Sunday - Does anyone know which route out of Bristol was used?]]

For some reason missed the reference to 34079 until the other day. In my collection I have a photo of 34079 heading a passenger train north through Staple Hill; unfortunately not dated.

[trafalgar45682]

34079 had an interesting week at Barrow Road, according to my notes.

On Tuesday June 16, 1964, it had been put in the "withdrawn" part of the Roster Board (presumably a joke by the foreman) and I remember one of the men at Barrow Road commenting that it couldn't be withdrawn, as it was in such excellent external condition.

Next day it was listed as under repair

On June 18 it had "rocking grate" next to its number and on the Friday it was listed as "ready for firing".

As others have said, it then took out its special on the Sunday.

[Marsh'Un]

Bachmann UK have announced that an OO Gauge model of 43924 in `as preserved` condition will be among their new releases for this year.

Hornby released an early BR version of the same engine several years ago (with `British Railways` lettering on the tender).

2 different models of the same engine puts 43924 on a par with `Flying Scotsman !!

Or perhaps not.................

[worthvalleyfitter]

Bachmann UK have announced that an OO Gauge model of 43924 in `as preserved` condition will be among their new releases for this year.

Hornby released an early BR version of the same engine several years ago (with `British Railways` lettering on the tender).

2 different models of the same engine puts 43924 on a par with `Flying Scotsman !!

Or perhaps not.................

The Hornby version was a rework of the old Airfix one and was rubbish as it had the old girl as LH drive.
We can perhaps claim a little responsibility for Bachman getting interested as one of their design team periodically comes to Haworth when he needs to measure up something or other. We were discussing the forthcoming 3F when it was pointed out how simple it would be to do a 4F given that so much was in common and they already had a Fowler tender in their repertoire. Measurements were taken from 43924 as she is now, but other than being a litlle cleaner, and having tender coal rails there is little change from when Dennis Griffiths, Nobby Clark et al knew her as I'm sure they will testify after their outing last October so if you modellers wish to project her back to the 60's then take a sharp object to the coal rails, put the tender vents back in the coal space and Robert is your father's brother.

I got hold of the splendid DVD RAilways Around Bristol by Terry Nicholls which this site recommended. Whilst 43924 seems mainly to appear as the Westerleigh "taxi", there is one shot of an unidentified 4F double heading the postal set with a standard 3 tank up to the triangle for turning. We are pretty sure this is 43924 for not only is it RH drive but there is a large oblong rusty patch on the RH tender side above the beading which seems to be a feature on several other photos of her including that on the cover of Colin Maggs book "The Yate to Thornbury Branch".

Yesterday saw her working a Pullman set. Now THAT must be a first for an 82E 4F.

Regards to all from oop north.