RMweb Premium melmerby Posted October 18, 2016 RMweb Premium Share Posted October 18, 2016 Hi all I don't know whether this has cropped up before. In a TV programme yesterday I spotted a stuffed and mounted loco outside Blumsom' s Timber I found it here: https://goo.gl/maps/2UeMb4bKL7F2 Anybody know what it is and why it's there? Cheers Keith Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium John Isherwood Posted October 18, 2016 RMweb Premium Share Posted October 18, 2016 (edited) Hi all I don't know whether this has cropped up before. In a TV programme yesterday I spotted a stuffed and mounted loco outside Blumsom' s Timber I found it here: https://goo.gl/maps/2UeMb4bKL7F2 Anybody know what it is and why it's there? Cheers Keith Nothing originating in the UK, I'm sure. It's not one of the Finnish (?) batch of imports which are of a wider gauge than standard, is it ? Regards, John Isherwood. Edited October 18, 2016 by cctransuk Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
sir douglas Posted October 18, 2016 Share Posted October 18, 2016 about halfway down here http://www.glias.org.uk/news/277news.html suggests that it is finnish and was once owned by the Epping & Ongar 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium melmerby Posted October 18, 2016 Author RMweb Premium Share Posted October 18, 2016 If it's from Finland it will be nominally Russian gauge. (1524mm) Keith Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold Joseph_Pestell Posted October 18, 2016 RMweb Gold Share Posted October 18, 2016 I like the bay window on the cab. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium melmerby Posted October 18, 2016 Author RMweb Premium Share Posted October 18, 2016 I like the bay window on the cab. It's cold in Finland Keith Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Colin Posted October 18, 2016 RMweb Premium Share Posted October 18, 2016 Yes, I think it is a Finnish loco - while working in the area 20-odd years back, I saw around a dozen of them all stored at the premises of Webbs, a truck body company near Sudbury in Suffolk and was allowed to take a close look at some of them. I remember seeing at least two 0-6-0Ts plus various larger types and some coaches - one of the 2-8-0s ended up near Southend for a while (in a yard next to the main Southend arterial road) and IIRC was actually steamed on a short section of track; I think it may have since returned to Finland. One large loco - either a Pacific or a Mikado - was still at Sudbury a few years ago, all but engulfed in vegetation. What happened to the rest - does anyone know? I read somewhere that some had been intended for a theme park in the West Country, presumably this never happened. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
pH Posted October 18, 2016 Share Posted October 18, 2016 I like the bay window on the cab. It's cold in Finland Keith They have similar things on North American railroads, for the same reason:http://www.rr-fallenflags.org/wc/wc713acd.jpg Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium melmerby Posted October 18, 2016 Author RMweb Premium Share Posted October 18, 2016 (edited) Yes, I think it is a Finnish loco - while working in the area 20-odd years back, I saw around a dozen of them all stored at the premises of Webbs, a truck body company near Sudbury in Suffolk and was allowed to take a close look at some of them. I remember seeing at least two 0-6-0Ts plus various larger types and some coaches - one of the 2-8-0s ended up near Southend for a while (in a yard next to the main Southend arterial road) and IIRC was actually steamed on a short section of track; I think it may have since returned to Finland. One large loco - either a Pacific or a Mikado - was still at Sudbury a few years ago, all but engulfed in vegetation. What happened to the rest - does anyone know? I read somewhere that some had been intended for a theme park in the West Country, presumably this never happened. Something still on Bing maps whenever this was taken: https://binged.it/2e3bQbm https://binged.it/2e3biSF Looks like a fair bit of rolling stock there. Keith Edited October 18, 2016 by melmerby Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
EddieB Posted October 19, 2016 Share Posted October 19, 2016 To add to what Colin says, these locos were part of the "strategic reserve" of steam locos set aside in Finland during the Cold War (Sweden and the USSR also had similar allocations, although they differed in how and where locos were kept). After the fall of the Iron Curtain, tensions eased (perhaps prematurely) and the locomotives were offered for sale. A number of the common VR classes Hr1 (4-6-2), Tk3 (2-8-0), Tr1 (2-8-2) at Vr1 (0-6-0T) found their way to the UK, ostensibly for the theme park that never happened, and were subsequently distributed around the country. To the best of my knowledge all have remained in this country (there are plenty of examples preserved in Finland). Their present locations are known and documented, but other than those already remarked upon in this thread I'd rather not list them on a "public" website. The loco at Blumson's Timber Yard in Barking is Vr1 794, which spent some time at Ongar prior to moving there. It is visible from the road outside (per Google Streetview), but I had no problems when asking permission to photograph it from inside the gate (2011). As Keith notes, Tr1 1077 remains on site near Sudbury/Long Melford in Suffolk. Tk3 1151 was the locomotive that was steamed at Southend (and at Ongar). It is now at a private site in a neighbouring county. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobthesod4479 Posted October 19, 2016 Share Posted October 19, 2016 There used to be one ( or two?) of these sited in a builders yard on the A1010 just north of Ponders End. (70s-80s) It was a bit terrifying to come around the left hand bend and suddenly be faced with a massive loco ,appearing to be heading towards you Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
EddieB Posted October 20, 2016 Share Posted October 20, 2016 It is Finnish Railway 792 HEN 0-6-0 T TK 373 1927 No, it's VR Vr1 794 (Tampella 350/1925). VR Vr1 792 was previously at another timber yard, but is now at the same private site as Tk3 1151. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
EddieB Posted October 20, 2016 Share Posted October 20, 2016 There used to be one ( or two?) of these sited in a builders yard on the A1010 just north of Ponders End. (70s-80s) It was a bit terrifying to come around the left hand bend and suddenly be faced with a massive loco ,appearing to be heading towards you Do you mean VR Hr1 1016 that was parked in a builder's yard adjacent to Southbury station? If so, that loco has now gone to a private site (a different one to 1151 and 942) and the builder's yard is now more - buried inevitably under newly-built flats. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobthesod4479 Posted October 25, 2016 Share Posted October 25, 2016 Eddie No it was definitely on the Hertford Road, LH side heading south. I lived about 2 mile fro there ans saw it on a regular basis. It may well have been moved to southbury after i moved away Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steamport Southport Posted October 25, 2016 Share Posted October 25, 2016 Are you sure it's the same locomotives as I thought these were only brought to the UK in the 1990s? Jason Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Colin Posted October 26, 2016 RMweb Premium Share Posted October 26, 2016 I think most, if not all of the Finnish locos arrived in the mid to late '80s. Some rolling stock may have turned up later on. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
EddieB Posted October 26, 2016 Share Posted October 26, 2016 Eddie No it was definitely on the Hertford Road, LH side heading south. I lived about 2 mile fro there ans saw it on a regular basis. It may well have been moved to southbury after i moved away Sorry, my confusion (Southbury station is quite nearby) - 0-6-0T Vr1 792 "HEN" spent several years in the yard of Enfield Timber, 1-23 Hertford Road, but as noted above (post #13) it was removed and is now at a private site. Are you sure it's the same locomotives as I thought these were only brought to the UK in the 1990s? Jason I think most, if not all of the Finnish locos arrived in the mid to late '80s. Some rolling stock may have turned up later on. All the Finnish locos arrived as a batch in 1991. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Colin Posted October 27, 2016 RMweb Premium Share Posted October 27, 2016 Fair enough, it must be my (poor) memory playing tricks again! I always did wonder just what use a load of 5' gauge locos we're going to be - I was once told that rebuilding one or more of them to standard gauge was considered but soon dismissed as a complete non starter if only on grounds of cost, never mind how much actual work it would entail. Got to say, the Pacifics and Mikados are very attractive IMO. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
HonestTom Posted September 1, 2023 Share Posted September 1, 2023 On 19/10/2016 at 12:28, EddieB said: To add to what Colin says, these locos were part of the "strategic reserve" of steam locos set aside in Finland during the Cold War (Sweden and the USSR also had similar allocations, although they differed in how and where locos were kept). After the fall of the Iron Curtain, tensions eased (perhaps prematurely) and the locomotives were offered for sale. A number of the common VR classes Hr1 (4-6-2), Tk3 (2-8-0), Tr1 (2-8-2) at Vr1 (0-6-0T) found their way to the UK, ostensibly for the theme park that never happened, and were subsequently distributed around the country. To the best of my knowledge all have remained in this country (there are plenty of examples preserved in Finland). Their present locations are known and documented, but other than those already remarked upon in this thread I'd rather not list them on a "public" website. The loco at Blumson's Timber Yard in Barking is Vr1 794, which spent some time at Ongar prior to moving there. It is visible from the road outside (per Google Streetview), but I had no problems when asking permission to photograph it from inside the gate (2011). As Keith notes, Tr1 1077 remains on site near Sudbury/Long Melford in Suffolk. Tk3 1151 was the locomotive that was steamed at Southend (and at Ongar). It is now at a private site in a neighbouring county. Vr1 794 is no longer there. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium melmerby Posted September 1, 2023 Author RMweb Premium Share Posted September 1, 2023 (edited) Must've gone in the last 12 months or so as it was still there in July 22. It's started to look more and more decrepit Edited September 1, 2023 by melmerby Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Gold papagolfjuliet Posted September 2, 2023 RMweb Gold Share Posted September 2, 2023 (edited) One of the Finnish imports has been restored to working order - in BR apple green! - by David Buck. It appears to have been converted to burn people, which let's face it is cheaper than coal nowadays. Edited September 3, 2023 by papagolfjuliet 6 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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