6880 Betton Grange in steam.

[45568]

https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=769513391942009&set=pcb.769513435275338

 

Very well done to all concerned!

Cheers from Oz,

Peter C.

[didcot]

She looks the part.

[papagolfjuliet]

It lives! 

 

[rogerzilla]

The SVR website says it won't be running at next weekend's steam gala.  Must have teething troubles.

[5944]

 

On 14/04/2024 at 10:41, rogerzilla said:

The SVR website says it won't be running at next weekend's steam gala.  Must have teething troubles.

They haven't had time to find out if it's got teething troubles! It was meant to be ready in January (or 2018 if you read their website) but has only just been completed. It's already missed two galas, won't be at SVR in time, and its booking for WSR in May has been cancelled as well.

 

The Bluebell Atlantic group have got it right - it'll be ready when it's ready. I know they've got a date in mind, but won't announce it publicly until it's completed and fully tested.

[rogerzilla]

I wasn't that bothered about seeing it but some people may have booked gala tickets for that reason.  Oh well, it's all in the small print!

[Blandford1969]

On 14/04/2024 at 10:41, rogerzilla said:

The SVR website says it won't be running at next weekend's steam gala.  Must have teething troubles.

Not so much teething problems as you would not put a brand new loco out on normal workings without a good couple of hundred miles running in and then loaded tests to make sure everything is ok. Blue Peter for example is doing about 1000 miles of running in and loaded test trains on the SVR

[billy_anorak59]

Privileged to be invited along to Tyseley as a guest on Saturday at Betton's grand unveiling to it's supporters - a superb build and huge credit to all involved. Very nice!

 

The 88C (Barry) shed plate was a nice touch too, considering the origins of the loco.

 

Edited April 29 by billy_anorak59

[Miss Prism]

It's a bit 'ansome, innit?

[298]

It looked and sounded great at a very busy GWSR today- strange seeing it with 2999, it was like two versions of the same loco where their wheels didn't quite look the right size (no criticism of either project, it's more because I'm used to seeing Hall locos). 

Full credit to all those involved in both projects, I'd rather see those parts being put to use instead of as an ex-Barry loco whose restoration fails to gather momentum because it'd be just another member of the same class...

 

 

 

(Average age=3yrs)

[rogerzilla]

BG did look good, although I think I'd have preferred it in GWR livery.  There was a non-stop double headed train with LoL and Foremarke Hall (which of course has to be in BR livery) and that really showed up the difference in wheel size, since the locos are otherwise so similar.

[StephenB]

Surely the reason why FM has to carry BR livery applies to BG, or am I missing something?

 

Stephen

[Hal Nail]

28 minutes ago, StephenB said:

Surely the reason why FM has to carry BR livery applies to BG, or am I missing something?

 

Stephen

FM was built by BR, BG was to have been built by GWR, were it not for the war?

 

Utterly academic either way!

[adb968008]

On 27/05/2024 at 21:57, 298 said:

It looked and sounded great at a very busy GWSR today- strange seeing it with 2999, it was like two versions of the same loco where their wheels didn't quite look the right size (no criticism of either project, it's more because I'm used to seeing Hall locos). 

Full credit to all those involved in both projects, I'd rather see those parts being put to use instead of as an ex-Barry loco whose restoration fails to gather momentum because it'd be just another member of the same class...

 

 

 

(Average age=3yrs)

Not really 3 years, most of these locos are original metal, indeed 3 halls have been used to make this picture possible.

 

its nice to see them recreated, but they are rebuilds, the Grange is even on original GWR era wheels.

Tornado still gets to hold the reigns on being mostly new metal, even if they recreation of a saint and grange is a fantastic site.

 

 

[Rugd1022]

Some of my shots of BG from last week... it really is a handsome looking machine, from every angle, hats off to everyone involved...

 

 

 

 

As for the livery - I prefer the BR version, 1) to me GW locos always look 'naked' without the BR smokebox number plate, and 2) it's probably down to spending too many years with my head buried in the Bradford Barton 'GW Steam...' albums which (mostly) cover the BR years...!

 

 

 

[MPR]

6880 at Watchet on the West Somerset Railway

 

 

[Matt37268]

Is it a small hall? Or is it just a large manor? 

[Andy Kirkham]

10 hours ago, Matt37268 said:

Is it a small hall? Or is it just a large manor? 

I suppose it's either, but the Granges had redesigned cylinders, which led to them being considered by some superior to Halls.

[Miss Prism]

 

[The Stationmaster]

On 07/07/2024 at 13:24, Andy Kirkham said:

I suppose it's either, but the Granges had redesigned cylinders, which led to them being considered by some superior to Halls.

The heart of the difference between a 'Hall' and a 'Grange' was athe subtle combination of the 'Grange's smaller driving wheels plus a larger steam chest.  This made them much better on banks than the larger wheeled 'Halls' although they probably lost out at the top end of the speed range on passenger working due to their smaller driving wheels.  That apart everything else was the same on the two classes - same boiler, same cylinders, and just about same everything else.

 

Interesting too to realise that because of a request from the traffic dept Collett effectively created the smaller wheeled 4-6-0 which Churchward had included in his original standardisation scheme but never built because of the success of the 43XX 2-6-0 (which of course wasn't included in his original scheme).

 

Ask any Driver who had the choice of which they could have where a lot of gradient work was involved and invariably they would chose the 'Grange' over the 'Hall' although they were actually permitted the same loads as each other.

[Neal Ball]

Does anyone know what the issue was on Friday 19th July when it failed at the West Somerset and needed to be rescued on the line?

 

It was outside the shed yesterday, but not in steam.

 

Thanks

 

[34theletterbetweenB&D]

Betton Grange was barking and smoking like it was going out of fashion - as was the identical looking Hall it was double heading with - on the 27th July while we were having a murder mystery or onboard dining trip, (dependent on which end of the train you were sitting in). I did however notice that I had never seen a Swindon loco look so shiny, while observing the scene during the stopover at Minehead; and now I have got around to looking it up it turns out it's pretty much new.

 

The up and down twisty turny route was much appreciated, with little stations for places never heard of (every three miles?) and watching the crew get the Hall balanced on the turntable was a real nostalgia trip.

[Matt37268]

Is it a big manor? Or just a small hall? 

[KingEdwardII]

19 hours ago, Matt37268 said:

Is it a big manor? Or just a small hall? 

It's more of a small Hall class - effectively a Hall with smaller wheels. Grange class was still Red route limited like the Hall class, whereas the Manor class were deliberately Blue route classification by design, by being lighter weight.

Hence the Manors ran on the Cambrian main line Shrewsbury - Aberystwyth, where Red classification engines could not go.

 

Yours, Mike.

[Matt37268]

7 minutes ago, KingEdwardII said:

It's more of a small Hall class - effectively a Hall with smaller wheels. Grange class was still Red route limited like the Hall class, whereas the Manor class were deliberately Blue route classification by design, by being lighter weight.

Hence the Manors ran on the Cambrian main line Shrewsbury - Aberystwyth, where Red classification engines could not go.

 

Yours, Mike.

I appreciate your feedback, I was (as ever) being a little bit silly 😀