Truth stranger than fiction?

[David Holman]

 Went to the Spa Valley Railway yesterday for a birthday treat and came across this curious beastie. A strange hybrid to say the least, so double House Points if, unlike me, you know its ancestry.

 Not even remotely Irish of course, but begs the question of what 'might have beens' could be created on the other side of the water...?

 

 The answer to this loco's heritage is that it is a bog standard Hunslet Austerity/LNER J94 0-6-0ST. It belongs to a private owner, though before that spent time at Longmoor and also at Swindon, where after fitting Kylchap ejector and mechanical stoker was tested with a dynamometer car and produced almost 900bhp!

 Anyway, after time on the Bristol Suburban Railway and Dart Valley/South Devon Railway, it found its way to Mid Hants, where they removed the saddle tank and bunker before adding a Fowler 3500 gallon tender. All this to turn it into 'Douglas' from the Thomas the Tank Engine stories. Since then, it has been at the Ribble Steam Railway and is now based on the East Lancs Railway, but is at Tunbridge Wells on loan at the moment. Quite the wanderer!

 Anyway, thought it interesting enough to share. Given the very limited numbers of preserved Irish locos, can't think for a minute that the IRPS will want to do anything similar, but equally, found myself wondering what conversions or adaptions were proposed back in the day - after all the Great Northern certainly based some of their 4-4-0s and 0-6-0s on the same underpinnings.

 Will look forward to seeing both facts and fiction.

[Galteemore]

Belated Happy Birthday David ! I came across this loco years ago and thought it was a genius idea. A relatively modern loco with a much more classical appearance than the chunky Austerity look so typical of UK preservation in the 80s when a saddle tank with a Mk1 was pretty standard fare.

[jhb171achill]

Wow! An interesting beast indeed!

This side of the pond, the Atkinson Walker steam tractor converted to a diesel shunter by the CDR springs to mind as an equal in oddness…..

[Andy Cundick]

The Broad gauge "Iron Duke" built for the Science Museum, Boiler and cylinder block from an Austerity,tender and carrying heels were 08 shunter wheels and the tender axle boxes and guides from a pair of ROD tenders which had been sat in the con yard at Swindon for a fair number of years shame really as they had been used as sludge tenders with the middle axle removedyou could still see ROD on the side of them,Andy.

[minister_for_hardship]

"Pat", the Cork coal gantry loco. Bodged together from an ancient Wakefield tender, vertical boiler, odds and sods and added customised corrugated iron sheet weather protection.

[jhb171achill]

Some of the earlier Donegal railcars, converted from British standard gauge rail buses, or road buses….

[airfixfan]

CDR Railcars 2 and 3w were Ford Railcars from the Derwent Valley Light Railway. Forbes loved a bargain like Phoenix

[Andy Cundick]

Railcars 9 and 10 were the two survivors of the 4 REO buses the Donegal used in the early 30s,Andy

[airfixfan]

Have a few photos of them in my new County Donegal Railway book which can be pre ordered now from the Donegal Railway Heritage Centre. This new book is sponsored so ALL monies raised support railway preservation in County Donegal.

[Mayner]

One of the more interesting transformations was the Midland Great Western re-building of four Avonside 0-6-0s dating from 1878 as practically new locos as the MGWR H Class from 1906 onwards. 

Ordered by the Waterford Dungarvan and Lismore, the locos were apparently rejected as a result of late delivery before being bought cheaply by the MGWR.

In their original form the locos had an almost "Long Boiler" appearance with a high pitched boiler and conventional cab similar to the Hunslet Austerity re-build as opposed to the relatively low pitched boilers fitted to contemporary MGWR & GSWR locos.

The Avonsides appear to have been restricted to banking duties because of insufficient boiler power until fitted with larger boilers following their first rebuild, the locos received a second rebuild between 1918 and 1922 during which they were fitted with superheaters and piston valves and large tenders, practically new locos apart from wheels cranks and frames.

The high pitched boiler and firebox was largely dictated by the locos symmetrical 7'6" + 7'6" coupled wheelbase, I don't know whether this was driven by Avonsides Industrial heritage or the curves of the Waterford Dungarvan & Lismore line.

Even in their final rebuilt form the Hs or J6 looked unusual for an Irish 0-6-0 with their high pitched boilers, small driving wheels, straight running board and rear overhang.

I have got to build one some day!

[minister_for_hardship]

CIE 356, Bulleid's Dr Frankenstein's monster!

[David Holman]

Splendid stuff, everyone!

[jhb171achill]

On 20/6/2022 at 11:34 AM, Mayner said:

One of the more interesting transformations was the Midland Great Western re-building of four Avonside 0-6-0s dating from 1878 as practically new locos as the MGWR H Class from 1906 onwards. 

In their original form the locos had an almost "Long Boiler" appearance with a high pitched boiler and conventional cab similar to the Hunslet Austerity re-build as opposed to the relatively low pitched boilers fitted to contemporary MGWR & GSWR locos.

The Avonsides appear to have been restricted to banking duties because of insufficient boiler power until fitted with larger boilers following their first rebuild, the locos received a second rebuild between 1918 and 1922 during which they were fitted with superheaters and piston valves and large tenders, practically new locos apart from wheels cranks and frames.

The high pitched boiler and firebox was largely dictated by the locos symmetrical 7'6" + 7'6" coupled wheelbase, I don't know whether this was driven by Avonsides Industrial heritage or the curves of the Waterford Dungarvan & Lismore line.

Even in their final rebuilt form the Hs or J6 looked unusual for an Irish 0-6-0 with their high pitched boilers, small driving wheels, straight running board and rear overhang.

I have got to build one some day!

That looks like a design that could be related to a British prototype, as you suggest. I wonder is there a “near-enough” RTR British loco which could be made to look like one with little more than dark grey paint and GSR-style numberplates?

Edited July 3, 2022 by jhb171achill

[Galteemore]

9 minutes ago, jhb171achill said:

That looks like a design that could be related to a British prototype, as you suggest. I wonder is there a “near-enough” RTR British loco which could be made to look like one with little more than dark grey paint and GSR-style numberplates?

Bachmann J11 has the right wheelbase. 5’2 wheels rather than 4’9 but hey if you’re on 16.5mm gauge already …..https://www.hattons.co.uk/52542/bachmann_branchline_31_318_class_j11_robinson_gcr_9j_5317_in_lner_black/stockdetail