Brighton Atlantic progress

[TRP]

BIG NEWS!

'Beachy Head' has made it's first moves under it's own steam at Sheffield Park on 6th June. The dates for the loco's entry into service are yet to be confirmed.

https://www.facebook.com/bluebellrai...5609188079777/

Tony

[46232]

Marvellous news Tony. The volunteers who put the time in down there must be very happy

[FrannyStephLux]

Originally Posted by TRP

The boiler for new build 'Brighton Atlantic' No.32424 'Beachy Head' has passed it's hydraulic test today, keeping the loco on target for a Summer 2021 completion.
The new build will revive a missing class in preservation, the LB&SCR Marsh class H2 4-4-2 (Atlantic) and is being built using a boiler from a Great Northern Railway Atlantic, which was discovered in use as a stationary boiler at a factory in Essex. The LBSCR H2 was a very similar design to the GNR C1 class, hence the suitability of using the ex-GNR boiler.
Aside from the boiler, the project is making use of the tender frame from a LBSCR C2X class 0-6-0, but everything else is being built from scratch. Currently, the bottom half of the loco is substantially complete, the tender has been wheeled and just recently the all-new tender tank has arrived and lowered onto the frames.

https://www.bluebell-railway.co.uk/b...ic/latest.html

Tony

That's fantastic news about the boiler passing its hydraulic test! The revival of the LB&SCR Marsh class H2 4-4-2 sounds like an incredible project. How is the overall progress on the locomotive looking, and are there any upcoming milestones we should look forward to?

[TRP]

August launch for 'Beachy Head'

It is hoped that new build 'Brighton Atlantic' No.32424 'Beachy Head' will be formally launched into traffic at the Bluebell Railway "between 23rd August and 1st September", subject to the satisfactory completion of testing.

Details here, although some still TBC...

https://www.bluebell-railway.com/beachy-head-2024/

The post also summarises the history of the class and how the project to recreate the H2 took shape.

Tony

[pre65]

A short clip of Beachy Head moving.

https://youtu.be/HgVVxSh8pho?si=ZsJko4KS9deRZCfF

[tonyharker]

It would look better in LBSCR umber or SR olive not that awful BR Black.

[TRP]

Originally Posted by tonyharker

It would look better in LBSCR umber or SR olive not that awful BR Black.

I believe (and hope) a change to LBSCR or SR livery may follow but for now I think it's in BR black mainly because of the original loco travelling over the now-Bluebell Railway on a RCTS Railtour in April 1958.

Tony