Poll to decide B12’s next livery
MEMBERS of the Midland & Great Northern Joint Railway Society are being invited to vote for the livery to be carried by B12 No. 8572 following overhaul.
The LNER-built 4-6-0 of Great Eastern Railway design was withdrawn from traffic at the North Norfolk Railway following a farewell weekend on October 30/31. With its 10-year boiler certificate close to expiry, the railway wanted to start the overhaul as soon as possible and return it to steam in good time for its centenary in 2028.
The M&GNJR Society, which owns the locomotive, is holding a members’ poll to decide which livery will be applied to the Holdendesigned engine when it returns to steam, with the two options being LNER apple green or British Railways lined black.
The inside cylinder machine has worn LNER green throughout its most recent 10-year ticket, since 2012. It also carried apple green when it first steamed in preservation in 1995 but was repainted in BR black in 1999 and remained in the nationalised guise until 2007. LNER wartime black, with the abbreviated NE lettering on the tender, was also briefly applied for the NNR’s Wartime Weekend on September 25/26, 1999, prior to the BR makeover.
The online and postal poll runs from December to February 28, 2022, and the result will be published before Easter. Votes must be recorded from at least 10% of the society’s 2000-plus members for the poll to be valid.
Society vice chairman Ashley Barrs said: “The B12 has a strong following among enthusiasts, many of whom who are not currently society members. We anticipate that some of these will want to join in order to have their say. They would be most welcome.”
Between now and March next year, No. 8572 will be dismantled for its condition to be assessed before tenders are invited and contracts awarded for the work. It is estimated that the overhaul will cost £400,000, and the society will shortly launch an appeal for £250,000, called ‘Steaming into the Next Century’, while the balance will be drawn from society funds.
Details of how to join the society can be found at www.mandgn.org and details of the appeal at www. mandgn.org/steaming-into-the-nextcentury