RADIANT ‘RADIAL’
Celebrating the revival of Lyme Regis stalwart No. 30583. Will it ever return to steam?
What makes the Bluebell Railway special? There is a variety of answers to that question, but one of them is undoubtedly its exotic array of unusual and elegant locomotives. Perhaps that’s no wonder, given that the Bluebell began to amass its collection almost a decade before the end of steam.
But delve deeper, and ask which of those locomotives are unique survivors of motive power, rather than simply historic ones, since none of them are either the pocket-sized tanks, nor are they the big Bulleid or BR Standard engines. The answer is found in the Bluebell’s middle order: the Chatham ‘C’, ‘H’ and ‘O1’, Brighton’s ‘E4’ Birch Grove, the Maunsell ‘Q’, the GWR ‘Dukedog’… the ‘Radial’. In other words, designs of locomotive that you won’t find anywhere else on Earth.
With the exception of the GWR 4-4-0 hybrid, all of those engines are an ideal fit for the Bluebell when it plays to its optimum Southern branch line-cum-secondary line image. Interwoven with period infrastructure and vintage stock, it really can be a match made in Sussex.
And yet, while most of those mentioned are either in regular use, or have steamed within the last decade, there’s one that you could have been forgiven for having half-forgotten about: the LSWR Adams ‘0415’ – an engine that is now firmly back in the limelight after three decades.
This sole-surviving ‘Radial’, erstwhile No. 488, is a surviving embodiment of the often overlooked and underestimated design work of William Adams – LSWR locomotive superintendent between 1878 and 1895.
Adams was a pioneer of many things, including standardisation of parts and technological advances; both manifested in his ‘415’ (later ‘0415’), which was a refinement of his earlier, comparatively makeshift, suburban ‘46’ 4-4-0Ts.
PIVOTAL DesIGN
A pivoting radial axle (designed by another William Adams!) and leading bogie were features ahead of their time, matched with big wheels and a free-steaming boiler, plus the addition of 1,000 gallons of water storage in two side tanks and a third tank (hidden within the one-ton capacity coal bunker). It made these elegant-looking machines well equipped for quick and intensive suburban trains.
And yet while they were undoubtedly popular, the introduction of newer locomotive designs – and subsequent onset of third-rail electrification in the London area – meant that many of the ‘0415s’ were relegated to rural backwaters of the LSWR system early in their lives. This was in line with the redeployment of several other locomotives, like the handful of Beattie well tanks, which found a niche in a china clay-rich corner of Cornwall, while one third of Adams’ own 0-4-4Ts, the ‘O2s’, were shipped across the
Solent to the Isle of Wight, where they would eke out their existence until the penultimate year of British Rail steam.
For the Adams ‘Radials’ – all but wiped out by the end of the 1920s – it was the sinuous Axminster to Lyme Regis branch in Dorset that ensured the prolonged survival for the class, albeit only two engines – Nos. 125 and 520 (later Nos. 3125 and 3520) – that were the Southern Railway’s final pick of the bunch from 30 engines that had already survived the LSWR cull prior to the 1923 Grouping.
These gallant machines served the snaking 6¾-mile branch line magnificently, surmounting hills with grades as steep as 1-in-40, through another war, almost two decades after the other remaining ‘Radials’ had already been pensioned off. With one exception: No. 488.
It’s an engine that had luck on its side on several occasions, thanks in no small part to the two world wars (see
panel), and it eventually found itself plying its trade on trains to the Jurassic coast with its ‘siblings’. They succeeded on this line where others failed, until 1961 when Ivatt 2‑6‑2Ts finally made the ‘Radials’ redundant.
FIRST CHOICE
When it came to choosing one of these remarkably long‑lived engines to save, the new start‑up Bluebell Railway Preservation Society was more concerned with originality rather than the mechanical condition of the final trio of ‘Radials’.
That made No. 30583 the perfect candidate: it was the only one of the three to retain its original Adams (rather than Drummond) boiler; the graceful frames with curving fronts (instead of the angular Southern rebuilds); and single (rather than double) slidebars. Plus, for the historians, its unique tale of multiple ownership and near‑death experiences gave the engine an allure all of its own and made it a highly desirable working artefact.
After entering service at the Bluebell immediately from the day it arrived on July 12 1961, No. 488 – as it became known again – was sent to Swindon Works, of all places, for overhaul between 1971 and 1973 (SR483).
The ‘Radial’s’ popularity rose, both with enthusiasts who revelled in the chance of seeing one of the few lasting links with the now closed Lyme Regis branch, and also with the wider public, thanks to various film, television and music video appearances.
A further boiler lift and repair was undertaken in the early Eighties and the ‘Radial’ continued until 1990, by which time old age had caught up with the condition of its boiler.
Its grate, ashpan and smokebox were cleaned of the remnants of its last fire, the boiler drained down and No. 488 was tucked away in the shed at Sheffield Park for the longest slumber of its life, venturing out on odd occasions for display at Horsted Keynes and a one‑off show in the streets of Shepperton in Surrey to mark the Thames Valley Railway’s 150th anniversary in 2014.
FRIENDS REUNITED
Which brings us back to today.
It would be unreasonable to argue that this 1885 gem has been ‘forgotten’ or neglected – since it assumed pride of place in the Bluebell’s ‘SteamWorks!’ attraction in the engine shed at Sheffield Park. But what is an indisputable fact is that it hasn’t run for 29 years, so hasn’t been a shining star of the railway’s fleet – unlike many of its pre‑Grouping compatriots – for a whole generation.
That will change. In fact, it already has changed because this elegant, loping locomotive has been given an overdue facelift, ahead of a special date with some (very) old friends later this month.
Things began to unfold last autumn when Bluebell Locomotive Director Chris Hunford received agreement in principle for the hire of Isle of Wight ‘O2’ No. W24 Calbourne and former Wenfordbridge ‘0298’ well tank No. 30587 for the March 15‑17 Branch Line Weekend. Dialogue between the Bluebell and Steam Railway developed into an idea to involve a third geriatric LSWR locomotive, No. 488, which – along with its island and Cornish counterparts – owes its ultimate survival to quirks of geographic and permanent way history. Together, they would present a collage of holiday engines of our youth – or childhoods that we like to dream we’d had.
But with Calbourne and the Beattie both in post‑1948 livery, the faded pea‑green No. 488 would look somewhat out of keeping,
because if you want an engine to shout ‘classic Lyme Regis branch’ it really has to be black. And since the engine only ran over the Dorset line in its current physical condition after 1959, to be strictly accurate, the British Railways late crest is the order of the day.
The choice won’t please everyone, yet the 4-4-2T has been presented in both dark and light versions of LSWR green for the last 57 years, apart from a few months between autumn 1982 and spring 1983 when it was fleetingly turned out in BR livery.
By mid-January an agreement was in place: the Bluebell Railway Trust and Steam Railway would help fund the cosmetic restoration, while Heritage Painting – of Mallard and Flying Scotsman fame
– got on board by offering to complete the work with significant benefits in kind.
Off came the stovepipe chimney and out of stores came the Drummond equivalent ahead of the 4-4-2T’s move into the shed across the yard at Sheffield Park. On January 14, the engine was wheeled through the shed doors a Victorian lady – two weeks later it was ready to emerge a veteran of Queen Elizabeth II’s early reign and take its rightful place at the gala later this month.
The Bulleid Society was inspired, too, and is also reverting its own Adams locomotive – ‘B4’ dock tank No. 96 Normandy – to its BR-era livery as No. 30096 to complete a one-off four-engine line-up of LSWR motive power at the event.
After the well tank heads 240 miles north to the National Railway Museum and the ‘O2’ sets sail for the island again, the ‘Radial’ will once again take its place in the engine shed at Sheffield Park. This building has recently reopened to the public following a £1.5 million refit, meaning that No. 30583 will be well protected and displayed for the foreseeable future.
‘RADIAL’ RESURRECTION?
That might be the end of the story. But if the reappearance of No. 30583 means that its renewed high profile remains after the end of this month, then it’s likely that calls for its return to the
front line of Bluebell Railway operation will increase. And while that doesn’t automatically translate into an overhaul, there are reasons for being cautiously, rather than blindly, optimistic that this could be the first step towards the day when No. 30583 can become a living creature once more – and preservation’s only working standard gauge 4-4-2T.
But there are some significant questions to answer and hurdles to jump before that can become a reality…
Firstly, there’s the issue of its condition, which is considered to be fragile. Secondly, there’s the considerable cost that would be involved. Finally, the time and space that such a project would likely take is an important consideration, when the main priority is to maintain a turnover of operational engines that is consistent with the railway’s day-to-day operational demands.
Chris Hunford (who was born in 1980 and doesn’t remember ever seeing the ‘Radial’ run) explains how it could be achieved: “It needs a comprehensive repair, possibly needing new wheels and extensive boiler work, which puts it at the lower to middle end of the queue.
“We can actually do a lot without dismantling the engine, like creating drawings and ordering potentially new frames and wheels, but it would still be a big job – not least because you can’t do anything with the boiler until you’ve taken it apart.
“If the barrel needs replacing, as anticipated, you might as well have a new smokebox tubeplate. Meanwhile, the copper firebox needs extensive work; the sides need changing and the laps, doorplate and tubeplate seams will all want attention. The outer wrapper will need replacement.”
Another significant subject of debate and uncertainty is the matter of cracks in the rims of the 5ft 7in driving wheels…
“An old BR guy might say ‘that’ll be fine’,” says Chris, “others may argue that the world has moved on. What’s acceptable, however, has changed, even though the cracks haven’t actually got any worse over the years and they were already there when the engine arrived [in 1961]. The feeling is that we’ll need new wheels, but we need external expert advice regarding this.”
And then there’s the million dollar question: how much will all this restoration cost?
“I wouldn’t like to put a figure on it,” is how Chris currently views the extent of work, without having had the opportunity to examine the engine in forensic detail.
“The boiler is probably equal to what we’ve just done on the ‘Standard 4’ [No. 80151], in terms of materials and cost of external suppliers,” says Chris, “which would mean several hundred thousand pounds.
“In addition, casting new wheels, plus tyres, would come in at around £100,000.
“You could soon burn £½ million once you start doing other work like lining the cylinders and cutting new frames – although that’s only around £10,000 thanks to modern technology.”
You might think that such an extensive project that could involve so much new material is a shoo-in for the space that will be vacated in Atlantic House sometime in the next couple of years, following the planned completion of new-build 4-4-2 Beachy Head.
However, Chris is of the view that the ‘Radial’ could actually be accommodated in a ‘corner’ of the main workshop at Sheffield Park, if managed by its own dedicated team, inspired by the outstanding progress made by the humble ‘Atlantic’ group.
“There is a driver there to get on it. And a little group could be set up to work on it, if done alongside the ordinary projects in the workshop.
“It would need buy-in and backing, and a plan – one that might mean that the ‘Radial’ goes into the works, is dismantled, worked on two or three days a week and takes eight years to complete.”
A NEW NICHE
But such a long time after having been at the sharp end, is there sufficient desire and need for a running ‘Radial’ at a 21st centurylook Bluebell?
Chris is frank about how and why No. 488 slipped into the shadows after its last run in 1990.
“The Adams was fine on bigger trains when we only ran between Sheffield Park and Horsted Keynes. It was a much easier prospect before the line was extended to Kingscote and East Grinstead.
“If we were still only running to Horsted Keynes, it would have been an altogether different prospect, but it has fallen down the order.”
With focus drawn towards this 20-year major capital expenditure project, and a battle to feed the increased-length railway with sufficient working engines, it’s not surprising that a luxury engine like the ‘Radial’ hasn’t been near to the top of the priority list.
Even for lighter, vintage trains, “the ‘H’, ‘O1’ and ‘C’ are far more user-friendly, with steam reversers, combined with good haulage capacity,” Chris surmises.
However, that doesn’t mean that there isn’t a purpose for the ‘Radial’ again.
“The Adams’ niche is on little trains of two to three coaches, like ‘Bluebell Specials’ or ‘Autumn Tints’. That’s not to say it hasn’t got the power, but it would be better keeping it on lighter trains.
“If you were on a Waterloo-Wimbledon, six-coach train, you could notch it up and you’d be flying. We’re not in that sort of league and our other branch line engines are much more suited to hauling the heavier four-coach sets. If that means that it doesn’t run for half the year, then so be it.”
Chris is equally unequivocal in his assessment of the wider support and feeling for the ‘Radial’: “It’s unique, the only one around, and has a certain antiquated look and feel. It appeals to people of a Southern perspective and has been sat in a shed for far too long now.
“I think the repaint is going to generate interest and put the ‘Radial’ back on the agenda. It will certainly spark some conversations. If someone came up to us and said, ‘here’s £100,000’, it could be a game changer.
“I’d like to think that within ten years or less we could make a start,” he adds. “I’ll be in my late forties by then and I’d be most upset if we haven’t started in that time.”
The intriguing idea of this graceful old engine paired with a couple of Victorian carriages, weaving through the Sussex woodland; perhaps running over a stretch of restored Col. Stephens’ light railway in Kent; or with a single Bulleid coach in Dorset, is a magical prospect that many will hope to see again.
As Chris contemplates: “It has done its time. It’s unique, it has got history – and goes with our USP… why shouldn’t we do it?”
That time isn’t right now, but it might be soon.