A profile of the replica Brighton ‘Atlantic’ now nearing completion
It will be the first 4-4-2 tender engine to run since Henry Oakley... New-build Brighton ‘Atlantic’ No. 32424 Beachy Head is now tantlisingly close, reports THOMAS BRIGHT
There hasn’t been a working ‘Atlantic’ in Britain since 1978.
Let that sink in for a minute. Britain has been without a working example of one of its most influential wheel arrangements for over 40 years, since pioneer 4-4-2, Great Northern Railway ‘C2’ No. 990 Henry Oakley, bowed out of traffic on the Keighley & Worth Valley Railway. Yes, we know the Bluebell Railway’s Adams ‘Radial’ 4-4-2T No. 30583 last steamed in 1990, but the Lyme Regis branch veteran could hardly be considered a typical ‘Atlantic’ – not in the same way that Henry Oakley is.
Indeed, given how ground-breaking the introduction of the 4-4-2 wheel arrangement was, it is remarkable how few ‘Atlantics’ have been preserved – just four: the aforementioned Nos. 990 and 30583, GNR Ivatt ‘C1’ No. 251 and London, Tilbury & Southend Railway ‘79’ No. 80 Thundersley. Had the Second World War not intervened, we would have five, as ex-North British Railway ‘C11’ No. 9875 Midlothian had been earmarked for preservation upon its original withdrawal in 1937, but it was subsequently scrapped in 1939 to provide materials for the war effort.
The primary reason for the scarcity of ‘Atlantics’ is because, by the time the preservation movement had really gathered momentum, these Edwardian relics had long since been withdrawn and scrapped. One, however, bucked the trend and continued in service until April 1958, by which time it was the last express passenger 4-4-2 still in traffic and, had it hung on for just a few years more, there is every chance that it could have been preserved. That engine was ‘H2’ No. 32424 Beachy Head.
Alas, it was a case of ‘so near yet so far’ for the Brighton ‘Atlantic’ and it succumbed to the cutter’s torch like the rest of its classmates. Happily, however, that historical wrong is being corrected as, rapidly taking shape inside Atlantic House in Sheffield Park, is a replica of No. 32424. While it is looking increasingly unlikely that it will be ready for the Bluebell Railway’s delayed 60th anniversary celebrations in 2021, it won’t be far off, and it’s a safe bet that Beachy Head will be one of the next standard gauge new-build projects to steam.
THE ESSEX CONNECTION
It’s been a project 20 years in the making but, at last, Beachy Head is on the home straight. Given how underthe-radar it has been, it is easy to forget that, out of all the current standard gauge new-build projects (aside from Betton Grange), the ‘H2’ is by the most advanced;
the bottom end is finished, the boiler has had its hydraulic test and is ready to be fitted to the frames, and the tender is all-but finished. It is tantalisingly close.
The project to build Beachy Head was officially launched in October 2000 but, unlike many of its peers, this new-build project was not starting from scratch, for it already had a set of tender frames, tender wheelsets and – crucially – a boiler. Ironically, this heart of the locomotive – the very reason for the project’s existence – isn’t a Brighton item at all; it is an ex-GNR Ivatt ‘C1’ example, believed to have been built in Doncaster in 1941 and fitted to No. 3287 from 1943 until the locomotive’s withdrawal (and subsequent scrapping) in October 1945. But why did the boiler survive when the rest of the locomotive went for scrap?
It was sold on for industrial use and ended up being used as a stationary boiler at Boulton & Paul Ltd’s joinery business near Maldon station in Essex, where it was used to power the firm’s sawmills until 1975. It was discovered in 1986 by former Steam Railway editor Nick Pigott and Engine Shed Society member Steve Dymond along with three other ex-locomotive boilers – a second Ivatt ‘C1’ example (which was subsequently scrapped at Brightlingsea), an ex-LSWR ‘T1’ 0-4-4T boiler (now at the Avon Valley Railway, and an ex-M&GNJR ‘G6’ boiler, believed to have come from ‘Class C’ 4-4-0 No. 50 and which is now in private hands after spending many years in storage at Mangapps Railway Museum.
The discovery and subsequent purchase of the surviving Ivatt boiler by what became the Bluebell Railway Atlantic Group was the catalyst behind the project to recreate Beachy Head. Indeed, “there was no thought of any new-build projects beforehand, but the boiler discovery changed all that,” admits project secretary and treasurer David Jones.
However, Beachy Head wasn’t originally what the project set out to recreate. Says David: “Originally, we were just going to call it No. 427, the next in the series, but subsequently decided on a replica of Beachy Head, as it was famously the last BR ‘Atlantic’ to run, so more people, and therefore potential supporters, would have known it.”
Strangely, Beachy Head’s historic connection with the Bluebell (see panel, right) did not have any bearing on the group’s decision as to which ‘H2’ to replicate.
While it may have been Doncaster rather than Brighton-built, the boiler is nonetheless authentic for No. 32424. Prior to taking over as locomotive superintendent on the London, Brighton & South Coast Railway in 1904, Douglas Earle Marsh had been chief assistant to H.A. Ivatt at the GNR and had been heavily involved with the design of the ‘C1s’, so when he came to pen an express passenger design for the LBSCR, Marsh naturally drew upon the ‘C1s’ for his ‘H1’ 4-4-2s, to the point where the dimensions are remarkably similar, particularly the boiler. The same boiler also ended up in the closely related ‘H2s’, which were completed by Marsh’s successor, Lawson Billinton.
As a result, the ex-‘C1’ boiler that had survived the odds and ended up in Essex, would be perfectly interchangeable – albeit with a few modifications – for use on a Brighton ‘Atlantic’.
David says: “We’ve done nothing except a normal boiler overhaul, such as new tubes, replacing the foundation ring rivets and some limited welding. However, we had to alter the design of a frame stretcher to allow for the different foundation ring heights.”
The other two components already in hand before the project’s start did have proper Brighton provenance, however. The tender frames were originally coupled behind R.J. Billinton ‘B4’ 4-4-0 No. 63 Pretoria, which was withdrawn in May 1951, and were subsequently converted for departmental use into a load bank for diesel shunting locomotives and renumbered as No. DS3202. Withdrawn from departmental service in May 1984, the frames (which lost their central wheelset upon conversion into a load bank) were subsequently acquired by the project in 1995 for eventual use on Beachy Head.
The tender wheelsets had a rather more complicated preservation story. They originally belonged to LBSCR tender No. 2753, which was built in 1902 to run behind Billinton ‘C2’ 0-6-0 No. 555 but was paired with ‘C2X’ No. 32543 by the time of the locomotive’s withdrawal in October 1960. It was transferred into departmental service in 1962 as water tank/sludge carrier
No. DS70183 and lasted in service until 1979.
In a bizarre twist of fate, it was purchased by Woodham Bros in 1981; by that point, many of the remaining locomotives in Barry scrapyard had lost their tenders so it was felt that these engines would stand a better chance of being sold if more tenders were available. In the event, however, the tender was purchased in 1982 by Madame Tussauds as part of its ‘Royalty & Empire Exhibition’ at Windsor station, where it was loosely ‘Swindonised’ and paired with the static replica of Dean ‘Bogie Single’ No. 3041 The Queen.
Some years later however, the tender was no longer required and cut up, but the wheelsets, springs and axleboxes were retained and sold to a scrap merchant in
Uxbridge, from where they were purchased, arriving at the Bluebell in April 1999.
With the boiler, tender frames and wheelsets to hand, the stage was set for the project’s official launch in October 2000…
DEVIL IS IN THE DETAIL
Since then, construction of Beachy Head has continued at a steady pace (see panel, below), but it wasn’t until 2005 that progress really started to ramp up. In that year alone, the project had the main frames cut and delivered, the driving and bogie wheels cast, and – perhaps most importantly – it started building Atlantic House at Sheffield Park, giving No. 32424 a permanent,
under-cover home, something that many of its peers would benefit from.
This one asset has been “very crucial” to the project’s success, as – in David’s words, it provides “warm undercover space and keeps the team together. It also provides a secure environment for components and tools.
“We wouldn’t be anywhere near where we are currently with progress without Atlantic House.”
Perhaps one of the most gratifying aspects about Beachy Head is just how authentic it is going to be. Other new-build projects, understandably, make compromises with their respective designs, whether it is to reduce costs, make use of existing materials or components, or adhere to 21st-century practices and regulations; for instance, ‘P2’ No. 2007 Prince of Wales – with its shorter Peppercorn ‘A1’-pattern boiler and other deviations from the original design – won’t, when finished, be a ‘P2’ as Gresley designed it. The ‘Mikado’ will be, in essence, a ‘P2/1’; it’ll outwardly look like one of Gresley’s semi-streamlined 2-8-2s, but under the skin it’ll be a very different beast for many justifiable reasons.
Beachy Head, though, will be an ‘H2’ in almost every achievable detail, with the Atlantic Group going to great lengths to make it ‘the real deal’. Take, for instance, the tender tank. Built new by D.G. Welding, it is double-skinned, like most Brighton tenders. Once fitted, the casual observer would never notice this feature but the project team has gone to the trouble of recreating it, not only because it is authentic, but also because “it has the advantage of hiding the quick crude riveting on the original tenders or of any rippling of our welded one.”
Then there is the cab roof which, like the original ‘H2s’, has been made in two parts; on the original Brighton ‘Atlantics’, the rear part was removable to allow access for chains from breakdown cranes or those in the works to access the drag beam. This, combined with the 315 3/8in rivets holding it all in place, makes the cab
roof tangibly Brighton – and a work of art. Again, the team could have opted for welding it all, but instead they chose the longer, more labour-intensive but authentic route, for which they should be justly applauded. But why is the project’s ethos one of strict authenticity? Why not opt for an easier way?
“Basically,” says David, “the build team are perfectionists, having been involved with the Bluebell for many years where authenticity is the norm. Also, by using original drawings we can achieve accuracy.”
Inevitably, not everything is as Brighton would have done it. The main differences between the new-build and original Beachy Head are mainly “the fabricated cylinders, valve chest and smokebox saddle instead of castings, but this is not noticeable,” says David.
The ultimate piece of authenticity is the regulator handle, which comes from the original No. 32424. When the driver opens it up during its first steaming, he’ll be holding the very same item used to bring Beachy Head back on shed for the final time in April 1958.
The other remarkable thing about the Brighton ‘Atlantic’ project is how small the team building it is. Says David: “There are three working three days a week supplemented by another two once a week, then others occasionally when their skills are needed. There are also those on administrative tasks working from home, such as processing donations, the sponsorship scheme, sorting out sales items for open days, and editing the newsletter.”
That said, “the team is not that small compared with some of the other locomotive groups at Sheffield Park.”
Yet, despite its ability to raise almost all the funds required for the project from within the Bluebell’s ranks (rather than relying, like many of their peers, heavily on public appeals), David rather humbly says: “I don’t think there is anything that makes us different from most of the other new-builds.”
Such a modest response is typical of a project that keeps its light firmly under its bushel. In the
two decades it has been in existence, it has gone quietly about its business and rarely shouts about its achievements. That it doesn’t have to speaks volumes about the team and the way they have managed the project; after all, David estimates Beachy Head’s final cost will be somewhere “between £1.25 and £1.5 million.” In the wider context, that’s a steal.
BLACK AND BLUEBELL
As things stand now, in July 2020, the project is on the home straight towards completion; it is pretty much already a complete locomotive, albeit one that is still in several (if still substantial) bits. The main jobs left outstanding, says David, are “finishing off the boiler insulation and cladding and putting it in the frames. There is also a lot to do after that in installing the cab fittings, which is all very labour-intensive.”
It had been latterly hoped to launch Beachy Head into traffic in 2021 but, perhaps inevitably given the current circumstances, Covid-19 “has delayed completion so it’s unlikely to be finished for next year.”
With the finish line now well in sight, perhaps now is the time to reflect on the last 20 years. Has the project been how they expected it to be when they first started two decades ago? “Yes, except that it has taken a lot longer than we thought it would, with the smaller parts especially taking a long time to make and fit,” says David.
With the benefit of hindsight and 20 years’ experience, is there anything they’d do differently if they had their time again? “Not really, except that more use would be made of outside contractors to speed up the build. However, trusted companies are not easy to find.”
Given how close No. 32424 is to completion, perhaps now is the time to explore what the future holds for the Brighton ‘Atlantic’ when it steams. Firstly, it’ll be no ‘high days and holidays’ engine, like some of the more venerable members of the Bluebell fleet; David believes Beachy Head will “probably be used quite extensively on normal services and specials, but it may not be economical during the winter with lighter trains.”
Secondly, you’re unlikely to see it running elsewhere any time soon, at least not during its first few years in operation. Whether it will go on hire elsewhere
“depends on the locomotive requirements at Sheffield Park, but probably not until after a few years and it would definitely have to be moved by rail,” says David. That rules out quite a few places, then, but it does raise the question as to why the team has elected not to take Beachy Head onto the main line for railtours as well.
Explains David: “It would cost a lot more and add to the build time. Also, most funding has come from the Bluebell membership who would not be that pleased to lose it every so often.”
For an engine whose identity is resolutely tied to the Bluebell, one struggles to argue with that sentiment. We therefore certainly shouldn’t expect to see this prized possession become a routine sight on the preservation hire circuit.
The other question that is inevitably on people’s minds is the livery. Beachy Head is being turned out in early BR guise as No. 32424, in lined BR black with the ‘cycling lion’ on the tender – the guise in which the original Beachy Head made its name on enthusiast railtours during the 1950s and in which it was withdrawn.
But will we ever see it in Southern or pre-Grouping liveries that the Bluebell is famous for?
David says: “Possibly in one of the green Southern liveries, but authentically not in LBSCR umber as the chimney, dome and cab are lower than in 1923.”
While some may bemoan the proliferation of BR liveries, Beachy Head’s styling is undeniably smart, particularly that elegant lining on the rear splashers.
Whatever the livery, if you thought the Bluebell’s collection of pre-Grouping design Southern locomotives couldn’t get any better, the prospect of having both a Brighton ‘Atlantic’ and a Wainwright ‘E’ (see panel) in service together is an enticing one. The pair present a happy medium; big engines capable of meeting the demands of the 21st-century Bluebell while still presenting a somewhat archaic and delightfully Edwardian aesthetic. They are the throwbacks enthusiasts expect to see here.
Beachy Head alone will be an immense achievement: Britain’s first working ‘Atlantic’ for over four decades, recreating a much-loved design that should have been preserved in the first place. If that’s not something to get excited about, we don’t know what else is.
To find out more and to become a supporter, in particular for the construction of the ‘E’ class, write to: Bluebell Railway Atlantic Project, 3 Nutley Mill Road, Pevensey, East Sussex, BN24 5PD or email davidjones@southdown.myzen.co.uk