Matt black for Bulleid
Taw Valley to be repainted into wartime SR livery before going back to BR green.
THE Severn Valley Railway hit the headlines earlier this year after it unveiled SR Bulleid Pacific No. 34027 Taw Valley in a temporary purple livery and renamed it Elizabeth II to commemorate the late queen’s platinum jubilee. It has now been confirmed by the railway that, after operating the Santa services from Bewdley MPD, the 4-6-2 will have an interim repaint into matt black Southern livery during the annual shutdown period early in the New Year. Replicating the austerity livery carried by SR locos during the Second World War, the West Country will have sunshine-yellow cab number and lettering on the tender with red nameplates – and it will also carry the loco’s original SR number, 21C127. The previous plan to repaint No. 34027 this autumn was changed due to an operational need for the loco to be available for the SVR’s range of Christmas services through until early January.
Reaction
Phil Swallow, of Taw Valley Limited, which owns the locomotive, said: “Our loco was not built until 1946, the year after the Second World War had ended. It was then rebuilt by BR in the 1950s into the form we see today. “In reality, it would never have carried a matt black livery in its rebuilt form, so this will be an unusual example of a ‘what if ’ livery.” No. 34027 is due to be withdrawn in autumn 2023 for an intermediate overhaul, which is expected to see the locomotive out of traffic for about a year. It is then set to be repainted into full BR green with red and black lining. Meanwhile, GWR Hall No. 4930 Hagley Hall has had ‘snagging list’ items attended to – including modifications to the spark arrestor. Subject to the testing of the spark arrestor and various repairs, some running on festive services has not been ruled out. BR 4MT 4-6-0 No. 75069 is due to operate the Steam in Lights services from Bridgnorth. A modification to the spark arrestor has been fitted, which appears to dramatically reduce the spark emissions from the chimney. Winter maintenance on the loco is set to include attention to the motion bearings, plus a valve and piston exam.
Availability
Ivatt 4MT No. 43106 is nearing the end of its boiler ticket, which expires in the summer of 2023, and on account of its overall mechanical condition, the loco is largely being kept as spare. It could see some use on Santa trains, however. WR 0-6-0PT No. 1501 and GWR 2-8-0 No. 2857 are on course to reach the end of their boiler tickets at the end of this season, after operating on the Santa trains. The broken frame casting on 0-6-0ST No. 813 has been removed. A decision on the approach to repair is expected shortly.