NEWS OF SIR NIGEL
|
By 31st December 2015 Sir Nigel Gresley had accumulated the following miles:
News item 29 November: Unfortunately 60007 will not be available to work the Rail Tour on 12th December which will instead use one of the other steam locomotives in the LSL pool. News item 27 November: We can confirm the following plans for 2024: 2nd March 2024: King's Cross - York and return, Steam Dreams, 60007 throughout (subject to completion of winter maintenance) Other dates will follow. News item 24 November: During the Northbound working from York to Edinburgh on 23rd November 2023, Sir Nigel Gresley suffered a failure to its Right Hand cylinder. Large pieces of piston ring become detached in the steam circuit, causing damage to the valve heads. Unfortunately the damage is such that the locomotive cannot continue on the tour. The locomotive is expected to move back to Crewe with diesel assistance for full repairs. SNGLT would like to apologise to all those impacted by this failure, especially the Cathedrals Express passengers. News item 3 November: EAST LANCASHIRE RAILWAY'S 'LEGENDS OF STEAM' IS SPRINGING BACK East Lancashire Railway#39;s upcoming steam gala will be extra special - thanks to legendary locomotives with royal connections. The #39;Legends of Steam#39; event will welcome two locomotive icons, BR Standard, Class 7, 70000 #39;Britannia#39; and LNER, A4, 60007 Sir Nigel Gresley to the tracks. These special locomotives have helped transport the Queen and the then Prince Charles and will be the stars of the show at the event in March, next year. The Britannia - completed in 1951 - was the first UK standard locomotive to be built and spent 15 years serving the national network. This Locomotive is Owned by Royal Scot Locomotive &: General Trust and regularly operates charter trains on the national network run by Locomotive Services Limited based in Crewe. In 2011 she returned to the mainline after a 14-year absence and hauled the Royal Train with the then Prince Charles onboard from Preston to Wakefield in 2012. ELR will also host LNER, A4, 60007 #39;Sir Nigel Gresley#39;, which was built in 1937 and worked for 29 years before being purchased by the Sir Nigel Gresley Locomotive Trust Ltd to rescue the locomotive from the cutter's torch. The Locomotive recently returned to service in 2022 following an extensive overhaul. This locomotive also operates regular mainline charter trains operated by Locomotive Services. In 1956 she had the honour of hauling the Royal Train from King#39;s Cross to York while the Queen was onboard. Sir Nigel Gresley is the only A4 class locomotive to be owned by a charitable trust, and it can be seen regularly running on mainline and heritage railways up and down the UK. These two iconic locomotives will also be supported by LMS Jubilee Locomotive 45690 #39;Leander#39; for the three days of this event. Mike Kelly, Chairman of the East Lancashire Railway, said: "Over the years we have welcomed a great many iconic locomotives to the ELR and we are very proud and excited to make these locomotives available to the many thousands of enthusiasts to see, hear and ride behind them. "These exciting additions to the ELR#39;s #39;Legends of Steam#39; event promises to make the celebration even more special. I'd like to thank the Sir Nigel Gresley Locomotive Trust Ltd, Royal Scot Locomotive & General Trust, Locomotive Services and the Jubilee Locomotive Co for allowing these icons to operate on our railway." It will take place from March 15-17, next year, with more information available on the website. Weekend tickets are available, alongside individual day tickets, which are all available to buy here. News item 8 October:
News item 30 July 2023: Update to the planned operating schedule for 60007 Sir Nigel Gresley: Wednesday 10th May 2023 Saturday 3rd June 2023 Wednesday 14th June 2023 Saturday 24th June 2023 Saturday 8th July 2023 Thursday 13th July 2023 Saturday 22nd July 2023 Thursday 27th July 2023 Saturday 5th August 2023 Saturday 12th August 2023 Saturday 19th August 2023 *NEW* Saturday 24th August 2023 *NEW* Thursday 31st August 2023 Wednesday 20th September 2023 21st September to 1st November 2023 Tuesday 12th December 2023 23rd to 26th November 2023 Use of Diesels Disclaimer News item 3 July 2023: Hopefully the 22nd July "English Rivera Express" will be able to run after all. News item 25 June 2023: Unfortunately the "English Rivera Express" scheduled for 22nd July will not now be running due to national strike action by the RMT union. News item 17 February 2023: Updated planned operating schedule for 60007 Sir Nigel Gresley. Heritage Railway visit from 7th to 17th April 2023 This will take place at the Nene Valley Railway - details and tickets from the NVR website. SNGLT Members' Day details will be published on the Members' Area shortly. Wednesday 10th May 2023 Saturday 3rd June 2023 Wednesday 14th June 2023 Saturday 24th June 2023 Saturday 8th July 2023 Thursday 13th July 2023 Saturday 22nd July 2023 Thursday 27th July 2023 Saturday 5th August 2023 Saturday 12th August 2023 Saturday 19th August 2023 Wednesday 20th September 2023 Late Sept / Oct 2023 Tuesday 12th December 2023 23rd to 26th November 2023 Disclaimer News item 4 November 2022: 4498 is the rostered locomotive to work:
All with Steam Dreams. News item 15 September 2022: Sir Nigel Gresley passed a full steam test today. A test run will precede the movement to Grosmont on Tuesday ready for the NYMR Gala 22-24 September and special trains in October. Thanks go to our engineering team for a big effort they have put in to keep the programme on schedule and also to LSL for the support we have had from their boilersmiths. News items 19 August 2022: EXCLUSIVE JOURNEY WITH SIR NIGEL GRESLEY AT THE NYMR To mark the return of the renowned locomotive after a majoroverhaul lasting 7-years, the North Yorkshire Moors Railway (NYMR) hasannounced that tickets can now be purchased for a pre-booked journey hauled byiconic locomotive, Nº4498 Sir Nigel Gresley. Passengers will also get to travel in authentic teak carriages, restored by the LNER Coach Association (LNERCA). Tickets for the experience available on the 3, 4, 5, 10, 11 & 12 October departing from Grosmont to Pickering at 9:30 am, 12:30 pm and 3:30 pm and cost £51.00 (return) for adults and free for children under 16. For a more exclusive experience, you can purchase a compartment ticket for up to a maximum of six people for £204.00. As part of the ticket, each fare-paying passenger will receive a limited-edition gift bag featuring a Sir Nigel Gresley Enamel Badge, NYMR Guide Book & Pen as well as some delicious local Lottie Shaw Fudge. On arrival at Pickering visitors will have 15 minutes to take photographs of the iconic locomotive. For passengers wanting to make their experience extra special, a limited number of tickets will be available on the day to visit the locomotive footplate via the unique corridor tender – originally used for footplate crews to change shifts without the need to stop. Train Truckers programme This programme, featuring the transfer by road of 60007 from Crewe to the Severn Valley Railway, will be on UK Freeview Channel 27 "Yesterday" on Thursday 25th August at 21:00 hrs. News item 23 July 2022: Train Truckers Season 2 will be airing weekly from the 28th of July at 9pm on UKTV. 4498 will be featuring in an episode that will cover the movement if the Loco by road from Crewe to Bridgnorth for running in earlier this year after reassembly at Crewe. Both Darrin Crone and Richard Swales were interviewed for the programme. News item 25 April 2022: SNGLT is please to announce that Sir Nigel Gresley returned to revenue earning service on 21st April 2022. The locomotive worked the 10:35 Bridgnorth to Kidderminster service which was followed by a short ceremony at Kidderminster with speeches by Helen Smith (SVR General Manager) and Nigel Wilson (SNGLT Chairman) who thanked the Trust's engineering team for the six years of skilled and dedicated work. The traditional spraying of Champagne was performed by the Chairman's wife Susan Wilson. The locomotive then worked the train back to Bridgnorth. News item 13 April 2022: At the culmination of a six-year, £1 million overhaul, Gresley LNER class A4 No. 4498 Sir Nigel Gresley will return to revenue-earning service at the Severn Valley Railways Spring Steam Gala on Thursday 21st April. A short midday ceremony at Kidderminster station will mark the occasion. Nigel Wilson, Chairman of The Sir Nigel Gresley Locomotive Trust, which owns N°4498, said, "The event marks the return of our popular A4 class locomotive following the tremendous efforts of our essentially volunteer engineering team. This overhaul is probably the most thorough the locomotive has ever had. Thanks to all involved and the results of the hard work are now for everybody to enjoy. We're also very grateful to the SVR for hosting us for the all-important running in tests." Sir Nigel Gresley, brother of world speed record holderMallard, is now the only operational A4 locomotive; the other surviving members of the class are unlikely to return to steam in the next few years, and in many cases will never steam again.Sir Nigel is owned by a charitable trust committed to keeping it steaming as long as is possible. It will operate at the SVR's Spring Steam Gala between 21st and 24th of April before relocation to the Locomotive Services Group depot at Crewe where it will be prepared for main line trips from May onwards. The overhaul, which started in late 2015, was completed in March this year prior to a period of running in at the SVR. The loco is currently in a temporary livery of LNER black, which it carried in the 1940s. Later this year it will be repainted in British Railways express passenger blue and returned to its other running number of 60007. SNGLT purchased the locomotive from British Railways in 1966 and have been maintaining and operating it ever since. The SVR's managing director Helen Smith said, "It's been a pleasure to host this iconic locomotive at the railway for its running in tests in recent weeks. We’re delighted that it’s staying to make an exclusive guest appearance at our Spring Steam Gala, where we know it will prove tremendously popular. I'd also recommend visitors take the opportunity to visit The Engine House at Highley, where Sir Nigel Gresley's famous top hat is on display.” News item 16 March 2022: Another milestone in the overhaul of Sir Nigel Gresley was achieved today with the locomotive passing its official steam test including setting the safety valves during the test. Work continues on checking the electrics with the TPWS unit, OTMR powered up and the GSMR checked. The air pump was run and the new in-cab lubricator worked well.
News item 8 March 2022: The Sir Nigel Gresley Locomotive Trust is pleased to announce that, subject to successful completion of the running-in, Sir Nigel Gresley as LNER N°4498 will participate in the Severn Valley Railway gala 21-24 April. We can also announce that the locomotive is expected to attend the North Yorkshire Moor Railway Autumn Gala (22-25 September) as BRN°60007 after which the locomotive is likely to stay at the NYMR for a few weeks to take part in other events. News item 13 September 2021: Further to the news item of yesterday, SNGLT can confirm that the damage to 60007's tender is now repaired. News item 12 September 2021: The Trust can confirm that on 2nd September 2021 Sir Nigel Gresley was involved in a minor incident while being shunted at York in a movement undertaken by NRM personnel. Nobody was injured but there was some damage to the tender of 60007 - initial inspection suggests that the damage is not serious. Although clearly the incident was regrettable, SNGLT does not envisage it will impact our planned transfer to Crewe. News item 25 August 2021: The Sir Nigel Gresley Locomotive Trust is pleased to report that today our locomotive left the NRM workshop after a tremendous effort by our team to get it ready for transfer to the Locomotive Services Limited depot at Crewe where the overhaul will be completed. During the overhaul a great deal of effort has gone into renewing sections and in some cases whole sheets of cladding. Prior to the decision to leave York the tender was in undercoat, and the locomotive in a mixture of undercoat, primer, bare steel with some badly scuffed sections in original blue. Although all the bare steel has been primed and full undercoat applied, time constraints led to this being done without full preparation meaning that the primer and undercoat will not prevent moisture attacking the steel i.e. they are not water resistant. This is not a problem in the controlled environment of the workshop but is a concern during the transfer to Crewe. Considering the above we have applied a sealing coat of semi-gloss black paint to our locomotive; the paint was applied without the normal preparation of the underlying surface. This paint may disguise blemishes rather more than high gloss blue during the move but is unlikely to bear the close attention of a formal photo opportunity! The purpose of the paint is a transit protective measure only. When we get the engine to Crewe our team will begin the work to finish it as promptly as possible. A number of our long-term volunteers will not be able to regularly join the work at Crewe for a variety of reasons. Under the circumstances some decals have been applied to the engine before its roll out into the yard so that it looks like a complete entity. The front end will carry nameplates, shed plate 34A, and BR number 60007 on the mount on the cod’s mouth. The cab sides will carry transfers of the number 4498 and the tender letters LNER. Please note these are transfers not final quality lettering! This scheme represents the longevity and heritage of our engine via the numbers it has carried in service. The Trust would like to thank all the volunteers who have worked extraordinarily hard in the last three months to get 60007 ready for transfer to Crewe compliant with the deadline to vacate the workshop. The Trust would like to give a special "thank you" to the volunteers who are unable to join the work at Crewe. SNGLT recognises that an A4 in an approximation of wartime black livery is likely to generate significant interest. The Trustees and Directors have agreed that there will be an opportunity for our members to see the locomotive in black before it is painted into the BR Passenger Blue livery in which it will re-enter traffic. This event will be in Spring 2022 and details will be posted on the Members' page of our website in due course. Issued by SNGLT Trustees, 25th August 2021. The engine in black:
Photographs by Trevor Camp/SNGLT, 28th August 2021.
Photograph by Nigel Wilson, 28th August 2021. News item 1 August 2021: On 29th July the Cartazzi wheelset was refitted as may be seen in these two YouTube videos: News item 21 July 2021: The overhaul of 60007 is nearing completion, however the process has taken longer than initially expected. This has been for a variety of reasons but principally two factors: a desire to do the best possible job while we had use of the excellent facilities at the NRM and the extensive delays due to the Coronavirus pandemic. Nobody could foresee COVID-19; it has had a major impact on the timescale for the overhaul project due to the closure of the workshop for six months, limits on working numbers thereafter, and delays and difficulties with suppliers and contractors. In total the project has been delayed approximately ten to twelve months by COVID. When we signed the agreement to use the workshop at York the NRM were clear with us that they may need 60007 to vacatethe workshop if our presence impacted their plans for re-development. Although those plans have also been delayed it has reached the point where the NRM needs us to leave. Looking at our general situation another significant factor that has arisen in our plans is the financial difficulties of the Llangollen Railway who carried out our boiler overhaul. While we have no concerns about the quality of the work done on 60007's boiler support for final boiler testing and commissioning is no longer available from Llangollen. It is clear that we cannot now complete and steam Sir Nigel in York while complying with the requested departure date. The Trust therefore needed a location where we could complete the boiler testing (formal hydraulic and steam tests) then progress first moves, de-snagging and painting. The logical place to do this is the LSL workshops in Crewe because: Once the locomotive is in service the agreementwe have with LSL means they will take on day-to-day maintenance of the boilerso asking them to support initial testing is logical
As a result of the above we anticipate that an essentially complete 60007 will leave the NRM for final completion at Crewe. Apart from a short rail transfer across York the movement will be by road. The Trustees are well aware ofthe huge commitment that our volunteers in the York area have made during the entirety of the overhaul; we are sorry that 60007 will not be finally "out-shopped" from York but we will be making suitable arrangements to recognise the efforts of the team in due course; we will also be arranging suitable Friends' and Members' events in due course but these will not be at the NRM. Concerning running-in, the move to Crewe means we have additional options, however no firm decision has been made. We will, of course, honour our commitment to Members to visit the NYMR, subject to the agreement of the NYMR management. The programme we have provisionally agreed sees Sir Nigel Gresley completed for a return to traffic in spring 2022 (usual caveats apply). News item 31 May 2021: The Trust has been made aware of the death of member Tony
Tomlinson, a long term supporter of º4498/60007. We extend our condolences
to the family at this very sad time. News item 13 April 2020: Anybody who watched 'Dragon's Den' on BBC2 on 12th April 2020: you can make money for yourself and the overhaul of 60007 by selling unwanted clothes on the Thrift+ website; enter "The Sir Nigel Gresley Locomotive Trust" as your selected charity. Thrift+ | Donate & Shop Second-Hand Clothes | #FashionForGood News item 22 March 2020: COVID-19 Statement: As of 20th March all work on the overhaul of 60007 at
the National Railway Museum was stopped after a controlled cessation over the
previous couple of days. Work at York will only re-start when it is judged safe
to do so based on UK Government guidance. SNGLT encourages all our members,
friends and supporters to please follow Government and NHS health advice during
the present emergency.
News item 30 January 2019: SNGLT AND RSL> AGREEMENT
The Sir Nigel Gresley Locomotive Trust (SNGLT) and the Royal Scot Locomotive and General Trust (RSL>) have announced a wide-ranging partnership agreement for the operation of 60007 Sir Nigel Gresley when the present overhaul is completed in autumn 2019. The deal sees 60007 based at Crewe for mainline tours, interspersed with periods of operation on heritage railways, including the North Yorkshire Moors Railway, where it is intended to retain strong links. The locomotive will be operated primarily by Locomotive Services (TOC) Limited (LSTOC) and will haul Saphos Train Travel rail tours, although operations with other tour operators and TOCs are not excluded. The agreement is seen as securing the mainline future of 60007 through the next ten year operating period and beyond by guaranteeing a level of income that is projected to fund at least 50% of the next overhaul. The remaining 50% will come from SNGLT's membership, fund-raising and sales activities, along with income from heritage railway visits. The deal also ensures that the popular SNGLT Members' Day events will continue. The agreement is expected to lead to wider cooperation between the organisations, which SNGLT sees as means of maintaining its current engineering team at a new base that is already under investigation. This will allow the Trust, through its operating company, to grow its junior volunteer activities, apprenticeships and training opportunities. This is seen as a significant activity for securing an engineering team for the long term to support Sir Nigel Gresley. Nigel Wilson, Chairman of The Sir Nigel Gresley Locomotive Trust, which owns
60007, said: Deputy Chairman John Wilkinson added: Jeremy Hosking, Trustee of the Royal Scot Locomotiveand General Trust and
Chairman of Locomotive Services (TOC) Limited, said: Notes Royal Scot Locomotive and General Trust The Royal Scot Locomotive and General Trust is a charitable trust set up in 2009 to enable ownership and restoration to mainline running condition of the London Midland and Scottish Railway Royal Scot Class Locomotive No 6100 Royal Scot. The trust has since expanded and now includes a number of mainline steam locomotives such as Britannia, Blue Peter and King Edward I. In addition to the Locomotive fleet, 2013 saw the Trust acquire the London and North Western Railway Heritage Company Limited, a specialist overhaul andrepair organisation, dedicated to the refurbishment of heritage railway vehicles. Based at Crewe, in the former Diesel Depot, LNWRH has heavily invested in this site which is now regarded as the leading facility of its type in the United Kingdom. www.royalscot.org.uk |
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
.
.
.Copyright © The Sir Nigel Gresley Locomotive Trust Ltd