34072 "257 Squadron" test running at the Swanage Railway 09/08/2018

Following great determination, commitment and undoubted swearing, Bulleid light pacific 34072 "257 Squadron" successfully made a light engine return trip along the Swanage Railway.
Bulleid 'Battle of Britain' Class 34072 "257 Squadron" rolled out from Herston Works, the main workshop of its owners Southern Locomotives Ltd, almost a year ago. While the gap between the emergence from the works and the test run may seem considerable, the team at Southern Locomotives Ltd should be commended for their resilience and determination, having suffered numerous setbacks and general bad-luck with "257 Squadron" since it left the works.
The test run, marking the first major movements for 34072 under its own power for over 15 years, saw the locomotive running light over one return trip from Swanage to Norden. Though this in itself acts as only the next stage in the process for the locomotives' eventual recommissioning and a full return to traffic, with plenty more fettling, testing and refining still left to do.
All footage filmed on Thursday the 9th of August 2018.

[@mattseymour8637]

Stunning filming and superb night lighting and capture of steam and smoke. Well done.

[@michaelnaisbitt1639]

Great clip. Nice to see air smoothed Bullieds

[@robertstorey7476]

Super looking engine. Has some real charisma.

[@roboftherock]

Thanks for posting this with such expeditiousness. It is good to see this one back in action.

[@GRAHAM1514]

Excellent, loved everything, the video ,257 Squadron & the Swanage Railway been there a few times it has so much going for it with the park and ride scenery such as Corfe etc thanks for sharing ,nice to see 257 back in action only due to the hard work the staff put into it so well done to them also

[@SuperWHIZZO]

Lovely day and night time photography of an example of a real eye-candy class of locomotive . Nice one Mister.

[@TheSouthernerYTChannel]

Thanks very much for the kind comments. Hopefully it won't be too long until we can send her out on a loaded test run, but it'll need further fettling first.

[@rjas365]

A moment of history... many thanks for sharing it. Kind regards, Bob K.

[@TheSouthernerYTChannel]

More than welcome, I'm glad you enjoyed.

[@esteute2640]

Such a lovely loco! :)

[@moxon2313]

I really do enjoy seeing a Bullied Pacific back in action after restoration... Very Nice Video!

[@TheSouthernerYTChannel]

It's been a long time coming, but we're nearly there. Thank you.

[@60103FlyingScotsman]

Tom will love this

[@colinmcnab6145]

I wish I had known about this I was out chasing A4 60009 Union of South Africa with the Dorset Coast Express. 60009 days are now numbered as its going to be permanently removed from mainline service next year.

[@kyle123481]

Brillant video! -Kyle

[@TheSouthernerYTChannel]

Cheers

[@michaelsandford1015]

Cool

[@glenmears3774]

Seems like its been 'almost ready for service' for about 2 years now

[@TheSouthernerYTChannel]

These things can't be rushed, and sometimes bad luck prevails.

[@ffotograffyddgohebwyr8308]

I know that this and the Merchant navy class were troublesome they looked beautiful.

[@Wally34070]

Agreed! however, they were only troublesome when they didn't get enough attention. These locos just need a great deal of TLC which sadly wasn't available in large quantities in steam days. Treat a Bulleid right and it'll do anything you ask of it.

[@SunshineArsenal]

What is the reason of a light engine test run? I get confused

[@TheSouthernerYTChannel]

Bed-in all the parts, ensure the locomotive is functioning as it should (no leaks, lubrication pipes are working, axle boxes aren't running hot etc.), prior to a loaded test run.

[@MisterHampshire]

I've always wondered. At 28 seconds we see two small sliding panels, here either side of the crest. What are they for?

[@TheSouthernerYTChannel]

The sliding hatches are for the sanding gear. It's the opening for the sand boxes.

[@MisterHampshire]

Ah. I wondered if it was for oil reservoirs, but sand fillers makes sense. Thank you.

[@TheSouthernerYTChannel]

Welcome

[@iaingarbison6986]

Almost done..... just a little while longer

[@TheSouthernerYTChannel]

Yes, I shall be up the workshops today helping out.

[@alanmcculloch8775]

How does it work? is most of the valve gear hidden in between the frames?

[@stratac30]

Have a look at this cut away drawing, also bear in mind the chain is attached to the center crank and is immersed in a sealed oil bath between the frames. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bulleid_chain-driven_valve_gear#/media/File:Bulleid_chain_valve_gear.gif

[@TheSouthernerYTChannel]

As replied; chain driven valve gear, concealed in an oil bath.

[@mattseymour8637]

Weren't the chains not such a good design on these I heard?

[@stratac30]

The design of the chain driven valve gear in theory was fine, but in practice there were lots problems, mainly the chain couldn't work the valve gear to any degree of precision, the oil bath couldn't remain oil tight and finally there were problems of the oil emulsifying in the oil bath due to changes of temperature, causing valve gear components to corrode. This was the main reason for the rebuilds of the Merchant Navy and West Country/Battle of Britain classes. However in preservation these problems have mainly been overcome, if you take Tangmere, which has run on the main line for 10 years (now out of ticket) with few problems, due to high quality maintenance plus the advancement of materials used, for instance they now use neoprene seals as against the old leather cup seals from BR days, so oil leakages are kept to a minimum and probably the oil sump has a regular washout maintenance so no emulsified oil! I think we can say Mr Bulleid was spot on with his design of valve gear but it came 25 years to early for BR!!.

[@TheSouthernerYTChannel]

From various sources I researched while writing a paper on the locomotives, and through working on a handful in preservation; I found that while the theory was revolutionary, owing to the war effort and the lack of materials, there was a distinct "That'll do" attitude to the assembly of the locomotives. Given the high-end precision needed to ensure the Valve Gear worked faultlessly, this attitude jaded the production ultimately causing many of the faults experienced. For example; The Oil Bath was meant to be constructed using a prescribed thickness of metal. However, this wasn't followed in production, with various thicknesses being used. The different thicknesses in the metal for the Oil Baths put added stress on the welds where the panels met, leading to cracks and leaks.