Welcome to the first news round-up of the year. This is also the first round-up in a new format: below you will find links to the key stories from new build projects since the last update, enabling readers to see key news at a glance and go direct to further detail where they want it, rather than pick it out of continuous prose as before. We will continue to work with this new format for the next few round-ups, and then evaluate whether to stick with it, return to the old approach, or try something else entirely.
The rest of our content will be unchanged, with a mixture of features and Q+As planned throughout 2018, as we approach a period in which numerous locomotives are likely to be completed in relatively quick succession.
The links are presented in reverse chronological order, point to each group’s website unless stated, and will automatically open in a new tab on most browsers.
60163 Tornado
A1SLT receives two Heritage Railway Association awards – Twitter, February 10
Road in Darlington named after Tornado – Darlington.gov.uk, February 8
January winter maintenance update – January 12
A1SLT assists with casting of new cylinder block for 60532 Blue Peter – Icons of Steam, January 19
V4 3403
First components acquired for new Gresley class V4 – A1LST, January 29
2007 Prince of Wales
Component design and assembly progress – February 7
Assistant Engineer appointed at Darlington Locomotive Works – January 31; also February 9
Mikado Messenger – January 31
Animated gif of 2007 Prince of Wales – Twitter, January 24
Prince of Wales’s frames trial lifted in preparation for wheeling – January 23
Cylinder block appeal reaches two thirds of its target – January 11
Prince of Wales ready for wheeling in spring 2018 – January 7
Final combined frame stay in place – December 25 2017
Roller bearings pressed onto crank axle – December 14 2017
61662 Manchester United
Right-hand running plate under construction – Facebook, 8 February
News update, January 2018 (PDF)
News update, December 2017 (PDF)
F5 789
Motion bracket casting – January 8
GCR 567
December 2017 newsletter (PDF)
8783 Phoenix
CAD images – Facebook, December 24 2017
35011 General Steam Navigation
2018 AGM – January 10
Nameplates and news update – December 30 2017
3MT 82045
News round-up, January 2018
News round-up and end of year review, December 2017
72010 Hengist
Project overview – February 5
‘Genesis appeal’ to fund mainframe assembly – January 26 2018
Frame assembly begins – January 5
News update, December 18 2017
5551 The Unknown Warrior
Pictures of progress on the boiler – Facebook, January 27 , January 22
Review of the year by the Chairman, David Bradshaw – December 31 2017
Engineering update, majoring on the boiler – December 22 2017
35011 General Steam Navigation
News update, January 31
6880 Betton Grange
Cylinder draincocks fitted – February 9
Progress on boiler work at Tyseley – January 13
1014 County of Glamorgan
Progress report, December 2017
GWR 38xx ‘County’ 4-4-0
Great Western Society project to build a ‘County’ 4-4-0 handed over to new independent group – The Railway Magazine, 6 February
I much preferred your personal summing up of each locos progress. Quite frankly I can just log on to each loco’s website anyway. The beauty of your previous format was keeping us in touch with ALL of them.
Why change what worked well?
As you ask the question directly David, I’ll happily answer it.
Firstly, thank you for the implication that it worked well before. My prose style is obviously more popular than I realised, which is nice to know! But there are several answers to the question…
For one thing, it’s important not to keep on doing the same thing up to the point where it gets stale: the range and type of content offered on the site has already been changed, and visually it’s had two redesigns since it was first launched in 2011; as part of that ongoing drive to keep things fresh it’s right to consider the format of the news update too.
Secondly, ‘link posts’ have become more common on internet news sites: readers of Ian Visits (eg https://www.ianvisits.co.uk/blog/2018/04/20/londons-weekly-railway-news-249/) or London Reconnections (eg https://www.londonreconnections.com/2018/friday-reads-27-april-2018/) will be familiar with the format for instance. There’s definitely something to be said for direct sight of the original source of the news, and some readers have indicated in feedback that they value that.
Thirdly but perhaps most importantly, after seven years of coverage on this site, there aren’t many ways left to say, for instance, that this or that group are making progress in machining their hornguides; and if it’s getting repetitive to write, it’s probably getting repetitive to read.
Having said all that, I want to make sure that the site offers a helpful and enjoyable way of getting information about the new build scene / movement / whatever one wishes to call it. Expect a bit more experimentation before any final decision on formatting is made – further feedback on different approaches is of course welcome.
As an avid reader of your new build steam pages and a contributor to the discussions to the fantasy new build sections, I have to say that I too preferred the previous layout and presentation of the locomotives under construction. I suppose change is inevitable, but I cannot see the benefits of the new layout.. I would much prefer a return to the original format.
My comment appears to have been deleted. Let’s just say I agree with Jeff Moore and I’m very disappointed with the new format.
I prefer the new format, easier to keep up to date with every project.
Sorry, I don’t like the new format, it’s a lot of clicking back
and forth to read anything, much easier to scroll down and
read everything.
It would be okay if you wrote a bit less, then added a link for
those that wanted more info, but the new format just allows
people to be lazy/snobby about which locos they follow.
I’m definitely GWR biased, but I like to read about all the New
Builds, because they are all important, and should be, to all of
us, whatever our personal favourites.
Hopefully you will consider the feedback before making a final
decision.
Jeff Moore
________________________________
Very many thanks as ever for your excellent round-up of news. Best regards, Chris Proudfoot (82045)