45015

[DarloRich]

What is the position with this loco? has it been scrapped? It seems to have hung around in a derelict state on the Battlefield Line for many years. I assume the owners realised the scale of the work needed and decided not to bother carrying on and/or the funds werent available to do the job.

 

[70014IronDuke]

What is the position with this loco? has it been scrapped? It seems to have hung around in a derelict state on the Battlefield Line for many years. I assume the owners realised the scale of the work needed and decided not to bother carrying on and/or the funds werent available to do the job.

Is this a Black 5 or a Class 45 Crompton? (serious qn - though I'd wager more for the latter).

 

[Cowley]

Is this a Black 5 or a Class 45 Crompton? (serious qn - though I'd wager more for the latter).

I think you meant 45015 the class 45 that was dumped rotting away at Shackerstone for years and years did you Rich? I think the loco was an ex training loco at Toton that used to be kept in the compound there?
Is it still in that siding? It was a no hoper years ago so lord knows what state it's in now.

Edit - having done a bit digging it seems like the loco contains asbestos, has been stripped of many parts and is extremely rotten. It may be the case that leaving it to rot is cheaper than scrapping it bearing in mind the potential price of asbestos removal and the low price of scrap metal.

 

[hurricanemk1c]

AFAIK from the odd time it is discussed it is still rotting away in Shackerstone

 

[DarloRich]

correct - i meant the class 45

 

[gimmea50anyday]

Under conversion for resurrection as 46 009...

Who's up for popcorn? XD

 

[Cowley]

Or one of these. A nice cut and shut job, just looking for a 16SVT lying around in a barn somewhere.

 

[GW43125]

Under conversion for resurrection as 46 009...

Who's up for popcorn? XD

Me!

 

[33117]

It'll just be left to rot IMHO, however the battlefield line seem to have at long last started a major cleanup operation to get rid of the scrapyard feel about the place.

All along the sidings at shack & up to market bosworth there's various bits of stuff laying about by the side of the line which doesn't give the best impression for people visiting. Also i'd heard a short while ago that they were looking at re-instating the 2nd platform at bosworth, it'd give them a lot more capacity & enable 2 train running as they'd then have a passing loop.

 

[gimmea50anyday]

Or one of these. A nice cut and shut job, just looking for a 16SVT lying around in a barn somewhere.

Thats not a bad idea actually....

Hmm, existing rebuilt electrics, a class 50 lump from portugal, could be a go'er...

 

[Cowley]

Thats not a bad idea actually....

Hmm, existing rebuilt electrics, a class 50 lump from portugal, could be a go'er...

Shall we start fundraising? You can be chairman...

 

[gimmea50anyday]

Shall we start fundraising? You can be chairman...

Lol, I cant even find time to help RRRG or Linda Lymington, let alone run a restoration group of my own. And besides, a sharpie and an avantix wont do a lot to restore a rusted dinosaur carcass!

 

[Robin Edwards]

looks like it's spent it's life in a swamp!

 

[alexl92]

Forgive me for resurrecting an old thread, but I just wondered if anyone could explain why this loco has become a bit of an ongoing joke/meme in the enthusiast & heritage railway world? It seems to be a celeb for all the wrong reasons!

 

[37114]

Forgive me for resurrecting an old thread, but I just wondered if anyone could explain why this loco has become a bit of an ongoing joke/meme in the enthusiast & heritage railway world? It seems to be a celeb for all the wrong reasons!

I think it has just become an often used by- word as a "no hoper", it is one of the worst condition diesel loco's in preservation. It was in a bad condition when saved and had it not been the only surviving 45/0 to have had nose doors then it would have not been saved or at least broken up years ago.

Until it's demise 50040 was mentioned in the same circles and was another massive no hoper saved against all prevailing logic. The other one often mentioned in the same vein 25244 which is not as badly gone as the above 2 loco's but is a major project which has had no work for a long time. All the above were/are seemingly left to rot by their owners with minimal protection and minimal resources to restore them. I see WNXX is also now touting 37679 as the next 45015 in waiting..

 

[Neil Urquhart]

Me!

Excellent, the NRM have got one buffer (bent) from 46 009 so that's a start. All we need is a Facebook group with lots of members and it will be soted.
What colour will be paint it?

 

[Cowley]

I think it has just become an often used by- word as a "no hoper", it is one of the worst condition diesel loco's in preservation. It was in a bad condition when saved and had it not been the only surviving 45/0 to have had nose doors then it would have not been saved or at least broken up years ago.

Until it's demise 50040 was mentioned in the same circles and was another massive no hoper saved against all prevailing logic. The other one often mentioned in the same vein 25244 which is not as badly gone as the above 2 loco's but is a major project which has had no work for a long time. All the above were/are seemingly left to rot by their owners with minimal protection and minimal resources to restore them. I see WNXX is also now touting 37679 as the next 45015 in waiting..

I think I’ve read somewhere that the cost of actually dismantling it in situ, or removing and then dismantling it would be pretty high nowadays with the amount of unpleasant substances contained inside, including possibly a bit of asbestos in the bulkheads maybe?

It’s so far gone now that there can’t be much of use to sell on to other groups either, and there’s already plenty of other good ones in preservation.
I wonder if the line’s charging for storage?

 

[pieguyrob]

I thought it had been used as a source of spares for other peaks?

 

[james60059]

45015 - seems to generate a bit of "interest" shall we say on social media what with funny memes etc.

 

[pieguyrob]

If some of the stuff on other threads is to be believed, its in better condition than some of northern's stock!

 

[Alanko]

Oddly I knew about 45015 before I really got back interested in railways. It has quite a reputation online with many mentions across various forums. Perhaps part of the appeal is the rough cosmetic appearance, or the notion that it was struck off service one day and parked up there the next as a sort of time capsule?

I suppose there is a 'so near yet so far' element to the engine. There is a yearning to see things like this put right, even if it is almost impossible to do so. I've seen the same thing within the aviation community: The lost cause aircraft tend to kick off a lot of discussion on forums if they are tantalisingly out of reach. The same marque of aircraft might be commonly preserved elsewhere. For example there are B-29 bombers in the US sitting on poles at various airforce bases, stripped of their internals and engines. Nobody cares about these! Show them the top six inches of a B-29 poking out of a lake in Alaska, or in a forest clearing somewhere in the Pacific, and people get far more excited. You could take one of the former B-29s down off a pole and, with a wee bit of work, bring it back to a cosmetically pleasing condition. The notion of returning these things to the air isn't impossible. The aircraft in the middle of the jungle is scrap metal, yet people hatch all sorts of plans for recovery (at vast cost).

In the UK there is an Avro Shackleton in the MOSI in Manchester with an uncertain future. It is possibly the cleanest surviving example as it has been stored indoors since acquired. Conversely there is another Shackleton dumped at Long Marston airfield. It was never fully assembled onsite, has all sorts of issues structurally and is beyond any sort of realistic restoration. The latter aircraft is endlessly discussed on forums, with plans for restoration always imminent, whereas the former aircraft never raises as much concern.

Likewise there are probably numerous other diesel locos of a similar age to this dead Peak that deserve more attention and forum inches, but it won't happen. If 45015 can't be restored and can't be moved, perhaps the best option is to turf over the top of it and re-route the rails around it.

 

[gimmea50anyday]

Maybe it's because 45015 made it to privatisation and was on EWS books?

 

[Cowley]

Oddly I knew about 45015 before I really got back interested in railways. It has quite a reputation online with many mentions across various forums. Perhaps part of the appeal is the rough cosmetic appearance, or the notion that it was struck off service one day and parked up there the next as a sort of time capsule?

I suppose there is a 'so near yet so far' element to the engine. There is a yearning to see things like this put right, even if it is almost impossible to do so. I've seen the same thing within the aviation community: The lost cause aircraft tend to kick off a lot of discussion on forums if they are tantalisingly out of reach. The same marque of aircraft might be commonly preserved elsewhere. For example there are B-29 bombers in the US sitting on poles at various airforce bases, stripped of their internals and engines. Nobody cares about these! Show them the top six inches of a B-29 poking out of a lake in Alaska, or in a forest clearing somewhere in the Pacific, and people get far more excited. You could take one of the former B-29s down off a pole and, with a wee bit of work, bring it back to a cosmetically pleasing condition. The notion of returning these things to the air isn't impossible. The aircraft in the middle of the jungle is scrap metal, yet people hatch all sorts of plans for recovery (at vast cost).

In the UK there is an Avro Shackleton in the MOSI in Manchester with an uncertain future. It is possibly the cleanest surviving example as it has been stored indoors since acquired. Conversely there is another Shackleton dumped at Long Marston airfield. It was never fully assembled onsite, has all sorts of issues structurally and is beyond any sort of realistic restoration. The latter aircraft is endlessly discussed on forums, with plans for restoration always imminent, whereas the former aircraft never raises as much concern.

Likewise there are probably numerous other diesel locos of a similar age to this dead Peak that deserve more attention and forum inches, but it won't happen. If 45015 can't be restored and can't be moved, perhaps the best option is to turf over the top of it and re-route the rails around it.

You’re right I think.
It could be the railway equivalent of the Kennet Longbarrow...

 

[Alanko]

I just learned of 46035 today, speaking over things being overlooked in favour of discussing 45015! This 46 is stored uncovered and outdoors at Rowsley having previously been stored at Crewe Heritage Centre. It is in far better nick than 45015, but it does appear to have corrosion issues and is apparently one of three 46s still in existence.

 

[DarloRich]

In the UK there is an Avro Shackleton in the MOSI in Manchester with an uncertain future. It is possibly the cleanest surviving example as it has been stored indoors since acquired.

that Shackleton is is really good order. How come it has an uncertain future? Is it that the gallery it sits in is falling apart?

 

[Alanko]

that Shackleton is is really good order. How come it has an uncertain future? Is it that the gallery it sits in is falling apart?

The future of MOSI seems to be a bit uncertain it seems, depending on what you read and where.

Saying that, I've heard about how this Shackleton is in trouble for years on end as well, so there might not be much to it.

 

[DarloRich]

The future of MOSI seems to be a bit uncertain it seems, depending on what you read and where.

Saying that, I've heard about how this Shackleton is in trouble for years on end as well, so there might not be much to it.

cheers! The building it is in needs work but the plane itself looks really well cared for.

 

[duffield]

Isn't it a bit of a serious liability having an asbestos-containing loco 'rotting away' on your railway? I'd imagine that eventually, when it 'rots' enough, it would start falling apart to the extent that the asbestos would be released into the surrounding area and blown about in the wind. I wonder how long it would be before that would become a serious issue? Another 10, 20, 30, 50 years? Would it be necessary to at least put some sort of sealed containment system over it at some point? (Just curious).

 

[plarailfan]

It's all a sorry saga. From what I understand, a significant amount of storage charges are outstanding and the people at the battlefield line want it out of the way, but with no funds to strip the asbestos and the loco being worth so little in scrap value there seems to be no way out of the situation at present.
I keep buying lottery tickets in the hope of saving the loco, having it stripped out internally and putting a model railway in the empty shell, but no joy yet sadly ! It's a shame no-one has been able to cover the loco up with tarpaulins, to keep the rain out of the remains of the power unit, etc.

 

[Alanko]

Isn't it a bit of a serious liability having an asbestos-containing loco 'rotting away' on your railway? I'd imagine that eventually, when it 'rots' enough, it would start falling apart to the extent that the asbestos would be released into the surrounding area and blown about in the wind. I wonder how long it would be before that would become a serious issue? Another 10, 20, 30, 50 years? Would it be necessary to at least put some sort of sealed containment system over it at some point? (Just curious).

You could pump it with cement and then plate over it? I've just finished watching Chernobyl on Netflix, so I'm thinking big!