Br Gas Turbine No. 18000

[david1212]

I saw 18000 at Barrow Hill after it had been repainted green, for the date I would have to find my photos but from a few Flickr uploads 2008 or 2009. Hence sad if it is now tucked away outside and tatty.

 

[Brian M]

Throughout it's life of changed ownerships, different usages, various liveries etc., there is one feature that has remained unaltered since it's original build - the burnished steel bodyside 18000 numerals.

I have yet to see a picture without them and I attach one whilst it was on outside display in Vienna.

 

[RichT54]

Here is a photo I took of 18000 in March 2018 showing the rather sad state it was in. I guess it will have deteriorated further since then. With the pressure that preservation groups will be under due to the coronavirus, I suspect its future is not looking very promising.

 

[EbbwJunction1]

When I was at Didcot Railway Centre in February (see post No. 1), I took a couple of images of the loco.

It actually doesn't took too bad, and it certainly hasn't deteriorated that much since the image taken in March 2018. However, there are places where there's a bit of rust and other visual signs that not much (if anything) has been done since then. The problem seems to be that there's no obvious evidence that the owner (Pete Waterman) is actually doing anything with it, which is obviously a problem. I don't know what the future is - and nobody else seems to, either.

I'm afraid that I don't know how to post a photo, but if someone can tell me, I'll see what I can do.

 

[mdewell]

When I was at Didcot Railway Centre in February (see post No. 1), I took a couple of images of the loco.

It actually doesn't took too bad, and it certainly hasn't deteriorated that much since the image taken in March 2018. However, there are places where there's a bit of rust and other visual signs that not much (if anything) has been done since then. The problem seems to be that there's no obvious evidence that the owner (Pete Waterman) is actually doing anything with it, which is obviously a problem. I don't know what the future is - and nobody else seems to, either.

I'm afraid that I don't know how to post a photo, but if someone can tell me, I'll see what I can do.

Other than possible cosmetic restoration of the bodywork, nobody will be doing anything with it because it's just an empty shell and has been since before preservation.

 

[EbbwJunction1]

Other than possible cosmetic restoration of the bodywork, nobody will be doing anything with it because it's just an empty shell and has been since before preservation.

Yes, and that's the real problem isn't it? I don't know how much it would cost to restore it completely, but I guess it would be a lot, and very much out of the pocket of most people.

It still seems to be owned by Pete Waterman, who's not short of a bob or three, but there's some confusion as to whether he does still own it. I say that because on the "National Preservation" Forum, there's a few mentions of him donating it to the Great Western Society way back in 2011, but the donation apparently didn't go ahead as the paperwork wasn't completed.

The GWS / Didcot Railway Centre web site has an entry for 18000, with no mention of ownership. Part of this says "The current aim is to carry out body side repairs and to conserve the loco in its current condition. We welcome information on the loco and in particular would like to locate a sound recording of the loco when it was in use." so they have plans ... but do they have the money??

 

[reddragon]

If the traction motors work, it would be possible to power it by batteries once they are cheap and second hand stock is readily available.

 

[pdeaves]

If it's empty inside, could it be used in a similar way to many heritage railway shops that are installed inside old carriages? That way it wouldn't just be clogging up space but also have a purpose.

 

[superjohn]

If the traction motors work...

They don’t. According to

No. 18000 as a Testbed for Research into Wheel-Rail contact | Didcot Railway Centre

Living Museum Of The Great Western Railway

didcotrailwaycentre.org.uk

All but one of the traction motors were removed. The remaining one was relocated to be mounted above the loco floor via gearing to the axle. This allowed different types of motor to be tested.

 

[EbbwJunction1]

If you take the link in superjohn's post above and then select "Back to 18000 - Kerosene Castle" at the bottom of the page, this will take you to another page which tells the story of the loco.

At the bottom of this page, there's a number of photos of 18000 at various times. These include an undated one showing that the interior is completely empty, presumably as a result of the test work that was carried out in Switzerland.

I think that the only option is pdeaves's suggestion above - but the question is then who's going to arrange and pay for this?