Finnish broad gauge steam in Britain?

[Woodburner]

Hello to everyone,

about 20 yrs ago some moth-balled Finnish 1524mm gauge steam locomotives were brought to Britain. Anybody know about their current status? I understood there was a large Mikado in Kent and a Pacific north of London, but the information I can find is rather scarce. Anybody seen any of these beasts?

Arttu, surrended by snow

 

[sprinterguy]

Four Finnish locos could be found at the Epping Ongar Railway in Essex a few years ago: Tr1 class Mikado 1060, hR1 class Pacific 1016, Vr1 class 2-8-0 1134 and Tk3 class 0-6-0T 794.
http://www.simplonpc.co.uk/Epping-Ongar.html

The four locos have since been separated and moved, and Pacific 1016 is now owned by David Buck and is apparently undergoing restoration at a private site in Fifield, just south of Maidenhead.
http://www.mdrs.org.uk/documents/donkey130.pdf (Scroll down to page 7)

It's visible on Google maps (Zoom in on Ledger Lane):
http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?hl=en...tlif132740554805910&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=wl

I'm not sure as to the recent movements of the others though.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---
Additionally, I've also found one reference that says that 2-8-0 No.1134 is currently located in the village of Sellindge in Kent: http://www.steamlocomotive.info/vlocomotive.cfm?display=22982

That is very interesting, as "Merchant Navy" 35011 is also undergoing restoration as the "35011 General Steam Navigation Project" in Sellindge. I'm not sure if the two are related. If it is indeed there, then I strongly suspect that it is at a location marked as "Allard J G" on Google maps, to the north east of the village.

 

[Woodburner]

Thank you, very intresting

So I see there is hope that the Pacific could move under its own steam some day. One of its sisters (1007) just had an unglorious meeting with cutter's torch in Karjaa, southern Finland. A great way to start the 150th anniversary of railways in Finland...

The British-owned 1009 was up for sale last year, haven't heard any news about its future.

Arttu

 

[Eddystone]

Would like to confirm that there are 3 Finnish locos at Sellindge. VR1 0-6-0 799,
TK3 2-8-0 1134 and another TK3 recently arrived from Binbrook(number escapes me!) Apparently 1134 bis being worked on. 35011 and 35025 are also on the site with Hunslet 18" Antwerp... and J94 68086.

 

[Yew]

Could these locos be modified to work on british lines?

 

[A0wen]

According to this month's Heritage Railway - which has an article on the Epping & Ongar Railway, Finnish Mikado 1060 is still on site, but is currently being offered for sale.

 

[Woodburner]

It feels so strange that these broad gauge locos are being transported around Britain, but I'm very grateful that they were saved in the first place; they would have been scrapped here. I hope to see some of them in future. I think they cannot be modified to run on standard gauge, it's only about 89 millimetres, but those millimetres are in the wrong place. The Americans, on the other hand, pressed the tyres on their Russian decapods towards the frames, so maybe there is way... Thank you for the input.

 

[STEVIEBOY1]

It feels so strange that these broad gauge locos are being transported around Britain, but I'm very grateful that they were saved in the first place; they would have been scrapped here. I hope to see some of them in future. I think they cannot be modified to run on standard gauge, it's only about 89 millimetres, but those millimetres are in the wrong place. The Americans, on the other hand, pressed the tyres on their Russian decapods towards the frames, so maybe there is way... Thank you for the input.

Good morning,
I see that you are in Finland. Talking of Finnish Steam Locos. Are there any steam trains or preserved lines in Finland that operate with steam now.? I visited Helsinki for a long weekend in the mid 1990s and there was a regular summer steam service that departed from the Main Helsinki Railway station towards Hammalina and a little further on where they turned the loco. I travelled on this train, it was very good indeed. I wonder if it still runs. Rgds.

 

[Woodburner]

Best place to see steam in Finland would be the Jokioinen NG preserved line with five operational 750mm gauge steam locos, including the rather large Tubize that once was in Wales (Welshpool).

On the broad gauge, however, the situation is not so good. There are several steam locos in good condition, but few opportunies to run them. The state rlys seem to have little intrest to show their own steam or let private groups to run their vehicles. Lots of coaching stock has been scrapped, sidings, sheds and facilities demolished. To be able to run on the main line, you would have fit an expensive (and not available, by the way)black box to your loco.

There are some very dedicated groups restoring steam locos, rolling stock and diesels/DMUs, that sometimes with carefull planning manage to run specials on branch lines. In Porvoo, east of Helsinki, you can see and ride historic steam and DMUs, as in some places in middle Finland. I see some hope in the future, but the situation at the present is a bit sad.

 

[STEVIEBOY1]

Best place to see steam in Finland would be the Jokioinen NG preserved line with five operational 750mm gauge steam locos, including the rather large Tubize that once was in Wales (Welshpool).

On the broad gauge, however, the situation is not so good. There are several steam locos in good condition, but few opportunies to run them. The state rlys seem to have little intrest to show their own steam or let private groups to run their vehicles. Lots of coaching stock has been scrapped, sidings, sheds and facilities demolished. To be able to run on the main line, you would have fit an expensive (and not available, by the way)black box to your loco.

There are some very dedicated groups restoring steam locos, rolling stock and diesels/DMUs, that sometimes with carefull planning manage to run specials on branch lines. In Porvoo, east of Helsinki, you can see and ride historic steam and DMUs, as in some places in middle Finland. I see some hope in the future, but the situation at the present is a bit sad.

OK, Thank you for this useful information.

 

[Kriegslok]

March edition of Heritage Railways reports that 1060 is up for scrap which would be tragic and will meet the torch if not sold and relocated from Ongar within the coming weeks.

 

[madannie77]

794 is currently residing on River Road in Barking:

Google Streetview

More information here: http://www.steamlocomotive.info/vlocomotive.cfm?Display=22985

 

[The Colonel]

What is more tragic is that time, money & effort were wasted in bringing them over to England in the first place. They are not standard (track) gauge and to a larger loading gauge than UK stock, so cannot run anywhere other than on a new build line, which I believe was the original idea. There are still loads of unrestored ex Barry wrecks about the place and unrestored coaches for that matter that could have been used instead. Its like the various 3'6" gauge locos which have been imported from South Africa - Why?? The just sit somewhere quietly rotting away after a lot of effort getting them over here.

There is so much stuff over here that never will get restored and yet people are still starting up heritage lines in the most obscure of places, but that's hijacking this thread.

 

[Woodburner]

I've heard the sad news about 1060's possible scrapping, too. The loco was built in 1954 at the Lokomo plant some 20 km from us, and must have shaken our house (a 1899-built railway workers' hut) a thousand times as she run up and down the main line. Wish there was a way to save her! Make her into a stationary boiler to run a pumping station or something. I know the gauge is wrong, but she's made out of the right stuff!

The 0-6-0s were one of the best classes of locomotives on the Finnish broad gauge. Constructed during the last years of Finnish autonomity in the Imperial Russian empire (-1918), they were among the last to be abandoned in 1974-75. They have served endles days and nights at marshalling yards and harbours, and handled milloions of tons of timber, pulp, paper and pit props headed to the UK. Only fair that a couple of the locos made the trip at last themselves...