GWR 0-6-0PT No.94662004 News and Operating DatesPress F5 when you visit each page to make sure that you are viewing the latest version. Oldest news is at the bottom of the page. For photos of 9466 taken during the 2004 operating season, please click here. - updated 16 October 2004. Update of 23 November 2004 Some planned work on the main steam pipes and further checks on the valve timing will keep us occupied in December. Update of 6 November 2004 The not very glamorous winter maintenance programme is now in full swing with various jobs being undertaken. The grate and ashpan have been scrubbed clean and the smokebox has been been vacuumed out. Because of the recent overhaul there is no real mechanical work to be done on the loco, so it should be a reasonably relaxing couple of months. Update of 16 October 2004 The last operating days at the Nene Valley Railway for 9466 were the 25 and 26 September 2004, as scheduled. The visit was a complete success with the locomotive showing up no faults. The owner of 9466 and his team would like to put on record our thanks to the NVR and its staff for the friendly reception and helpfulness received during the locomtive's stay. 9466 left Wansford on 27 September hauled by John Antell bound for Bishop's Lydeard where she arrived later that evening, in readiness for the following weekend's West Somerset Autumn Gala. She was booked to work on all four days of the gala - 30 September through to 3 October 2004. Highlights of the gala for us were double heading the new mogul, 9351, from Minehead to Williton on the 30th September and hauling a short unfitted goods train from Minehead to Bishop's Lydeard also on the same day. The rest of 9466's tour of duty involved hauling six coach passenger trains on its own, except for one up train where she double headed with GWR small prairie 5542 and one down train from Williton to Minehead where she joined GWR large prairie 5199. Again, our stay was very enjoyable and we would like to thank the staff and crews of the WSR for a great time. The loco performed magnificently and those large hills in Somerset proved no barrier to the freshly overhauled pannier! Following the WSR Gala 9466 was back on John Antell's lorry on 7 October, being returned to the Bucks Railway Centre in time for Quainton Gala on 10 October. Here the locomotive did a solo spell on the Up Yard passenger train before double heading with resident GWR pannier tank 7715 for the latter part of the afternoon. Photos of all these events can be found by clicking here. The winter maintenance programme will now begin, so 9466 will be staying at her official home at Quainton. She will not run again until the start of the 2005 season. Update of 14 September 2004 We are delighted to confirm that 9466 will be making a return guest appearance at the West Somerset Railway Autumn Gala which is running from Thursday 30 September to Sunday 3 October inclusive. The official site gives basic details of the event, plus everything else that is happening in cider country. However The West Somerset Railway on the Web, which is the unofficial site for the WSR, has much more information for the enthusiast and seems to be updated far more regularly than the official site. The WSR is (quite rightly) keeping the loco rostering under wraps as they will be selling the full working timetable (including loco allocations) nearer the event. The general timetable for the four day event, however, is already published on both WSR websites. See you there! Update of 11 August 2004 Now that 9466 has been at Peterborough for a few weeks, she is settling down nicely and very few problems have been found - mainly tightening up the odd nut and bolt. She is steaming as free as ever and remains a strong engine and has no trouble running between Peterborough and Yarwell Mill. Your webmaster has had little time to take any photos, so I would ask any reader of this page who has any suitable pictures taken at the Nene Valley if they would consider sending me one or two for inclusion on this site. Full credit would of course be given. 9466 has been used on a number of TPO trains whilst at the Nene Valley and the Friends of M30272M TPO Group has a splendid site. The TPO Group site also includes some rather fine photos of 9466 plus a small piece of video as well. 9466 returned to the Buckinghamshire Railway Centre on 27 May 2004. She operated on 31 May, 6 June and 30 June 2004. 9466 left the Bucks Railway Centre for a summer holiday on the Nene Valley Railway, where she arrived on 1st July 2004. Her first rostered tuns took place on the 3rd and 4th of July. When she arrived at Wansford, 9466 was off loaded from the low loader lorry facing east. She operated this way round on the 3rd July. At the end of that day 9466 was turned on the NVR turntable and is now going to be facing west for a while. See the 2004 operating season photographs. The booked operating dates for 9466 at the Nene Valley Railway are as follows:- 3 July, 4 July, 10 July, 11 July, 24 July, 25 July 3 August, 4 August, 5 August, 7 August, 8 August, 14 August, 15 August, 28 August, 29 August, 30 August Additional operating dates at the NVR have just been confirmed (11/8/04) for 17 and 18 August Additional date 7 September for a private charter, 11 September, 12 September, 25 September, 26 September Please note that while we aim to operate the locomotive on the dates shown above, neither we or the host railway can guarantee that 9466 will run. In the first instance please contact the host railway to confirm that 9466 will operate on any date shown above. Click here to return to 9466 Home Page. Please e-mail me with any questions or queries. Bruce Murray Page updated 23 November 2004 - update added to this page. |