Never go to the NRM with your mother!

last summer, I went to the "1968 and all that" festival at the National Railway Museum. Unfortunately my dad had hurt his leg teaching my yonger brother to play golf (don't ask..), so my mom ends up being the lucky person to take me to York. We'd got off the train from Scarborough and my mom turns to me and says "Hold my hand so you don't get lost". I was 15 at the time. Then she yanks me out of the station and up various roads until we get to York Minster, She looks around and says "I don't see any signs for the museum" so I have to explain to her that all the signs were on the platform and she gave me a dirty look and said "Why didn't you tell me?!?". As I was trying to explain to her that I had tried, she yanks me down the various roads and back into the station. At that point i felt like :smt067 and :smt075, so I point out the signs and off we go.
After we get into the museum, the day passes calmly until we go to go home.
I get yanked onto the platform and dragged onto a HST heading for Darlington. Before I can explain that we're on the wrong train, I get silenced by old woman who looks like some kind of carol vorderman-dragged-backwards-through-a-hedge clone. When we arrive at Darlington, my mother asks "Why didn't you say anything?" and again I say "I tried" so I get yanked onto another train to York and then onto the last train to Scarborough where we get back to my aunties house footsore and at each others throats.

Moral of the story: Never go to the NRM with your mother!

 

I must confess that i have utter contempt for the NRM these days.
Diesels are kept in a tent which has never been open to the public when i have visited on several occasions,
dont like the stuffed engine policy (loco never to run again) steam or diesel.
The cafe is run by unfriendly staff, and i will not forgive them for sliceing 35029 in half for the purpose of education, that what mock up's are for!

NRM has had it's day and i will not be visiting again.

 

I have to agree with you about the stuffed engine policy there.

As for my own Mum, at 90 years of age she still loves trains.


Does anyone else have a funny story to tell about trains and parents?

Regards
Chris

 

i think the stuffed engine policy is necessary in the case of the more historical engines. Equate them to Stonehenge...how would you feel about Stonehenge being restored to original appearance with new bits added where necessary? Thats the sort of thing MUSEUMS are there to decide on...REAL preservation if you like. There are plenty of engines OUT of museums to steam and play with, adding new bits when they break or wear out...

 

Hard though it is to bear I have to agree we have to preserve locomotives-particulary with regard to ones in the 100 + years category. There are exceptions and times when limited steamings are possible but they are there principly to show how railways have developed and preserve the past. You only have to see this with the streamlined Duchess of Hamilton.

As for the sectioned example I seem to remember a topic on the locomotive in question and like MOSI's Pender there a number of the class in preservation. For the NRM's case if memory serves me right it came from Barry and was not the easiest to restore and so made a good case for this rather than another engine to be sectioned. Also looking to the future it will serve its use well in help to explain to future footplate crew as well as the general public in the way in which steam locomotives work.

Regards

Duncan

 

I've never been to the NRM with my mother, but I was always dragging her and/or dad to the Science Museum at South Kensington at every school holiday - so when I was 12 I was allowed to travel from SE London by SR and underground to the Science Museum all on my own (late 1950s onwards).
My mother indirectly gave me my first memory - the family went to stay with my aunt (mum's sister) somewhere in South Wales - we always travelled by train as dad thought the roads were too crowded even then - and at eighteen months old I can remember being in my pushchair being pushed off a basic platform past this gleaming hissing marvel. I think it was probably only an 0-6-0 pannier tank on a Welsh valley branch line but I've had a life-long interest in railways ever since.

 

Just to come back to the sectioning of Ellerman Lines. When this was done there were many locos in Barry scrapyard and their fate was very uncertain. For those that remained there was always the threat that they would be cut up within 6 months. No one at the start of Barry ever believed that almost all of them would make it in to preservation. We lost a Prarie and a 9F along the way but it could have been a lot worse. Moral of the story is that it is easy to judge actions taken in the past but when decisions were made they were done with the information and resources available. So don't knock the NRM for what they haven't done but appreciate the work that they did do. Take a look at some other countries and you will see that the UK really has nothing to be ashamed of in railway preservation.

 

what with it being the only BP in existence and there being non left un-restored in sidings around the country

 

Only just saw this thread - would be quite happy to drag Ms Vorderman anywhere!

 

Sorry you feel this way - but what stuffed engine policy? The one that has stuffed the ROD, Super D, Beattie Well tank, Truro, Scotsman, T9...?

We have an enthusiastic director, enthusiastic staff. Watch this space.

Cheers
Anthony

 

Stanier tank??? usefull bit of kit that like a jubilee but smaller

 

I guess he's referring to the policy that won't allow a new cylinder to be cast for Green Arrow, is highly unlikely to ever see Mallard / Evening Star on the rails again due to "original components" and rebuilds Duchess of Hamilton... only to make it purely cosmetic

 

Duchess Of Hamilton wasn't re-streamlined cosmetically. The casing was put on to conform to today's gauging standards which is why she was able to be returned from Tyseley to York by rail instead of on a low loader.
With this in mind I'd say 'watch this space'. Her return to the mainline may not happen in the short term, money being in short supply. But in a few years time.......why not?

 

None of this is true or official policy. We have NEVER said we won't cast a new cylinder for the Arrow. We will not do Mallard for the forseeable future as we are committed to 4472 and there are 3 other A4s main line, the 9F has flangeless centre drivers and is banned from the main line - and as for the Duchess - I refer the honourable gentleman to Kevin's reply.

There is NO blanket policy. I write policies for individual vehicles , each taken on their own merits. I feel an article explaining it all coming on sometime if folk would be interested.

 

Anthony yes a artical would be good perhaps if one of the mags would take it on board with possibly a well edited example of a policy

 

Sorry but those of us on the IOM don't feel that way about the IOMRly's Pender - which as I understood was only loaned to MOSI, before they decided to vandalise it. There's only one other 1873 BP Tank in existance - which is Sutherland. The rest are later locomotives and have been rebuilt extensively. Those who know Manx Peacocks know everyone is unique. If MOSI was that determined to sectionalise a Loco they could have had the remains of Derby and a life expired boiler to play with (therefore guaranteeing another IOMRly BP Tank survived into the 21st C.

 

this at moderators disgression is being discussed here regarding Pender.

IOMSRSA Forum - Print Page

 

How about at least one of the 2 North Staffs engines being restored. Its certainly a shame that the smaller companies never get a look in at the restoration at the NRM.

 

Unless this has changed I thought 1858 built 0-4-0 Shannon was to be restored at the NRM?

Kind Regards

Duncan

 

After closer inspection it was decided that an overhaul would compromise the historical integrity of Shannon too much, at least with the amounts of money raised. Perhaps in the future.