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Swanage Railway General Discussion

Discussion in 'Heritage Railways & Centres in the UK' started by Rumpole, Oct 10, 2012.

  1. 30854

    30854 Resident of Nat Pres

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    Hardly a secret and it was a close call. At the time, the Bluebell were battling to fund purchase of the line from BR, following their decision to terminate existing lease arrangements, which was also the reason attempts to save a K class mogul failed, one apparently having been specifically earmarked (at Willesden, I believe (despite others being stored dead at Hove). I can't vouch for tales of a tender full of spares, although certain rescues are known to have come thus equipped! Perhaps it was the unique status of Fenchurch, something of a local celebrity as the oldest, which tipped the scales, The tale (which I first learned many moons ago) gets a mention in this piece, oddly in the section headed 'The Next 60 Years' a ways down the page:

    https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.th...-six-decades-of-worlds-most-popular-line/amp/
     
  2. torgormaig

    torgormaig Part of the furniture Friend

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    I stand corrected. It was a long time ago now and I was only an uninvolved youngster at the time. Apologies

    Peter
     
  3. 30854

    30854 Resident of Nat Pres

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    No worries Peter. TBH, i really ought to have sourced a suitable link before posting. I was still at the ankle biting stage myself back then (I mean 1964, not the last hour) ! :)
     
  4. Andy Moody

    Andy Moody Member

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    Assuming this is still the Swanage Railway thread, Where else can you store the freight and engineer wagons on the SR.
    Siding space is and always have been a premium. It should also be noted that at Herston, the track has had to be lifted for the construction of the carriage shed.
     
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  5. A1X

    A1X Well-Known Member

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    Of course just because you live near rich people it doesn't follow that you yourself will get rich by default.

    What the Bluebell undoubtedly does benefit from (along with a number of other lines such as the Severn Valley, Isle of Wight and Great Central) is that it has space to play with. The stations on the line were big country stations with large yards, on which can be built sheds and sidings to keep the "linear scrapyards" to a minimum. This isn't a luxury afford to many lines (such as the Swanage or Mid Hants) but it means that the more decrepit and unsightly projects can be kept out of sight of the punters more easily.
     
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  6. Enterprise

    Enterprise Part of the furniture

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    I have just returned from a few days at Corfe. It was a pleasure to see trains operating again although I missed out on 80104 (running today) which I remember from her LTSR days and would liked to have seen again before her ticket expires. We spent a couple of days walking old mineral lines. It seems many visitors are clueless about this aspect of Purbeck history although the evidence is all around. I think most are just as oblivious to the stored SR vehicles. It is easy to forget what a triumph the restoration of the Swanage line has been. Most of the line is utterly delightful.
     
  7. Kingscross

    Kingscross Member

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    The linear scrapyard of today is the living museum of tomorrow.

    I know one guy who spent the 1990s buying up steam-era freight stock as it was withdrawn from mainline use. He ended up with around 35 wagons, and manages to restore about one a year. I am sure his life's work will be completed and be an asset to the railway, but for now there's likely to be a siding of 20+ "scrap" wagons for the next 20 or so years. The chap concerned collects the wagons because he likes them, they are useful once restored, and he contributes to the railway in many, many ways. Should his collection be given their marching orders though?
     
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  8. torgormaig

    torgormaig Part of the furniture Friend

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    This does tend to create the illusion that once restored that's job done. Nothing could be further from the truth. By the time your man has restored the last of his 35 freight wagons the original restorations will have deteoriated back to the state they were in when he started 35 years earlier.. Alas, like everything else, no restoration last forever. So do you carry on restoring them all or do you cease restorations and concentrate on maintaining those you have already done. This is one of preservations big dilemas.

    Peter
     
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  9. Kingscross

    Kingscross Member

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    Yes, I was keeping it simplistic. In this case the older restorations are kept maintained and don't generally deteriorate. But there is still a long line of stored wagons to get through and a consequent linear scrapyard!
     
  10. 30854

    30854 Resident of Nat Pres

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    It's just the well-known and worldwide 'Y Chromosome Issue', which also applies in equal measure to hoovering and visiting the in-laws.
     
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  11. Gladiator 5076

    Gladiator 5076 Part of the furniture

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    This was Herston on the 8th and looks very similar this afternoon with another loaded spoil train in the same place. I think the two sidings at Harmans Cross are pretty full and the DMU's will be at Corfe although I have not been to the station area since Christmas.

    Swanage do some good wagon restorations. The two mishapen Super Turbot's behind the 33 in the first link now look a lot better for example.

    https://www.smugmug.com/app/organize/Swanage-Stock/Wagons/i-66jngLb
    https://www.smugmug.com/app/organize/Swanage-Stock/Wagons/i-b82MNSP
    https://www.smugmug.com/app/organize/Swanage-Stock/Wagons/i-Tmbc56h
     

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  12. Big Al

    Big Al Nat Pres stalwart Staff Member Moderator

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    As a general point I think that all heritage railways will always err on the side of retaining something of historical value for restoration at whatever time it gets to the top of the list. What few set-ups are brave enough to do is make a 'call' on when to stop storing stuff or continuing to accumulate stuff. For certain a number of people would immediately jump up and down about the set-up in question 'acting as God' with our heritage items.

    If space is tight then these hard decisions are even more important. If you cannot identify when 'Item X' will be operational or when 'Item X' will be disassembled to provide parts for another restoration then to my mind there is a good case for disposing of it. To not be as hard nosed as this could put at risk what you do have and already have in use but needs updating.

    Luckily for the SR I don't see too much detritus in full view at Swanage or Corfe where it would be an eyesore.
     
  13. Andy Moody

    Andy Moody Member

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    Sorry, But I am unable to view the three smugmug photos, as they seem to require a username and password.
     
  14. Gladiator 5076

    Gladiator 5076 Part of the furniture

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    Andy I will try to find the originals and post them as a jpg. I guess SmugMug recognised I was already signed in when I checked the link worked.
     
  15. goldfish

    goldfish Nat Pres stalwart

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  16. Gladiator 5076

    Gladiator 5076 Part of the furniture

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    Try these Andy
     

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  17. Andy Moody

    Andy Moody Member

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    Thanks for that Simon and "Gladiator 5076"
    Andy
     
  18. Standard by 4

    Standard by 4 New Member

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    Maybe for the next gala the demonstration freight could be made up of the Turbot's and Dogfish wagons for a change?
     
  19. biggles200

    biggles200 Member

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    Off course Swanage does have "offsite storage" away from the railway where several carriages live under cover. However in Purbeck's AONB, this sort of accommodation is rarely available and therefore leaves Swanage Railway with a bigger dilemma than other railways. It is easy to criticise and not compare like with like.
     
  20. ruddingtonrsh56

    ruddingtonrsh56 Member

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    I wonder if there is also sometimes a case, as had been eluded to on the Llangollen thread, of lack of clarity over who owns certain items of rolling stock, so nobody is doing anything to restore them but then nobody wants to make the decision to get rid in case the owner suddenly appears and complains.
    A railway I have close ties with have announced recently they are having a review of stock on the railways, and if people have a claim to ownership of an item they should declare it within 2 months, otherwise it will be assumed to be a company asset to be restored / stored / sold as the company sees fit.
    Not saying that is the case for all items of rolling stock at every railway, but it wouldn't surprise me if it isn't the case for at least one forgotten wagon or coach at the end of a siding where it's sat for 20 years...
     

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