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Toddington update - Chcken Curve slip

Discussion in 'Heritage Railways & Centres in the UK' started by audlin, Jan 16, 2011.

  1. RASDV

    RASDV Member

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    Great progress there, it just illustrates what can be done when people donate!
     
  2. Christopher125

    Christopher125 Part of the furniture

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    I think your missing my point David, im not criticising the GWSR for these things - they are the sacrifices needed to run the railway as a business, sacrifices which may include the selling of the goods shed. You say they are temporary, but realistically they are all here to stay - sheds very rarely get 'prettified' for the simple reason there are always more important things to spend money on. Its worth noting that the Bluebell buildings have been designed to be sympathetic from the outset, so it was a case of completing [not re-cladding], and the MHR recycled materials from another building. CWL isnt going anywhere, neither are the car parks and NG railway and unless you know different neither are any of the innapropriate diesels. All these things *could* theoretically be addressed, but just like the shed at Broadway decisions must and will be made from a primarily commercial viewpoint - especially with the lines current problems.

    Incidentally, i dont agree with your assertion that 'once its gone its gone' either - is Broadway not getting a GWR station back? Wasnt the station building at Winchcombe removed from elsewhere and rebuilt? Ultimately its just bricks and mortar to a standard design that will serve little practical use to the extended railway. If it can be kept in GWSR ownership it should, but the GWSR is up an unpleasant creek without a paddle - keeping it at any cost is not a realistic option.

    Chris
     
  3. RASDV

    RASDV Member

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    Hi all,
    You may be interested to know that the auction of Fred Lea's watercolour of 2807 ended at midday today.
    The winning bid was £550, which is a respectable sum of money, toward the landslip funds. The winning bidder has asked to remain annonymonus.
    Read the full article on the GWSR website.
     
  4. SteveG

    SteveG New Member

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    Hi,

    We have added a short video to the Chicken Curve tours tab on the homepage. Hopefully it will give a good impression of what you will get for your money plus also a view of Chicken Curve.

    Steve
    GWSR webmaster
     
  5. paul372

    paul372 New Member

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    As the owner of a loco based at Toddington and as a member of the line, if selling the goods shed raises, let's say a few couple of hundred thousand pounds which ensures that the line survives then that has to be a good option. If the line folds because the banks think that they can't get out of the financial crisis caused by the landslips then surely the ownership of the goods shed becomes irrelevant anyway!
     
  6. michaelh

    michaelh Part of the furniture

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    Are you suggesting the banks have a mortgage over the line?

    As a shareholder in the plc, I am certainly not aware of any such mortgage - I think that is needless ill-informed scaremongering.
     
  7. MAPLE CHRIS

    MAPLE CHRIS Member

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    i would imagine that the company will have to take out loans to pay for the second slip as unless grant money is available it will not be repaired by donations alone. The costs involved in moving coaches and locomotives to Winchcombe will also cost a lot of money and the facilities at Winchcombe are not of the same standard as Toddington the railway needs all the income it can get at the moment as bills still need to be paid and the season is starting a month late this year. I shall be coming up soon for a ride over the new extension and steam from Cheltenham to Winchcombe.
     
  8. michaelh

    michaelh Part of the furniture

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    This is speculation and nothing to do with the ill informed suggestion that the banks could foreclose on the company and it's assets. There could be serious consequences from suggesting that a plc is is in financial difficulties
     
  9. paul372

    paul372 New Member

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    I am not suggesting anything of the sort about banks having a mortgage over the line. The railway has a serious financial problem after the two slips, this is certainly not ill informed scaremongering, this is fact. All I was saying is that I support the view that if selling the goods shed raises a decent amount of money towards repairs and ultimate full reopening then this, in my opinion, is worth pursuing.
     
  10. Pete Thornhill

    Pete Thornhill Resident of Nat Pres Staff Member Administrator Moderator Friend

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    I thought I should point this quote out which is taken directly from the GWSR's website and was made by Malcom Temple the chairman just to clarify the fiancial situation direct from the horses mouth as you were -
    He also added -
    Hopefullly that explains the situation the railway is in - the full article can be found at - http://www.gwsr.com/news/latest-news/volunteers-learn-the-facts-of-railway-life.aspx
     
  11. Pete Thornhill

    Pete Thornhill Resident of Nat Pres Staff Member Administrator Moderator Friend

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    I thought I should point this quote out which is taken directly from the GWSR's website and was made by Malcom Temple the chairman just to clarify the fiancial situation direct from the horses mouth as you were -
    He also added -
    Hopefullly that explains the situation the railway is in - the full article can be found at - http://www.gwsr.com/news/latest-news/volunteers-learn-the-facts-of-railway-life.aspx
     
  12. 21B

    21B Part of the furniture

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    I don't think there has been any scaremongering here. You don't need a mortgage with a bank for them to contribute to a situation where liquidation is the only option. For the G-WR cashflow is going to be their biggest challenge, and it is this which normaly unbalances a company, not profit or loss or mortgages. All it takes is a dip in sales, a justified concern from the bank about your ability to repay your overdraft or maintain a trading position that justifies the facility you have got, and suddenly the company simply runs out of cash.

    The loss of the Santa revenue could not really have come at a worse time since I imagine like most railways that is a part of being able to get through the winter season for the G-WR. They already have the other slip to finish rebuilding (with further demands on cash), and I note that the appeal has not quite reached the amount needed to pay the railway's share, and coupled with claiming back insurance money for the works and maybe VAT too, that will also be affecting cashflow negatively. They need to convince the bank that they are viable by demonstrating that the line can earn money despite the severance. The bank's support is important because of the need to fund the cashflow (it would be normal for them to have an overdraft facility to help smooth out the troughs in cash flow). The bank will want to be reassured that the line can continue to make enough money to cover its running costs and raise the money for the rebuilding before it would want to continue to make the overdraft available. The GWR faces an extremely tough couple of years, and though I hope and believe it will come through it stronger, it may not. Steps such as selling assets with no immediate usefulness is very sensible.
     
  13. lil Bear

    lil Bear Part of the furniture

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    Just seen the SVR are going to be running a fund-raising train in June;

     
  14. free2grice

    free2grice Part of the furniture Friend

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  15. 46118

    46118 Part of the furniture

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    BBC Midlands Today have just broadcast an excellent--and seemingly accurate-- piece from the GWSR's "press preview" of the DMU Laverton service. Mention was made of the appeal, and the piece ended with footage at the chicken curve slip.
     
  16. Stuart666

    Stuart666 New Member

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    It was also on BBC Points West yesterday, covering the dual nature of the railway now. Showed some nice footage of the DMU in action.

    At least as far as coverage of the problem in the media, the launch of the DMU service seems to have been a success. Hopefully there will be some more when Cheltenham Winchcombe reopens.
     
  17. M59137

    M59137 Well-Known Member

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    Can anyone confirm in what month the two DMU sets for the Laverton service (I believe one set being Ex-Plym Valley and the other from a private site following a previous move from Barry island) were delivered to Toddington?

    I am helping update the Railcar Association's website and we're trying to record when vehicle have moved from place to place.
     
  18. daveb

    daveb Member

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    It wasn't on BBC Midlands Today last night, but, I suppose, may be on tonight if it was shown at lunchtime. It was also on one of the Midlands "breakouts" during BBC Breakfast this morning. Possibly not the full piece, but still good publicity.
     
  19. D6969

    D6969 New Member

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    The 2nd unit (unlined green and unnumbered, on the side I was looking at) arrived today ex Plym valley?, the lined green unit arrived around 27 or 28th March, ex Vale of Glamorgan (51339?).
     
  20. M59137

    M59137 Well-Known Member

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    So all four vehicles arrived during March? (just!)
     

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