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Didcot "we need small engines to survive"

Discussion in 'Heritage Railways & Centres in the UK' started by Reading General, Jul 11, 2016.

  1. Martin Perry

    Martin Perry Nat Pres stalwart Staff Member Moderator Friend

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    Not lost; changed, temporarily realigned, pragmatically altered, etc.
     
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  2. Reading General

    Reading General Part of the furniture

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    someone earlier gave the Society's mission statement. Doesn't mention BR livery or class 14s never mind hired in saddletanks. Hardly temporary I'd say
     
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  3. Reading General

    Reading General Part of the furniture

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    just to repeat what was quoted earlier "to preserve, restore and operate as a permanent public exhibition and museum, steam and other railway locomotives, rolling stock and equipment with particular reference to the former Great Western Railway, both for historical and educational purposes
    • to make available for public reference the history, equipment and operation of the former Great Western Railway" The website seems to have been altered to allow the Class 14 into the picture.
     
  4. Paul42

    Paul42 Part of the furniture

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    At the 2015 AGM followed by EGM, a resolution was proposed and passed to amend the articles of association to allow the aquisition of items dated from the period following nationalisation on British Railways Western Region. Note both 6998 and autocoach 231 were both build post nationalisation.
     
  5. michaelh

    michaelh Part of the furniture

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    Perhaps they should hire out some of the locos to heritage railways to generate some income, rather than just having them sat around doing nothing whilst the boiler ticket ticks away
     
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  6. Johnb

    Johnb Nat Pres stalwart

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    I think that sums up my thoughts entirely.
     
  7. flying scotsman123

    flying scotsman123 Resident of Nat Pres

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    I've often wondered why they don't do that, both with locos and stock. Regarding stock, I know they are all kept undercover at Didcot, but if a more long term agreement was made with a railway, they might be persuaded to build a carriage shed to accommodate them - a sort of a "If you build it, they will come".
     
  8. Johnb

    Johnb Nat Pres stalwart

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    I looked up class 14, an unsuccessful design that only lasted a few years, nothing to do with the Great Western at all, the Gas turbine clearly was. Didcot is unique in being able to be able to almost recreate the atmosphere of a typical steam shed and it would be a shame if that is compromised.
     
  9. Anthony Coulls

    Anthony Coulls Well-Known Member

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    It's because Didcot is a collection, not a branch of Enterprise Loco Hire. The collection means something all together. It's a conscious decision NOT to hire stuff out, there was an article about it in a recent magazine.
     
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  10. simon

    simon Resident of Nat Pres

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    Class 14 built at Swindon. Not unsuccessful in itself but the work it was built for disappeared almost as it was being built. Lasted for many years in NCB usage, hence why a fair number are preserved.
     
  11. simon

    simon Resident of Nat Pres

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    It's their collection and they can do with it what they will. However it would have been nice ( cue PaulH) if they had acquired one of the branches nearby to run the stock on.
     
  12. lil Bear

    lil Bear Part of the furniture

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    And yet 3650 is in perfect condition to run when the BBC comes calling...
     
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  13. flying scotsman123

    flying scotsman123 Resident of Nat Pres

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    Absolutely - if the GWS was a heritage railway rather than a centre I highly doubt there would be calls for them to hire their stuff out. From an enthusiast's perspective, it just seems a little bit of a shame for it all to sit in a shed unused most of the time. Certainly a WIBN, but when lines like the SVR are having to use unnecessarily large Bulleid pacifics just to get by, when there are perfectly suitable locos sat in Didcot not doing anything... ;)
     
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  14. lil Bear

    lil Bear Part of the furniture

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    Get a mainline connection installed at Cholsey...
     
  15. Sidmouth

    Sidmouth Resident of Nat Pres Staff Member Moderator

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    upload_2016-7-11_21-33-40.png
     
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  16. lil Bear

    lil Bear Part of the furniture

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    Precedent been set now though, so you'd have thought subject to limited number of days something could be agreed.

    Seems a shame to have an ideal loco, with a boiler ticket, sat redundant causing the GWS to hire something in. It's not as if they're running up the Conwy Valley line at full line speed.
     
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  17. richards

    richards Part of the furniture

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    Class 14 unsuccessful by design, or because its purpose (trip working) was already disappearing?
     
  18. richards

    richards Part of the furniture

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    Authentic Victoria cafe and toilets too, I suppose? And safety standards?

    Museums have to be practical and commercial. They can't be governed by authenticy.
     
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  19. Johnb

    Johnb Nat Pres stalwart

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    Have you ever been to Beamish? The whole point of a museum is to conserve and present our heritage, a museum not governed by authenticity is not a museum
     
  20. Greenway

    Greenway Part of the furniture

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    The Black Country Museum in the West Midlands comes close to Beamish in its objectives and presentation.
    Well worth a visit.
     
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