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Swanage Railway General Discussion

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

  1. Andy Moody

    Andy Moody Member

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    Very well said sir, I wonder if that is the same dining coach that has recently been out shopped from Swanage carriage and wagon works! as seen in your photo
    of 5526 departing Swanage.
    Wouldn't have been nice if the Swanage Railway could have retained the Swanage goods yard and been able to build a workshop but sadly the land was sold off
    and is occupied by a super market and Bus depot so we have to make do with the goods shed that can only accommodate one mk1 coach at a time, and like everything else, work has had to be deferred owing to Covid etc.

    I am sorry, but I do get rather ticked off by @ Oliversbest who claims to be a Swanage Railway supporter, but can only sit behind a keyboard and find fault rven if it is not there.
     
  2. Southernman99

    Southernman99 Member Friend

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    Put a harness on and come and paint them then. To make them look "perfect", thered a good weeks worth of work before you even put paint on.

    Ultimately. The passengers on the diner will probably not see the roof of their carriage as they are too busy being wined and dined. As long as the interior and bodysides are clean, well maintained and upto the standard the passengers expect. A slightly peeling roof is of no consequence. Id be more worried if the bodysides looked like that versus the roof. Then youre into a whole other world of work.
     
  3. Gladiator 5076

    Gladiator 5076 Part of the furniture

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    A few of the tank from the last 4 days of driver taster and service trains.

    Corfe Common at the end of the first taster day with a fortunate rainbow.

    Herston with a dark sky Saturday.

    An attempt at steam in the landscape yesterday

    And today as washout. As usual popped out on the end of dumping some garden waste. Lovely light at Corfe viaduct, extra benefit road to Studland shut so no traffic queuing under the viaduct. But some issue occurred and no train. Waited 30 minutes gave up as bitterly cold and it was heading under Afflington Bridge (about 45 minutes late on the outbound journey) as I drove back. IMG_8148.JPG IMG_8158.JPG IMG_8189.JPG IMG_8207.JPG
     
  4. Copper-capped

    Copper-capped Part of the furniture

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    https://www.swanagerailwaytrust.org/carriage-shed-appeal
     
  5. oliversbest

    oliversbest Member

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    Thank you!! Its all very simple as a couple of Welsh NG operations have discovered. An objective is identified,funds are solicited and then those funds are used expeditiously towards said objective. We have been reminded for years that stock needs to be under cover to slow down deterioration and improve maintenance. Surely donors should be afforded an explanation(without asking) as to why "urgent" appeals somehow seem to get sidetracked. Will there be a further postponement in January 2023??
     
  6. Wenlock

    Wenlock Well-Known Member Friend

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    Some railways have concentrated their efforts over the years on varying objectives. It always used to strike me when visiting 'other railways', that some seemed to have made more progress than my 'home' line.
    It was only much later that I realised that some of those very successful lines were operating on leased or rented property, meaning they possibly ran the risk of being charged more rent or even evicted.
    My own line at the time seemed to be making very slow progress, but was actually concentrating on buying the freehold of the site, and building the sheds needed for restoration of relics. Which gave great site security.
    I'm no longer involved there but a recent visit revealed that many of the vehicles in worst condition are now housed under cover (in former government buildings which had become available) waiting labour and funds for restoration, which could never have happened if they were still out on sidings in the open air.
     
  7. 35B

    35B Nat Pres stalwart

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    Because there are multiple priorities for railways? Perhaps there are hoops (detailed planning, maybe) to go through before works can commence on site?
     
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  8. ghost

    ghost Part of the furniture

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    Why do you keep asking for answers on here? This is not the Swanage Railway PR department.
    If you want answers to your (many) questions, why don't you write to/email the SR or pick up the phone to them?

    In the circumstances of the last few years, most people are prepared to cut the railway some slack and let them recover first and then look at their postponed projects once their head is above water.
    However you obviously can't give them any time to recover and there's obviously a lot bothering you about the SR, so please just get in touch with them directly and get some answers instead of repeating the same questions on here all the time.
     
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  9. oliversbest

    oliversbest Member

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    If my remarks on here result in the long awaited Carriage Shed finally being erected in 2023 I think it will have been well worthwhile for everyone concerned!! Perhaps it is my old school thinking that when a commitment is made it should be followed through. it is perhaps a salutary lesson to those who appeal and to those who answer those appeals.
     
    Last edited: Mar 8, 2022
  10. Cuckoo Line

    Cuckoo Line Member

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    I doubt a few comments here will change anything. Plus post COVID probably interesting to get contractors in to do the work, I,m told construction , house improvements etc is a good business to get into. Try getting someone good quick to do a bathroom or bedroom at the moment for example.
     
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  11. Gladiator 5076

    Gladiator 5076 Part of the furniture

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    I thought 2023 was mentioned up thread.
    It will also be a difficult site to work on I would expect with no road access, so I imagine (but do not know) that all materials will need to be tripped by rail from Swanage. For that reason alone I would imagine the railway would not want work being undertaken in months when lots of trains are running. The town seems permanently full of large builders trucks over the past year or so, having yet more loitering around the transport hub in high season would not make the railway popular I suspect.
     
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  12. oliversbest

    oliversbest Member

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    I Have an interest in a couple of condominiums. When we budget we also add contingency. I believe the reason given for not continuing the Carriage Shed this winter is increase in materials. The current rates of inflation world wide would suggest those increases are going to continue in multiples this year.
     
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  13. 35B

    35B Nat Pres stalwart

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    Most projects do. But those budgets are ultimately only forecasts and estimates, and sometimes things change.

    Meanwhile, I can only agree with @ghost about the effectiveness of this forum as a way to drive change.
     
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  14. 007

    007 Member

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    I can utterly assure you that your comments on National Preservation will have absolutely no bearing on the carriage shed construction project. If you haven't received the email from the chairman I will repeat it below for your information. As a supporter of the railway I find your attitude towards the railway you claim to support to be appalling. You continually publicly shame it, bemoan it, complain about it. Why don't you think how you can positively support it. That doesn't mean just money, it means being a supporter, someone who champions their railway and looks forward positively to its development, taking into account the massive challenges that it has come through over the last 2 years.

    Herston carriage shed.
    Work on the shed construction was suspended for the duration of the pandemic and we anticipated restarting in January 2022. However, with late surges in Omicron and other factors a decision was taken to postpone the restart and to reconsider the plan to complete the work. To complete the shed there are two stages: 1) design, manufacture and install the steelwork and 2) clad the structure. The revised plan will now see delivery of the steelwork in time for erection in November, followed by a pause for Christmas seasonal services and then completion of the cladding in January 2023.

    As a result of the recent successful fundraising the project is fully funded and remains a high priority for the Company to complete so that it can offer much needed cover for our heritage vehicles.
     
  15. Wenlock

    Wenlock Well-Known Member Friend

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    The old truism of 'you can have two out of three, but never three together' applies.
    A good job done cheaply, will not be quick.
    A quick job done cheaply, will not be good.
    A good job done quickly, will be very expensive.
     
  16. Jamessquared

    Jamessquared Nat Pres stalwart

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    To which I’d add - most heritage railways are capital-poor organisations. So in the cost - quality - time triangle, low cost tends to be the overriding driver, with the result things rarely happen quickly, and high quality things rarely happen quickly.

    (There are whole arguments around opportunity cost and what software developers call cost of delay - but in my experience few heritage railways have the luxury of even really being able to engage in those conversations. That often drives future cost, but c’est la vie…)

    Tom
     
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  17. Andy Moody

    Andy Moody Member

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    Couldn't have put it better myself @007 !
    I am trying to rack my brains as to how many other preserved lines in Southern England have the privilege of having a large carriage shed, at the moment I can only
    think of the Bluebell Railway who have just built a four? road shed. I rather suspect it will not be used for berthing mk1 stock.
    Just to remind @oliversbest, Most preserved lines in the UK are like the Swanage railway former BR branch lines with very limited room to build facilities.
    When built, Herston carriage shed will only be two roads wide and I suspect that the Bullied and Maunsell coaches +Pullman coach 14 will take priority over
    the mk 1 fleet.
     
  18. Wenlock

    Wenlock Well-Known Member Friend

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    KESR have the four road carriage storage building at Rolvenden, paid for largely by the RVR.
    Mainly used for serviceable stock which is not currently in use. The idea being to reduce the weathering of stock stabled outside. Vehicles forming the current A set normally stable in Tenterden platform or loop.
    The shed holds 20 mk1 equivalent. Currently also storing a few locos awaiting turn in overhaul queue.
    The idea being that on a week where a vintage set runs, this would be tripped to Tenterden on the Monday by the light loco for the second departure, and would be stabled at Tenterden during the week, returning with the light loco pm when the timetable changes again.
     
  19. oliversbest

    oliversbest Member

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    the proof of the pudding............ i look forward to resumption of work on this project in November
     
    Last edited: Mar 9, 2022
  20. Tintagel

    Tintagel New Member

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    Interestingly, I don't think that the Ex-Devon Belle Observation coach is still at Swanage - it appears to have moved to 1:1 in Margate according to the Vintage Carriage Trust register.

    http://www.cs.rhrp.org.uk/se/CarriageInfo.asp?Ref=2216

    No idea if this is a permament move or merely for a few years, perhaps while the carriage shed is built.
     

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