Rolling Stock For Sale

So, I'll go ahead & assume that these two carriages will now end up scrapped ?

Which will be a real shame ... once gone, gone forever, but could be replicated.

[much as I would want to restore them, I have neither the funds nor workshop space at present to do so]

 

Whilst I understand that the GCRN want/ need a neat and tidy site, the optics of their scrapping a pair of irreplaceable relics belonging to the original GCR are... not good. It would almost certainly completely destroy any goodwill toward the organisation from those of us who are pre-grouping (and specifically pre-grouping GCR) enthusiasts.

Now, does that demographic significantly contribute to the Railway? - who knows? Would the scrap value from a pair of chassis and some metal fittings outweigh the financial support offered by the people who contribute to the Railway solely because they happen to be home to that stock? And from that point, has any Railway ever undertaken a survey of its supporters/ members as to why they support them? It seems to be a common thing with historical line societies (when I joined the GCRS there was a questionnaire as to where my particular interests lie), but I've never seen similar from the preserved lines I support.

 

(Some of you may be familiar with the Led Zeppelin version of this, but this is the c. 1927 original)

 

For those of you thinking that we judged Mr R too harshly, and we perhaps ought to have given him a chance... he even misrepresented on his Facebook page the reason for being "banned" from Nat Pres. I am afraid his grip on reality is positively Trumpian.

 

This is the bigger story than Reeder tilting at windmills. but a far harder ship to right than a superficial attempt at moving two irreplaceable carriages a place where they'll see as little work carried out.

 

Facebook page now removed

 

Lost in the noise of another matter, was there any mention on here of the two ex-GNR carriage bodies in Aylsham? There's a piece on them in the current GNRS magazine.

 

On the subject of Aylsham...Apparently taking someone for an Aylsham treat is where you ask them out and expect them to pay

 

The GCR 567 Group have now entered the fray with an appeal to save GCR carriage 799 and have it moved to their storage site where carriage 575 already is in use as a storage facility.

Its mentioned on their FB page https://www.facebook.com/groups/GCR567Loco/permalink/26134647419518823/

Just Giving page https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/gcr799-rail-carriage-rescue?utm_medium=CA&utm_source=CL


.

 

To be clear, the 567 Group are looking to move the carriage to their storage site so as to save it for future restoration by either another group, or for another group to be formed to restore it.

I've happily made a donation to this and before anyone asks if I didn't learn a lesson from a few weeks ago, I'd say things are slightly different;
1) I've been a member of the 567 group for the last 10 years and I trust them - in that time they haven't lied to me
2) 567 is making obvious progress (bogie wheels and driving wheels cast, frames bolted up, cylinder block being machined, tender chassis under restoration) so the group has a certain credibility in doing what they say they're going to do (even if it is a few years between saying it and doing it)
3) They've been honest and upfront in managing expectations - the appeal is just to move the carriage and they're not looking to immediately restore it themselves
4) The figure they're asking for is a more modest sum and it's actually in the nature of match-funding they've put up themselves.

 

I think that looks a much more realistic prospect !

 

I'm in agreement with you. I'd call this A Good Start.

 

Yep, just added a tenner to the cause https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/gcr799-rail-carriage-rescue?utm_source=CL&utm_medium=DT

 

Rather impressive that they have raised over the £1000 asked for in about 12 hours!

 

Well that was quick. £1000 goal met in less than a day, excellent work. https://www.justgiving.com/campaign/gcr799-rail-carriage-rescue?utm_medium=CA&utm_source=CL

Now the real work begins.

 

Excellent !

Good Work ...

If I might make a suggestion, as the carriage is to be stored for a period & has been outside ...
Spray / paint the whole thing - preferably inside and out -with a generic version of 5-star / cuprinol to kill pests / rot spores and to provide at least some protection in the interval before restoration can start.

 

Anyone fancy a partly restored Hawksworth Bk. 3rd for sale on Ebay https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/298141867809?
Looks like it's at Wallingford?
Ray.

 

I was very pleased when I heard the GCR 567 group had rescued what is by the look of it, an eminently restorable carriage. They have a credible, modest, plan to save it for the future, a track record, and a proper organisational structure.

Many years ago I wasted a lot of my time dealing with a proposal from Reeder. It started with him asking whether we had any spare LMS doors or droplights to help him rebuild his LMS saloon. Once I explained that you needed to be sure that the doors, droplights etc were the correct type and profile for the design of your carriage, he said - no problem, he'd build the carriage body to suit the shape of any doors we had available, that he was finally persuaded to explain that the carriage had no body, and at that point I realised he had no credibility. He said he'd overhaul the underframe and lend it to us to act as a rail-carrier while he arranged for the building of the body (well, that use would have wrecked the underframe anyway, even if we'd needed an alternative to the two made-for-purpose Bo-Rails we had at the time). He then revealed his proposal to provide an entirely perspex curved end to the saloon, to enable passengers to look down at the track in addition to all round!

£150-£250k would be realistic IF you had a team of 20 volunteers with the right mix of skills and experience, and a fully equipped workshop. But you also only raise that sort of money if you have credibility.

Sorry, am a bit late to the party, since I've had a couple of months away from NatPres!
Richard