82045 The way ahead?

July update now live: http://www.82045.org.uk/news/82045_news-jly26.html

 

Chairmans Chat is up folks: http://www.82045.org.uk/news/82045_news-jly26-chairmanschat.html

 

"On the financial side, we suggested that we are about £130,000 away from funding the completion of the build and another £100,000 of fundraising beyond this to get the loco effectively into service." Why would it need another £100,000 after the build is completed?

 

To build up a stock of consumable parts, pay off outstanding loans?

 

Maybe to have enough money for when its boiler ticket runs out they know that they can press ahead with the renovation? Or for if it visits other preserved lines? Only my thought (maybe wrong).

 

Seems likely, not to mention the costs of getting the loco fully commissioned and operable (as opposed, say, to having a signed off boiler certifcate)

 

I don't have the answer to the question of the extra £100.000, only the trustees know the answer. BUT take the comment of 358 above, plus todays spot price of coal/ton, around £500 and the figure seems realistic.

 

The Spring 2026 Members' newsletter used the wording "to support the introduction to service and organise the spares provisions for the locomotive". As mentioned at the AGM, to get the locomotive certified and accepted into service requires significant input from the SVR's paid staff among other costs.

 

Before Beachy Head entered service, it had about two months of running before it hauled a service train. I don't know precisely how many days / miles it ran, but it was quite a number; it's not beyond the bounds of possibility that if it did 20-30 days running in those two months, it might have burnt 40-50 tons of coal - there's about £16- to £20k to start with, not to mention the associated oil and water. Most of that two month period was done by the Workshop Manager and one of the workshop supervisors (doing the driving / firing and working up the operational instructions). So let's say two paid staff for 2 months; even allowing rather modest salaries in the sector, there could easily be £20k in staff costs (and on-costs) there. If the split between "build" and "get into service" puts the final boiler exam and sign off by the Independent Competent Person, then there are some more thousands there.

Now obviously you can account for those costs in various ways in terms of how you recharge them between different groups, but it is not too difficult to see how you might run up a significant five-figure bill between the last bolt being tightened, and the bottle of champagne being cracked on the buffer beam on the first day in public traffic.

Tom

 

Snagging, modifications required in the light of testing etc. The problem with making your own engine is you can't send it back to the makers if you don't like it.

I wonder where final paint comes in the completion?