"Bridge & Wheels Appeal" NYMR

My apologies but things had already changed by the time I made the above post - the Yorkshire Post launch will now be next Saturday, although the BBC coverage should be as noted above.

 

Taster shown on Look North tonight with the promise of the full story tomorrow (Mon).

 

Link to Look North Report:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/7973021.stm

Steven Hogg

 

Well Steve, that was a major blunder! What a negative report! If you all feel like that in public, then there is little hope for replacing the bridge and "saving the line".

Why not use an opportunity like that to be optimistic and enthusiastic, emphasise that an appeal has been/is being launched, and you would hope that the public who enjoy the line, enthusiasts, would support the appeal,and that funding bodies are being approached, etc etc .

I viewed that BBC piece and thought you had given up before you had started.

Sorry, thats my impression. A wasted opportunity.

46118

 

New Bridge and Wheels website is live with all the relevant information.

http://www.bridgeandwheels.co.uk

So come on people break open those wallets and help save one of the nations leading railways. It may not be the same scale as the SVR but the potential consequences are no less dramatic with an important slice of the preservation movement at stake.

 

NYMR could close!

Unless £500K Is found to replace a bridge, then the NYMR will be no more

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/7973021.stm

 

Re: NYMR could close!

Wow nelly! Surely someone will front the money for that though! If the WA are prepared to give what seems to be a never ending steam of cash to the WHR, surely the NYMR could get the £500,000 to keep going? Its not like its even a gamble, its a sure fired investment! £30 million a year into the economy! Even Gorden Brown can work out those sums!!

 

I am surprised that the railway hasn't built up a financial reserve for this type of eventuality, I know certain loco preservation groups accrue earnings to ofset against future loco overhauls. Surely good housekeeping should be preparing for these problems or are we to see appeals for each and every bridge on the line when they become life expired.

Also why has the railway continued to run locos with heavy axle loadings knowing the condition of this bridge?

 

Having watched the BBC clip I don't think it could be described as sensationalist. The reality is that if the money is not found the Bridge will close. Dressing it up in a posative sense won't get people to appreciate the importance and significance of the appeal.

Sounds to me that those in charge at the NYMR are taking this very seriously indeed, good on them. It's no good saying either that 'the railway should have built up reserves' ; it has already been described above how some reserves were used on previous bridge repairs and purchase of stock.

Heritage railways are a bottomless pit which you pour money into, even with volunteer labour the sums just don't add up most of the time. That is the reality.

Ask yourself, if you are a NYMR member, would you want those in charge to play this down? The answer is a most resounding 'no'. To me (from afar) it seems that they are going about it the right way, and good luck to them.

 

Sorry if that was the impression it gave - we certainly haven't given up, but there is also no good unstating the problem or making it look as though we have it licked - the aim of the piece (and the reporter is a Cleaner at Grosmont MPD!) was to show this was a real and present threat to the Railway continuning to operate. It is no good to make out that it isn't a real problem or that we know how we are going to pay for solving it. The bridge needs replacing and we can't fund such a one-off expenditure out of normal funds. If the piece was a shock, then that was the intention. Just like when the SVR was devasted, overnight a heritage line that people perhaps take for granted could be forced to close - that is the reality! However, the NYMR certainly hasn't given up and is doing its upmost to ensure the bridge is replaced and the NYMR continues running.

It should also be borne in mind that in a way the BBC report sets up the issue and the Yorkshire Post coverage this coming weekend (which we had originally expected to be published before the BBC piece) tells of the solution - the "Million for the Moors" Appeal. It probably works even better for the two reports to appear in that order.

I would love to have been able to build up a reserve, although I doubt if many railways could "put away" £0.5 million plus! The simple fact is that running steam railways doesn't make money of itself. Smaller line with entirely volunteer workforces can probably show a surplus even before adding in the like of shops and catering, but the larger lines never manage to make large sums and on the NYMR we have actually made a loss for a number of years if you exclude membership income, bequests, donations etc. We know we need more volunteers and do try to obtain them but it not a problem you solve overnight!

Also, in the past 5 years, we have had to fund purchase of a large quantity of rolling stock already in use on the line (at much under its real price but for a steam loco, a diesel, 3 OPullmans and 8 other coaches all in working order it was still a large sum to find), major repairs to the next Bridge but one down the line and one of the most comprehensive boiler overhauls yet undertaken on 45428. In order to actually operate the service, we have had to absorb an increase in coal prices of 80% over the course of last year (as have all steam lines) and we paid out over £0.5 million last year for loco hire and haulage (as well as funding work on 45428 and 34101).

As the GM mentioned in the BBC Report, "smaller" locos would mean smaller trains. In fact, it is axle limit that matters - and physically "small" locos like Repton have an axle limit over 20 tonnes. Last year, the hire would have been 10% more had Repton not run, and this year, it is planned that the loco undertake half as many miles again. Locos like 60007 definately bring in more revenue when they run, and even the "smaller" locos like Black Fives are not much under 20 tonnes axle weight - yet we need such locos to haul the length and weight of trains we operate. There are locos designed for such eventuality - the WD 2-10-0s only had an extra driving set over the 2-8-0 to reduce axle load - but the NYMR is also a very curving line and long wheelbase locos (especially the 2-10-0s) suffer mechancially by heavy use (witness the current mechancial condition of 3672).

For the Railway the NYMR is, the only option is using large locos and ensuring that the infrastructure can support them. Fortunately, we don't have too many large bridges - the big ones are all between Grosmont and Goathland - but at least one more steel bridge does need replacing in the next 5 years.

As I say, we would love to have had some of the cash available for this bridge renewal but in the world of large railways, this just isn't a realistic possibilty, and hence we have no choice but to ask for help when these "one-off", once in a lifetime (or twos!) renewals are necessary.

Please support the appeal if you can to ensure that the NYMR as we know it continues to provide the spectacle of large locos and heavy trains in beautiful scenary!

Steven Hogg
NYMR Finance Director

 

Well, the coverage in the Yorkshire Post and it magazine went ahead as per the amended plan at the weekend (Story ion the web at http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/highligh ... 5141240.jp and here http://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/features ... 5140038.jp).

The Railway's members have raised over £50,000 before the wider "public" appeal started - hopefully, from tomorrow (the first real chance for donations to come in from the Yorkshire Post coverage), Pickering office is going to inundated with donations!

Just a reminder that regular donations are just as welcome as one-off cheques. I can't recall if it has already been mentioned here, but the Appeal has its own dedicated website at http://www.bridgeandwheels.co.uk/

The total raised is £s,. not $s - our webmaster is working on fixing that!

All donations for the Appeal go into a seperate bank account. If you just want to help with 80135's overhaul, there is a seperate bank account for that.

Steven Hogg
NYMR Finance Director

 

I see £61,000 has been raised now =D>

could ideas from the bluebell be stolen and tenner for a rivet or something similar be created with a certificate to try and sell to the public and enthusiasts.

 

I see that they have made real progress towards their target with a large single donation. At what point do they have enough money to ask contractors to begin cutting steel for the new one ?

 

The position with the funding allocated by North Yorkshire County Council is that it is a definite allocation from a batch of cash for transport projects provided by national Government but the provision of funding package to the County is still be to finally confirmed by the Department for Transport in July.

Once it is know if the County's funding for their grant is confirmed, then I think we will feel in a position to risk proceeding with ordering the girders. That just about ties in with the Civil Engineers timescale anyway, although we may be asked to make the commitment to purchase slightly ahead of the County receiving confirmation of the funding if the beams are to be available for installation this winter - not a risk we are keen on taking!

Obviously, we are very grateful to North Yorkshire County Council for allocating us this funding - they have always been a great support to the Railway when we have most needed it, including buying the track between Summit and Pickering so that we could open as an 18 mile line in 1973 rather than do what the Mid-Hants and other have had to do - buy the whole trackbed and relay a long lifted section to gain the intended length. We are also most grateful if a local Councillor and National Park member who I understand was instrumental in putting forward the possiblility of funding from this source for Bridge 30.

The Appeal Total, including the money from the County, will stand at over £380,000 after the Tornado Gala, when considerable sums were collected by Station Staff along the line (and in some cases along the lineside) - many thanks to all who have contributed so far. We are obviously still only too pleased to receive further donations, either one off or regular, and are pursuing further Grants, as the cost of the Bridge will be between £550,000 and £650,000 (at least), and then there is progressing work on 80135.

Steven Hogg
NYMR Finance Director

 

The latest magazine just out, I think it was Steam Railway, (with a nice pic of 43106 on the front,) reports that this appeal has now raised over £175,000 and applications for grants are being processed. A large Network Rail Kirov crane is to come to the NYMR to lift out the old girders. This will result in some cost-savings.
The Appeal website was last updated in mid-July and at that time the total funds raised, excluding the pledged NYCC money, stood at £145,000.
Worryingly there appear to be questions floating around about the certainty of the £300,000 pledged by North Yorkshire County Council.

46118

 

Listen again, about 2 hrs 16 in, interview today with GM of NYMR on Radio York;

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p0046075/Adam_Tomlinson_02_09_2009

 

It seems rather interesting that the NYMR can quite happily take a loan out to purchase 76079, however must seek public donations to repair Bridge 30.

Maybe it's not as vital as they make it out to be?

 

Or maybe not.

Same railway but intirely different things, 76079 purchase make sense, the railway for to many years has had depend on hire loco's, 76079 case in point was likely to be required for many years to come, so the cost works out around the same. As for the loan/HP, well you are buying a single item, complete in one package, while the bridge is not just a case of buying the bridge and where from?

Secondly the Bridge appeal has been on going for some time now, the opertunety to buy 76079 came verry much out of the blue and frankly running to appeals and asking IR to wait untill the cash was raised is frankly not worth talking about. All railways need to raise funds buy donations, for large, small projects and general day to day running, without them they would not be here today, however fund rasing takes time, is not pradictable .

 

Bridges & Wheels Appeal/76079

As PennySteam has pointed out, 76079 is being bought on a hire purchase arrangement and will remain the property of the finance company until paid off. The miles it runs as a"NYMR-owned" engine will be offset against the mileage payments that would otherwise have been made to the owners of hired-in engines, so instead of paying these owners the NYMR will use the money to pay off the HP company and will end up owning an asset. Although technically a loan the NYMR will have no borrowings shown against it on the accounts. This is not a financial option open to the NYMR for either of the projects that are the subject of the "Bridges & Wheels" appeal - how could a finance company "own" a bridge or an overhaul? I suppose that it would be possible to sell 80135 to the finance company for an upfront sum to cover the cost of the overhaul and then repurchase it in the same way once it is running, but the problem with that approach would be servicing the payments whilst the loco is being overhauled and the fact that the engine is worth a lot less in its un-overhauled state and its value may not be enough to cover the cost of overhaul. Also, having just regained ownership of the engine I suspect many Trust members would be reluctant to see it sold again!

 

The previous two postings are correct - put simply, with 76079, the money previously paid to hire the loco will be applied to repaying the loan. As Trust Board has confirmed that the S160 No.2253 is to be sold, in effect a loco with a long boiler ticket has been bought to replace one that needs overhaul. The eventual cost is not hugely different, but 76079 is working now and doesn't involve the MPD in 2 to 3 years work before it can start "earning" money.

Bridge 30 is different. Without it, the Railway in current form ceases to exist and the present income of all types will be hugely reduced. With it replaced, existing income is safeguarded but there is no extra income stream or reduction costs from which to repay loans. If borrowing that were used towards the repalcement, this would need to be repaid from existing income. It is one of the difficult situations that seem very familiar in our line of business - don't do it, you loose what you have, spend £600k +, you keep what you had but gain no extra income.

The Appeal and funding the replacement of Bridge 30 remains as vital as ever. Purchase of 76079 does not affect that but is a stand alone project in its own right, with its own "income" stream to fund it.

Steven Hogg
NYMR Finance Director