Mallard to move to Shildon

I like that! Shildon is NOT a poor relation, it is part of the NRM and they have had 92220 and 4771 in the past - we rotate exhibits and it's a great opportunity for Shildon - wait until you see the September Steam Gala line up. It's not forever. We needed the space at York and it's an ideal chance to show the good folk of County Durham and the North East that the NRM means business in Shildon. As for 4468 and 6229 - be patient please...

 

The A1 has air and vac brakes which work in combination, so the A4's brakes will work and there will be some coaches added too, but that's Chris Beet's department and I know he's on with it.

 

Good evening Anthony. Thanks for your input - I'm delighted to hear that you've plans for 4468/6229 together

 

Closure is FAR from anyone's minds. Seems anything we do is treated with suspicion these days. Yes Dan, the dynamometer car is coming too, and we have some stonking plans for a September Steam Gala, but then Shildon is such an awful place it seems that no-one will want to come and see it (removes tongue from cheek and runs for cover...)

 

Its happened before on the rail network, run down the S & C and then say no one uses it, who will go to the NRM if icons are not there. York is the second or third most visited city in the UK. Shildon is too far away and remote from areas of popularity. The general public probably dont even know where it is.

 

That's why we called it "The National Railway Museum AT Shildon" - it links the brand with the place, and it's less than an hour from York by train. Nearly 1 million visitors in 6 years - more know where it is now than they did in 2004.

 

Anthony - for the avoidance of doubt I am not party to this 'closure' nonsense, that was a rebuttal I wrote to a previous post.

I am very confident that the new team at the NRM (including yourself obviously) know what they are doing approaching this time of considerable upheaval. NRM+ presents a lot of opportunities to create something special at York and it is obvious that there will be short term arrangements to allow that work to happen. I can only see it as a good thing that 4468 is moved to Shildon for a while, as it helps to further cement the new outstation as a key part of the NRM.

Regards,

Dan

 

thats less than 500 visitors per day, what else is there to do at Shildon, very little. No shops, Minster, river cruises, museums, history, major station??????

 

Surely if the main hall is being closed for works Mallard might as well go somewhere that it can be appreciated rather than pushed into a corner of the NRM?

 

It's obvious then, Mallard in steam for the gala!!!! That is stonking!
And, if you're emptying the Great Hall for the redevelopment, bagsy the Stanier 2-6-4T and the L & YR 2-4-2T. Someone else can have the Chinese stuff!

 

For once, I agree with 46236. Mallard, the fastest steam locomotive in the world, being moved from a museum in a city that has a massive number of visiting tourists from all over the world is daft.

 

So your suggestion of leaving it at York behind closed doors while the Great Hall is redeveloped for NRM+ isn't daft at all then! I'm sure the massive number of visitors will be quite happy with 'well its in there somewhere but we can't let you in at the moment'.

 

So it can't be moved into the Station Hall then?
Tourists probably spend vast amounts of money in the NRM shop when visiting. Should they be detered by the loss of the iconic locomotive?

 

I don't even know how to get to Shildon and I don't live that far away from it :|

 

With regard to getting to Shildon - I've just been to their website and even though I've never been near Shildon, I feel confident that I could find the museum without any difficulty - the directions on the website are very clear.

Isn't it strange that a lot of the comments here are very negative, especially how the NRM and York will lose out because Mallard is not on display. Let's look at it another way - if Mallard was being restored and was then out on tours around the country, would you still be complaining? The net result would be the same, i.e. no Mallard in York NRM, but I would take an educated guess that the number of enthusiast complaints would be minimal...


Keith

 

Outside enthusiast circles, is Mallard as well known as claimed these days anyway? I would imagine that the replacement will be just as impressive to the typical family visitor as Mallard is. She hasn't turned a wheel in anger for a good many years apart from a trip to Doncaster works open day? I would argue that there is a good proportion of visitors that have not heard / would be disapointed if the loco was elsewhere. They're far more likely to have 103 on their mind than any other loco I would have thought.

Surely moving up to Shildon allows a greater exposure of the loco, and allows a greater number of people to see it? It certainly won't stop all the foreign tourists visiting the museum....

 

Nice knowing you all folks, goodnight.

 

People on here oan about no information, then moan, bitch and insult those in the know. Anthony has come on here and explained loads of decisions that have been made at the NRM. I do not know him but read somewhere that he volunteers on the Talyllyn and has done for many years. He sees most knowledgeable.

Congratulations 46236 on alienating someone who is high up in the preservation movement and who is a real asset to this forum.

 

I dont blame you mate...what a stupid comment.

 

That'd be the 2nd person 46236 has managed to alienate in the past month then. :tsk: :doh:

Dave B :shocked: