7027 Thornbury Castle

Which I think comes round to a broader point about what the movement is going to do with locos in the coming few years as Barry Wrecks remain unrestored and other, previously restored locos slip out of ticket and into rusty sidings. Getting locos, smart, undercover and accessible to the paying public has to be an aim across the country, after if it isn't steaming the General public are not going to care about the underlying mechanical condition of the locos as long as they can see them.

 

I think the shopping mall at Swindon is a good example of what can be done with out of ticket locos..

7819 is quietly parked their, SVR headboard, Infront of a model railway and a model shop, acting as an Ambassador to the SVR and Steam Museum next door.

Its advertising, raising awareness, Infront of more public daily than most engines and safely undercover.

More out of ticket engines on display like this is excellent for the hobby, then come the time, swap it for another.

In other countries steam Locos are displayed in railway stations.. Look at Leipzig station for an example.

Preserved and conserved is more important than "must be at the railway".

 

I can see the HRA's next advertising campaign, pitched at commercial property owners:

"Want a Manor in your manor? A Hall in your mall? Make tracks to your local heritage railway".

Viewed objectively though, it does seem a good deal for the SVR, acting as both an ambassador / advertisement and meaning one fewer loco deteriorating by outside storage.

Tom

 

A Princess in your palace ?
8 freight for your date ?
Saddled up with a saddle tank
A prairie in your place
A black 5 in your hive
A spamcan in your kitchen
Some LNER rubbish in your skip...
Err time to go...

 

Never been to Steam, it doesn't look worth visiting from photographs. Build a roundhouse at Didcot and display as many GW locos as can be gathered there would be my call

 

Why doesn't it look worth visiting? A number of really high profile GWR locos and the most coherent story of the railway and company itself of the sort that I wish existed for the LMS/SR & LNER. Don't knock it til you've tried it.

 

I'm just going on what I can see in photos as I said. It seems to me the locos aren't very well displayed. Look at the pics today of 6000 for instance. Pseudo platform all round the loco not to mention 2516 separated from it's tender. Not likely to attract me there any time soon.

 

Your loss mate, I think its a good place.

 

So, what would you do then? Put them back in the Methodist Chapel in Farringdon Road?

I think STEAM is a very good museum of the Great Western Railway in all its facets, and complemented well a bit further east by Didcot.

 

I wouldn't do anything. It doesn't attract me, it's not on my list. I was in Swindon on my 2015 Roadtrip (from Ireland) and I'm a major GWR fan, visited Blunsdon, didn't visit Steam. Maybe I'm missing out, but judging by the photos I see , the display looks pretty, well, un-railway. Sorry, just the impression I've got, maybe it's just me.

 

I think any museum/shed/other facility that keeps out of ticket locos under cover deserves everyone's gratitude/support, they really do a vital job in preserving locos which otherwise might be left deteriorating outside.

 

If youve not been, how can you make such a judgement?

Last I went to STEAM I found a new respect for the GWR. Finally understanding why its supporters are so passionate. There's pride in those exhibits: it's designed to bring you closer to the Swindon of yesterday not further away.

The dean goods being separated a little makes it accessible to disabled patrons as I recall. Isn't that a great example of inclusion?

I would love there to be something the like for the LNER but there's just not the location nor the amount of exhibits the GWR has.

 

I've stated how I made my judgement, the place does not attract me from photos I have seen.

 

That's not what Steam does.

 

If you are a major GWR fan as you say, you will enjoy the buildings around the museum, the railway village and church and looking for the CME graves in the churchyard. Heck, even the shopping centre was part of the works. I remember going to the 1981 works open day and have loved the place ever since. STEAM Museum is the icing on the cake that makes sense of the institution that built everything around you.

 

Getting back on topic (Well, sort of!)

While I can't speak for 5051, I don't see Defiant being a static exhibit for ever. Although I'm not "in the know", I'm sure her turn will come., although not for some time Obviously, Clun is the big project at the moment and even the most dyed-in-the wool GWR fan would surely admit that with two Castles running, it would then make more sense to tackle Kolhapur next.

Just because Defiant doesn't have the four-row superheater, it would still be a very capable machine, especially given the Tyseley standards of maintenace. After all, if Tyseley was only commmitted to its top-performing locos, why bother with 4965? If people will book on a VT trip when it's a 60mph-limited Hall, surely a 75 mph Castle with slightly less power than 5043 or 7029 isn't going to be a turn off? I booked on a VT excursion last year hauled by 4965. I knew it wasn't going to feature the amazing running I had enjoyed behind 5043 on the "Cheltenham Flyer" a couple of years back, but seriously, I really wanted to have a run behind 4965 and was it a good performance and a great day out? Yes indeed; no complaints whatsoever.

 

I went last week very impressed by the quality of the exhibits in the museum.

If your only interested in engines in a grimy shed I agree it's not for you, but if you want to see multi aspects of railway life including a workshop laid out to function including a loco in an "overhauled state" in a setting that is a workshop.. Then it's fantastic.

The quality of the layout reminded me of two museums of international stature... The Netherlands Railways museum in Utrecht and the Japan Rail museum in Tokyo... In other words world class. (I also rate it highly against the non-rail Hong Kong History museum which I found fantastic in regards to HKs history).

It depends on your interests.

I found it fascinating, here's some pictures I took just last week.

 

Thanks for that, a couple of the photos show the Museum in a very good light and will alter my opinion. However who would agree that 4073 and 7821 are well displayed? I think all that ironwork looks dreadful and it is this aspect and the pseudo platform surrounding 6000 that would make it unlikely I'll be visiting. (It's just my opinion, there's no need for people to be attacking me over it)

 

I didn't stage the pictures, I just took them as I went round.

4073 is displayed over a pit, so you can walk underneath it..

3440 city of Truro is also there.

There is also working footplate simulator, (a footplate on a moving base, with equipment and videos at the forward Windows) to allow people to have a go.. Various coaches, shunters truck etc.

It's a museum with a lot of wider ranging GWR history, not just a collection of locos.

 

Well, I'll say I like the way they're displayed.




I think its really great being able to walk under Caerphilly and see all the complex mechanisms under the feathers as it were, and its good being able to see some of the locomotives from rail level and some from platform level.




Yes, railings round the ramps are inevitable, the alternative being adverse comment and worse if people fall off, and to my mind the alternate viewpoints they permit are well worth it. TBH they've never really made any impression on me, I suppose I must just tune them out.