Should the T3 be Steamed Poll

There has been much controversy on the T3 around the NRMs gifting of the locomotive to the Swanage Railway. Many have expressed and opinion on whether the T3 should be overhauled to operational condition or not.

Leaving all the controversy on the other thread I'm wondering regardless of ownership etc etc;

What portion of people think it should be conserved in its current condition perhaps with its paintwork restored to its former glory but non-operational with its Southern Railways patched firebox etc

And What portion off people would rather see it running even if that means an amount off original material needs to be replaced. Most of the firebox at a minimum I suspect.

I'm also wondering how many off those wishing to see it in steam would be prepared to donate generously to make that happen.

Edit.
I probably should have posed the question as "Assuming it's viable, Would you like to see the T3 overhauled...." rather than "Should the T3 be overhauled....". I didn't mean to imply any obligation to do so I'm just interested in the views of members of this forum.
I've added another choice to represent some views expressed in text. Comment on this thread by all means but please also vote in the poll form. Comments are difficult to count.

 

not really any of my business even though I'm a Swanage member.

 

Even less of my business as I'm not a member - but it's a good idea (if feasible)

Steve B

 

I travelled over the Swanage Railway behind the T9.

Given the dominance of 'post 1923' locomotives working on heritage railways, it was rather a breath of fresh air and a chance to get some idea of what it might have been like to ride on a preWW1 train. Clearly if the T3 were returned to service passengers will have the opportunity to experience a Victorian Locomotive in action on a route it might have run on which surely is what we should be doing.

 

I don't think it's a question of "should". The Swanage Railway might assess whether it could be restored and at what cost, and then decide where it lies in their priorities. It's their property now and we don't have the right to say what should happen to it.

 

Gents and Ladies..... Please leave any "bitterness" about the politics of the rights/wrongs of the T3 transfer off this thread.
This is a thread about the views of returning the T3 to working order and would be grateful if you could respect that please.

In anticipation...thank you.

 

Yes, we go on about how many Victorian/Edwardian 4-4-0's there are/were in the national collection in particular, And how many of them work ?, 30120 is about it, Certainly room for more runners in this area IMO.

As for original material, How many members of the publics eyes you expecting to light up when you tell them this rivet is from 1893 ?, Flying Scotman and other runners being "triggers brooms" doesn't stop the wow factor of seeing this beast in steam.

 

Gets my vote.

 

Certainly any consideration of possible restoration to working order makes no sense unless and until there has been a full assessment of what would be involved; how much work and how much cash it would take. Possibly also how much still-original material would have to be replaced, though that becomes less important when it's a question of working loco versus museum exhibit, rather than for locos still owned by the NRM which are first and foremost museum exhibits, whether or not they also work.

That said, it does seem desirable that such an assessment should be carried out before too long.

And then, if the conclusion is that restoration is feasible in principle, the decision is indeed for the owners, taking account of members' opinions but also, we may hope, of opinions in the wider community.

 

Why?

 

'Cos they're the people who might or might not shell out the money and then pay to come and see it.

If you're financing everything out of your own personal pocket you can do what the hell you like, but if the viability of your project depends on money from elsewhere its as well to be aware of what elsewhere think.

 

What a strange idea. Most heritage projects rely to a greater or lesser extent on contributions from outside the organisations involved so are you suggesting they should consult each and every likely donor, even the one who just chucks some loose change in the donations tin? Make your aims public of course so people know what they're contributing to but to suggest they should all be consulted is daft IMO.

 

it's not so much about consulting the view of each donor but wether a persons view results in them becoming a donor. It's likely that if there were to be a return to steam on the cards then a substantial portion of the funds (and we are probably talking several hundres of pounds) would have to come from a public appeal. The legacy income aside, most donations are made to a spesific appeal and the popularity of a project can be a determining factor in its success. So why is it so strainge to poll the wider community to get an idea of popularity?

The SRT is a members organisation and SRT would be foolish to ignore the views of its members but that's not a matter for this forum. This is a question to the wider community.

I've edited my original post to encompass some of the views expressed.

 

It's a seriously flawed poll in any case. Wouldn't a simple yes or no have sufficed? The options given are odd and many opinions aren't catered for. Just an excuse for more arguments in all probability

 

You of course don't have to vote if you don't like the question or options. But it is my question that I'm interested in the answer of. If you want to ask a different question or pose different options then you are of course free to start your own thread.

Myinterest is around wether something that has been a museum piece for x years should remain as such or wether 'you' would rather see it running and if so put your hand in your pocket for it. I really didn't want to over complicate the question beyond that. But then I've probably come to the wrong place for not over complicating something

 

it's too early to be asking . It's up to the SRT to decide what they want to do having investigated the feasibility.

 

If someone or a group want to overhaul the loco. I say good luck to them. I'll look forward to seeing the loco in steam one day.

 

option 4 then

 

no , doesn't fit. As a Swanage member, I'm quite likely to donate. Not going to be voting though as it's the Trust's business what they decide.

 

Irrespective of ownership, it would be good to see 563 working IF it can be done well, and there is work for it to do, at Swanage or elsewhere. I will be frank, and it is why I have chosen option 2, this is in the category of WIBN for me, and therefore not a priority for me to donate towards.

My vote however, and that of others, has no more status than a random(ish) sample of people with an interest in steam railways. It would do the SRT no harm to consider that as feedback, but they would be ill-advised to base any decision on it.