Channel 4 Programme

So really just a fridge over troubled water.
I'll shut the door on the way out...

 

Going back to the IOW episode. When Henry Cole was travelling on Island line, he said he was travelling towards Shanklin to ‘meet a rather special fan of these holiday carriages’

He then ‘hops off half way’ to see the lady whose family used to own no. 10.

Who was he going to see in Shanklin? It must have been cut out in editing, because it never gets mentioned again.

 

I was sad to see the vehicles awaiting Restoration. Esp the ex GWR 6 Wheeled Tool Van.

 

Presumably anonymously, which why it's dropped off my radar.

Sawdust.

 

When he was travelling “ towards “ Shanklin he must have detrained at Brading to catch the Bembridge branch train to she the lady in question who I believe lives in Bembridge.

Quite enjoyed this weeks program at Tyseley, a reminder of my days next door working in the BR depot

 

Come to think of it, I’ve seen a comment somewhere (Facebook possibly) from a lady saying they came to film her horses for the program. She was worried they might cut it out of the finished version.

So perhaps this ‘rather special fan’ was a horse living in a grounded body?!

I’ll have to see if I can find her comment again.

 

He would have really struggled with that, as the Bembridge branch closed in 1953

 

Perfectly well aware of that Mark, the point that I was making was the lady that he was travelling in a train going towards Shanklin to meet who was a fan of holiday carriages and the lady whose family owned IWR 10 were the same lady. As I know that the Lady lives in Bembridge I made the " joke " that he must have changed at Brading to catch the branch train to Bembridge. Sorry that you may not have realised my attempt at a joke

 

Sorry Gary. For some reason I did not clock it was your post, otherwise I would have realised straightaway!

 

The lady does indeed live in Bembridge saw her in the village on Wednesday and had a chat with her about the programme.

 

Just watched the episode with the Pullman car.

I eagerly await someone being daring enough to turn one out in 'inverted Inter-City' livery, circa 1976. I remember them well, invariably in a rake hauled by a Deltic on the ECML

 

In this month's Steam Railway the comprehensive article on the programme indicated that there had been a shortlisting process which resulted in the final list of four carriages being agreed.

It implied that there were at least two other projects which had been considered. It would be interesting to know what they were as there could be some interesting opportunities to promote these projects for fundraising or volunteer support as ones which could be completed in the medium term.

 

GCRRST have just posted on FB that Barnum 228 was offered a place on the programme but they declined as they couldn’t achieve a runnable carriage within the budget & timescales offered. Which seems fair enough to me; they are a smallish group with limited resources.


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Oo! I think that Steven Middletons royal saloon has just given the Isle of Wight carriage a run for its money.
I don't know how authentic that interior is, but it looks wonderful. And what is so nice about the whole project, is it is such a family affair. Really enjoyed that.

 

I have just watch a wonderful program, what a beautiful job they turned out! Well done Steven and family.

 

I don't think it would be particularly fair to compare the individual vehicles without having seen all four in reality. The T.V. programmes as such can be compared and I did not think the one regarding the clerestory royal saloon quite did its subject as much justice as the other ones. The clerestory roof, the strangest feature to modern eyes, got only a fleeting, oblique, mention.
Good for Channel 4 for sponsoring this exercise.

PH

 

Very impressive what they achieved with this coach. Definitely one of the most challenging restorations of the series (along with IOWR 10)

What underframe was used though? It seemed to just get plonked in an underframe with nothing said about it. I think I saw LMS on the axle boxes.

 

Lets hope it opens eyes to what is an underrated piece of our heritage, people will always support an appeal to restore a steam engine, but very seldom the coaches they travel in, C&W always until recently was seen as the poor relation at least that's now changing and railways are recognising that they have to invest in their coaching stock .
What this programme has shone a light on, is what our industry is capable of doing, and has been doing for some time, standards are rising, and its a good thing, because, whilst you may have an immaculate steam engine, the passengers spend their jouney in that tatty worn out patch painted coach , that's what they remember , but now more than likely, the vehicle they are in will have undergone as though an restoration as the engine hauling them and reflect it to those inside it.

 

Just found this photo. Is this the original interior of the same coach?

https://www.gettyimages.co.uk/detai...or-built-1885-rebuilt-1897-picture-id90779999

 

I think it has become a bit of accepted wisdom that people won’t support C&W appeals, but I don’t think it is necessarily borne out by the facts. The IoWSR has raised I believe somewhere in the region of £150k for its SE&CR carriage appeal; the group at the Bluebell fundraising for the Maunsell Restaurant Car has about £70k raised for when they start the actual restoration, and no doubt there are other examples up and down the country where carriages are being funded through fundraising routes.

What I think is clear is that, across the heritage railway sector, some groups (and railways) are better at fundraising than others. But the potential is there for a well formed appeal for carriages: as with many appeals, it’s a question of having the right management and clarity and focus of vision.

Clarity and focus means not spreading yourself too thin: how many times do we see an enthusiast comment that “railway X should restore item Y - I’d donate to an appeal”? Possibly true, but the risk is you try to raise money for everything you want simultaneously and thereby achieve none of it. Better to have one appeal fully funded than ten separate ones that each raise only 10% of what they need. But that in turnmeans hard choices about priorities; priorities means some things have to be put on a back burner; and that is where good management becomes essential to avoid chasing everyone’s pet project for funds.

Tom