7027 Thornbury Castle

Jim, forgive me for being blunt - but if the locomotive is under new ownership, and the GCR would be happy to continue to be the base for a new owning group, provided the right deal to restore to run is in place, fundraising will be dependent on the new team and with respect, you don't know that the locomotive has lost its future funding. It may have lost the guaranteed funding of the previous owner, but no loco owning group in the country has guaranteed funds. That's part and parcel of the industry we are in, it relies on goodwill, volunteers working hard, and some luck.

I personally think there is a huge opportunity here for a lot of the younger generation to step up and make something special. Nothing can proceed until we know more.

 

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How could such money be diverted?
It currently resides in the pockets of some people who wish to see a 47xx in the metal. If that project were to falter, it does not necessarily mean that they would instead subscribe their ten, twenty, fifty quid a month to another project. They might, or they might buy a new golf club or take their wife to dinner, or sainsburys.
People will spend their money where they must, and where they want. I doubt many of us have committed to spending £x per month on selfless giving to rail charities, and will send off that money somewhere, faithfully, whether or not we actually like the receiving project.
Whilst my own apathy about 47's means I won't be funding this new build, and I agree that we can't just keep on building new locomotives, especially ones with a questionable purpose in the 21st century-however successful their design was ninety years ago- I hope that those who have so far invested in 4709 are not disappointed.
I will admit that the 'questionable purpose' bit could be argued to apply to 7027, but it will be my money that I waste on it, at my discretion.

 

I like the reference to the IPSO code but, if mediation were required, doubt that any of the posters on this thread could honestly call themselves neutral.

 

It's not always about being "neutral" in one's head space, but about allowing a dialogue to form and mediating it to an acceptable conclusion for all concerned.

 

Fair comment, but I would struggle with a situation in which a mediator was known to have a particular view on the issue under discussion. At that point, the ability for the mediation process to work to the acceptable conclusion would IMHO be undermined.

I should add that this has nothing to do with my confidence in whether you (or any other individual) could or could not maintain sufficient independence to achieve that result.

 

But where did Steam Railway get their "information" from? Mr Croucher/4709 Group have some questions to answer; they've certainly issued some very dubious statements.

 

Journalism requires more than repetition of press statements

 

You would categorise Steam Railway content as journalism?

 

I wouldn't know - I've not read it in years. But if it is to lay claim to that description, rather than act as a PR agency, then a basic requirement is to do more than regurgitate press statements.

 

And that is a fair comment on your part.

Nevertheless - one can but try.

 

How people spend their money is up to them. I wouldn't tell anyone how to spend their cash. All I am saying is that there is so much to be preserved including 7027 itself, that building a 47xx is not a thing I feel makes much sense, when a number of heritage railways find themselves teetering on the brink. It doesn't help that this project has not so far been what I would consider to be well run.

 

I believe a certain former editor of a certain mag used to take great pride in ‘telling it like it is’
I think it’s rather interesting how many of its readers are telling it like it is and cancelling their subs.
Seriously @Thomas Bright this is something I’d be worried about.

 

I stopped buying Steam Railway approx 3-4 years ago.

Too much sensational nonsense, not enough substance.

HR seems to be going the same way, so have swapped my subscription to trackside to trial for a year.

Chris

 

20 years ago the mess room wags nick named Steam Railway, Steam Beano.

 

I gave up on both of the mainstream steam / heritage magazines (among others) and joined the societies that interested me. That way money that I would have spent actually goes to the causes, the news and discussion I get through other media satisfies my needs.

 

Even then, we did wonder who was writing that rubbish, when they would say, X loco was ready for traffic, when it was sat on a pile of sleepers with no wheels under it when we saw it only a few days ago,

 

That's never stopped a marketing department from announcing a gala, with X as the star attraction.....

 

My favourite is still Days Out Ltd repeatedly advertising railtours with Tangmere. The loco didn't appear on the mainline until about four years after the company folded!