SVR General Discussion

If someone rang them up on Monday morning with £350k and a plan to overhaul it, would they say no? They would be mad not to bite their hand off in the circumstances.
I would still be sad to see it leave though, although reality is that it won't be overhauled anytime soon - so would it be the best thing for the engine?

 

Personally, I would be more concerned by a move to sell off coaches.

 

I personally haven't seen 45110 since August 2018, when it was pulled out for the end of steam celebrations. I had hoped that the completion of Hagley may bring about a change of fortunes, but that seems unlikely now.

 

I don’t think £350k would even come close to overhauling it. And would it come close to buying it? Who actually knows. It all depends what value is placed on it.

 

Or alternatively the SVR have spent a lot of money on Hagley and perhaps can’t afford to do another one of their own locos? It may well be that groups with money to offer towards their own engine are a more attractive suggestion for the SVR.

Plus large engines wise how many are actually needed? You’ve got 43106 (Effectively will be replaced by 2968), 34027, 75069, 4930 and then soon 4150. All of which are classed as large enough engines to haul the biggest SVR trains.

And then even the small ones don’t stack up too bad. 7714 and soon 813 again. And in the not too distant future 82045.

But with large outweighing small, and the smaller ones being the more economical to both overhaul and run, something like 5110 isn’t attractive I’d say. Not currently anyway.

 

There's no doubt that 45110 won't run again without a significant injection of cash from private fundraising, such as what happened with 4930. With Hagley complete I had hoped fundraising might turn to the other company owned loco (with an eye on 2028), but you are quite correct that railway needs are more than sufficiently covered for the foreseeable. You didn't even mention 7812/7802/5164!
Perhaps this is why a grown up conversation is needed, with the engine house also full and locos like 45110 (& 2857!) not even having public access.
This was discussed a few pages back when the announcement was made that overhauls were 'paused' - the SVR has way more locos than it will ever need. Gone are the days where 6 or 7 locos were steamed on a summer Saturday, with a couple on the mainline and another 1 or 2 on loan.
I would love to see 7325 again, but the best candidates would probably be 1501, 47383 or 5764 to replace 813 / 7714 in a few years time.

 

The Holdings company own very few carriages. The charitable trust is the largest owner of carriages, then the GWSVRA, private owners and then Holdings. As a railway, we couldnt live without our Mk1s. Items of rolling stock that "may" be moved on elsewhere are likely to be wagons that have sat at the end of a siding, taking up space for no money and no prospect of overhaul/ restoration.

I would like to think that IF the railway were to consider selling 45110 that part of the agreement of sale is that the loco remains as an SVR loco but can be hired out.

 

Don't forget 7802, 7812, 5164 all of which are SVR based and with 7812 in traffic 7802 will not be far behind with 5164 to follow.

 

In terms of grown up conversations, is it now the point where asset rich and well established railways of a surplus of stock *should* start to look at moving more items on, not just as a financial gain but also in terms of improving/sustaining the movement as a whole?

I'd have thought if a an SVR home loco was being looked at to be sold, Hinton Manor would be the likely choice (unless its governed by a covenant). With 7802 and 7812 both SVR based, 7819 would seem like a logical loco to move on, and I'm sure there would be other smaller railways who would welcome such a loco?

I'm not saying there is a right or wrong, but some redistribution of locos subject to a well planned out and funded overhaul and operation plan would probably not be a bad thing?

Chris

 

Yeah Tbf I’m an SVR volunteer so I did think of them but as 7812 proves this year they can go where the business takes them

 

Think you’d struggle with that as 19 is a charitable trust not holdings engine

 

A useful list for commentors talking about carriage ownership
https://www.svrwiki.com/Carriages

4930, 600 and 45110 are the only plc owned steam locos. Diesel wise, it's the two 09s, two 08s (neither running with one for parts and other is the hydroshunter) and the two Rustons at Kiddy and Bewdley.

 

Is 7325 not in good nick then if the ones you mentioned are more likly to be overhauled?

 

And if capital is not raised, what will be the result? If people are unwilling to accept the sale of heritage assets such as the limited items owned by SVR(H) , perhaps the car park at Kidderminster could be sold to a property development company.

In any case, based on the financial trajectory the decision won't be belong to the SVR.

 

where does it stop though? Logically, and I’m not saying this to be inflammatory but it is the logic if we’re talking ‘the good of the movement as a whole’ on those terms then there are entire railways that should dissolve themselves and offer up their assets….

Probably an entire other thread - for the good of the movement, which lines need to close?

 

… life’s too short

 

We’ve been lucky enough to enjoy a golden age of resources available to heritage railways. In some ways part of the answer to the future may be to learn from the past. Frugality and careful husbandry of resources especially money was the watch words of the time I started volunteering. Noting that the world has changed and there are fewer volunteers coming forward etc, really doesn’t change that does it? How we care for people might have changed and what we can expect them to contribute in applicable knowledge, but people are still the most important resource. Taking care over every single penny is plain good business sense.

 

I am not aware of the condition of any of the locos I am afraid - I believe there is a fair amount in the pot towards an overhaul for 7325 which has no doubt put it up the list. However, as alluded to above, there is no shortage of medium sized tender engines coming, whereas the highest mileage loco recently has been a pannier tank.

 

Another doom laden post from yourself..

The SVR has made a number of decisions lately (many difficult) to try and alter that trajectory, most of which you have criticised.

I believe the vast majority of us here wish to see the railway succeed and will gladly support efforts to that effect.

 

SVR Wolverhampton branch was a significant stakeholde r in the Hinton Manor Fund and said they retained a golden share (whatever that means) when the loco passed to what is now the charitable trust.

There's a lot I don't know, such as if the charitable trust or lotto have any covenant on 4930 as part of the £800k and £95k support respectively they gave to the overhaul. Similarly, I don't know if the Army museum has a lien on 600.