4920 Dumbleton Hall

Harry Potter and the Copper top Confusion.

I think JK Rowling wrote on her Pottermore site that the loco was taken from Crewe (in the Harry Potter universe)

 

And with all the disappearing platforms and Avanti trains that would have made a lot more sense

 

It's (so I'm told, I can't abide the books myself) canonical that prior to the invention of plumbing wizards would simply relieve themselves where they stood then remove the excreta via magic, so I wouldn't imagine a few feet of coal, metal and water would unduly inconvenience them.

 

**If** Carnforth have eviscerated a preserved and (formerly) restored locomotive to sell on for a theme park it would seem to warrant a level of oppobrium far greater than anything directed at the GWS. A conspiracy theorist would expect them to keep very quiet about it and impose similar restrictions on any purchaser of removed parts. As they are not notably chatty anyway who knows.

 

Yes, I agree. I questioned this earlier in the thread.

GW locomotives are not fairing particularly well the last two years in railway "preservation" I am afraid.

 

Who knows, it will become very clear very quickly if 4979 suddenly starts sporting parts which has mysteriously appeared from nowhere, something which hasn't happened to date.

 

Hermione was good but she wasn't that good on her first journey to Hogwarts...

 

It's a good job that they're not in particularly short supply then! At least there are plenty of them still operating where the Gresley pool has contracted sharply.

 

This does though illustrate the need for those who care to get on & support the locos they care about. Perhaps that is a lot easier in the case of locos owned by groups which are set up so that support is sought and funding is treated charitably. Those are the locos least likely to be sold on (the rules of most charities forbid that) .

 

4920 had the offer of a working future in the UK (in fact it had multiple). Each was ignored/rejected by the DHPS committee.

 

I believe this is the boiler off 44767.
It has been in that position since its arrival.

 

I am sure they had to think about the best interests of the SDR rather than that of 4920's.

 

How is selling the loco to be static in Japan more in the interest of the SDR than the loco going to another group for prospective overhaul to operation? Other than maybe they offered a bit more cash? It's not like they're football teams where selling the loco to another railway means the rival railway may perform better to the SDR's cost

 

I take your point, but if Harry Potter mania fizzles out, assuming some of the unwanted parts on 4920 have indeed gone to 4979, it would still be possible - albeit very expensive - to repatriate 4920, fabricate the missing parts and restore it to working order. If 7027 goes the way I fear it will, it is likely to be gone for ever.

 

Well that’s exactly it isn’t it, a bit more cash. It was in the SDR’s interests to accept the best offer it received, so more cash could be put back into the railway. Any organisation would do the same, especially as I believe WCRC’s intentions were unknown to the SDR when the offer was accepted.

 

I am on about the money offered to buy the locomotive. It would've gone to the highest bidder. Not on about stopping 4920 going to a 'rival railway'.

 

Said boiler can be seen (c.6.12) in this video on you tube, along with a couple of grounded Stainer tender tanks.

 

That’s quite an impressive line up of stock and diesels

 

Interesting article today published quoting that West Coast Railways bought Dumbleton Hall for £300,000 before selling it on to Warner Brothers for a £1,000,000. (I know the Sun is not reliable, but with the figures being bounced around, there was a lot of profit to be made it buying it, stripping it and painting it). Makes it very unlikely it will ever come back to the UK.

https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/26178561/iconic-steam-locomotive-sold-japan-harry-potter-exhibit/

 

Didn’t really think WC could go down in my estimations much more but buying a loco from a group who evidently thought it was going to be restored, only for it to be stripped and sold on at huge profit. I have no love for WR 4-6-0s but it’s still a low blow.