Great Goodbye at Shildon alert !

Between Feb 15 and Feb 23 the NRM is holding a free entry (as is their policy of no admission charging, as per all museums) event to say goodbye to the A4 locomotives Shipped over from the US and Canada earlier last year, to celebrate the 123mph run of
Mallard back in the last century. All six surviving A4 locomotives, four that are in the country and the two from across the pond are to be at NRM Shildon Museum, for the last time ever time at this event. So you would have thought that what is a once in a life time picture line up of all six would be available to the public ?

Well No. Not unless your willing to pay to access a special photo call (sold out long ago) or a very expensive gala dinner.

The NRM will to the upmost to ensure that at no point during the event all six locos will be lined up side by side for that money shot. This is a blatant move to force people who want to get a bit of history on film into paying to access the gala dinner or pay per view photo event.

The NRM is a publicly funded, and accountable arm of the national museums of industry and science, which is wholly funded by taxpayer and donations from the public. The same public who are being denied a once in a life time opportunity.

I call upon all railway minded people to contact the NRM and force them to do the right thing and display all six A4s side by side for at least part of the time during the event.

 

Bit of gnab gib, opersite of big bank, no track worth talking about to play with, you won't get all six, but ar least you will have a realistic photo as barrow hill wopuld be my advise.

 

There have been numerous opportunities to get a photo of all 6 in the past 12 months including at Shildon. It is hardly the NRMs fault if you didn't book one of them.

 

I'm sure that I'm not the only one who is wondering where this information has come from, GW?

 

Official NRM Facebook feed. I asked the question they answered.

GW.

 

Thanks for that, GW

 

So someone hasn't got a ticket to the Great Farewell photo shoot. Shame.
Next you'll be demanding that VSOE let you on the Orient Express on the cheap.
The NRM has identified an excellent financial opportunity with these photo shoots and good luck to them I say.

 

I'm just a normal person who on the off chance fancied a last chance shoot of six A4s lined up side by side.

I wasn't aware if any photo call until the NRM said about them.

The NRM is meant to be accessible to the masses! limiting a line up shoot to 100 or so photo buffs who pay for the privilege isn't right.

GW

 

Having had a look at the FB page, there's not been any support for Great Western's post there as yet. Will watch it, but I do have to say that I have to concur with simon & Spamcan's comments. There have been plenty of earlier chances for folk at York. There's a big safety aspect to the setup at Shildon too - you don't want to be moving locomotives on display in the public area too much when the public are about, stewards notwithstanding - a point that we tend to forget at times.

 

Can anybody enlighten me as to when the NRM's remit changed to only lining up exhibits in a way to satisfy the whims and desires of people who carry a camera?

I'd previously understood the event planned at Shildon was a chance for visitors to see all six A4 class locomotives grouped together at the same location - that's what was advertised, and if they all turn up then that's what's on offer. Like any museum, it isn't up to the visitor to dictate how curators arrange their displays.

The NRM recognise that how displays are arranged for the benefit of their normal day-to-day visitors is not necessarily to the liking of some camera toting enthusiasts, so for their benefit special events have been advertised for over 12 months. Those events will require staff to stay late (or arrive early) beyond their normal work hours to shunt exhibits around, and also to staff the event. It is not unreasonable that the museum should charge a fee for this - afterall, it is possibly going to cost them the staff member's time off in lieu if nothing else.

 

The NRM is accessible to the masses almost all of the time. Museums and charities have to do big ticket 'exclusive' events from time to time in order to raise enough money to do the things the normal funding stream would never have covered, like reuniting all the A4's.

 

Actually you are wrong ! There are 7 parallel tracks on the apron in front of Shildon building BUT since Shildon says one locomotive from the six may operate on a shuttle service then I presume a line-up will contain only 5 of the 6 - except at changeover times.

And NOT to play the "Yah-Boo" card but I am one of those prepared to pay the £90:00 - and booked my ticket last July when the information was posted on the NRM website as I realised that interest was too great to leave it much later. I believe that all tickets for Shildon were sold out months ago - as have the early morning sessions - and the daytime visitors will sadly need to take pot luck on the day of their visit.

 

Well, I have my ECML+Northern Rail ticket booked and the lack of a suitable photo opportunity isn't going to put me off. I didn't get to York so I'll be glad to just see them, and if the only photo I get has 5,000 punters stood between me and the locos then I don't really care. That, at least, will be an accurate record of the event. There are other times and places for practicing photographic artistry. And I can't see the fun in taking the same shot as everyone else anyway.

What I would like to know is whether I will actually be able to get on the Northern Rail train back to Darlington afterwards, or whether it's going to be so rammed that I end up missing my connecting train back down to London. Does anyone know if they are enhancing the service at all? (Midweek.)

 

It is available to the masses and there have been plenty of opportunities to see all six A4s together at York. The Shildon photo shoot was first advertised months ago by the NRM on their website so hard luck if you didn't see it.

 

I'm pleased to say that Northern Rail are enhancing the service with extra carriages on normal services and putting on two further trains a day.

 

It would have been better to have looked at the website rather than facebook, details of photographic opportunities were on there months ago.
However the fundamental flaw in your gripe is that whilst there is government funding for the museum it is normal at most national museums for special exhibitions to come at a price. Getting the locos over from north america did not come cheap and someone has to pay for it.

 

Excellent. Presume details on northern's website.

 

Must admit I've not looked yet Ian, I asked my colleague at Shildon, oops!

 

I could look myself of course.