Rolling Stock For Sale

How so Tom... the availability of retired caledonian sleepers ? or just that they are unsuitable in other ways.. how many of these 12 wheelers are left 2 or 3 ?... Thinking on i shouldnt need Toms intellect to sort this, big coaches with no seats andsmall windows not much good for passenger services and apart from wheels and fittings not much use as parts doners. and if they are used for volunteer accom probably had only cosmetic work done on them....

 

Actually should not have specified only 12 wheelers. But in effect, volunteer sleeping accommodation coming to the end of life.

I know the Bluebell has three.

https://www.bluebell-railway.co.uk/bluebell/pics/398.html
https://www.bluebell-railway.co.uk/bluebell/pics/603.html
https://www.bluebell-railway.co.uk/bluebell/pics/623.html

All are listed as "For Sale – please enquire" on the carriage stock list.

Also this Mark 1, fwiw: https://www.bluebell-railway.co.uk/bluebell/pics/staff_qos.html

Tom

 

There are a few around still, although you have to wonder for how much longer. One of my fantasy projects for squandering a Euromillions win on would be a train of sleepers, but I'd be under no illusions that it was ever going to make any money or even that many (any?) heritage railways would want to accommodate it. However, the notion of going to sleep on my favourite heritage railway and trundling up and down all night behind steam, then getting breakfast on the train in the morning, changing to a day coach and carrying on riding up and down all day too, does rather appeal to me.

 

I think pmh could be on to a winner, but you don't need a complete train, just one or two sleepers would do. A buffet car and lounge car (observation coach?) and away you go Family group or bubble and that is social distancing/cleaning sorted!
Didn't the SVR do some all night events?

 

For Rowden Mill the sleepers would be a little incongruous alongside the livestock platform of our rural station.
We did look at the steam van when first advertised, however it is very short and would need a lot of work to the steel body.
Our vision is more along the lines of a planked body in a steel frame such as a Fruit C or a PMV.

 

Forgive me if this has been raised before: https://www.ebay.co.uk/i/1141471511...a4Sp8FaY6g14Ep44DJW5aDgz5dk3HO0BoC8JkQAvD_BwE

Apart from use as templates - how much of that could be restored? How much would the running gear cost? Would a replica be cheaper?

 

All of it can be restored, if your pockets are deep enough.....

 

That’s a wildly optimistic asking price.

 

How abut a whip round as a belated 21st for @flying scotsman123

 

From what I have read, this coach body was part of a holiday challet for many years, only recently exposed to the elements.
It is probably in rather better condition than most of that age and well worth taking a look if you have the appetite and skills.

I recently sold a coach body of similar age, that one had been out in the elements all its life and was still substantially in one piece.
The worst damage in the case of that one was condensation damage on the side which still had glass in the windows, while the other side, only boarded over but with no glass, had good window surrounds and doors.

Regarding price, there are probably not so many out there which have been shielded form the elements like that one has for the last few decades, it is likely worth whatever you or someone else is ready to pay. I would say you could do better than the offered price, but there is a market for such items

Good luck with it

 

Do I get the underframe and the services of @StoneRoad for Christmas?

 

Judging from the description, it’s been for sale since Easter. So no one is exactly biting their hand off at that price.

 

This has not exactly been a typical few months for any of us, so judgements on price versus market appetite can not really be made under current circumstances.
From my own experience shortly before the onset of corona virus, bodies of that era do have a value. However it is clearly a limited interest group who may be interested so no telling really on how long this one may stay on the market.

 

Yes fair point. However I think all on here associated with grounded body restoration would agree that asking £10k for that is totally unrealistic.

It does sound like the seller is just chancing their arm. They need some cash to help their business during Covid, and are keeping their fingers crossed that someone might pay that sort of figure for it.

Either that or they have deliberately put a silly price on it that no one will pay. Then they hope that people might contact them directly with offers, which would cut out the E bay fees.

 

If the vendor is hoping to sell to a railway organisation, a much more common asking price seems to be OIRO £0 ... normally with the purchaser then funding removal (crane hire, lorry, remedial works to land etc). Of course, you then have a big six figure sum to pay on top to restore it for operation. £10,000 purchase price just makes that even more of an uphill struggle for organisations that are inherently cash-poor

There may be other markets, i.e. glamping / upmarket garden offices etc, but even there, it seems putting a cost of £10k on the bottom of that might still push the final cost of a nicely restored garden office out of reach for many.

Tom

 

Indeed when I've come across similar grounded bodies and other items of railwayana. The seller just seem to see the pounds [£] sign, so ask monopoly/footballers prices. Somewhat reminiscent of an incident back in the early days of the Lottery scratch cards . There was a case reported where this Guy had, had a "win" with one of the cards. He went round several upmarket car showrooms remarking he'd had a Lottery win and could he have a test drive of this or that up market motor. The reps naturally saw the pounds [£] sign and replied "Yes sir, of course sir". And how much had this character won.........One pound [£1], his stack as there were only £1 cards available at the time.

 

You could always go for this gem...
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Vintage-...RARE-WOULD-MAKE-A-GREAT-PROJECT-/202047206384

 

Indeed, there was the case of a Cambrian Railways OBS in Cornwall a few years back.
A unique vehicle body, in very good condition.
The site owners wanted stupid money, probably equating to the value of the prime estate it was sitting on.
They did not want to listen to reason
No one was prepared to pay around £100k, so the site owners burnt it.

A sad loss to preservation at the time, when there were plenty of suitable chassis around.

 

Annually (with an exception in 2016) at its Autumn Steam Gala. I suspect 2020 will be another exception

Patrick

 

That is just the weirdest behaviour. You demand an unrealistic price, but rather than accept a lower price you decide to destroy it and so receive nothing for it.