Lottery Dreams for investing in Heritage Railways

The offer to the SVR's David Williams was for no less than seven O2 tanks at £900 each, plus 4 coaches at £80 each. Transport cost was the snag; Pickfords wanted around £4,000 to hire the floating crane from Medina Wharf to get anything across the Solent.

 

Research into an alternative fuel to coal, suitable for heritage steam locomotives, and more environmentally friendly.

 

One such alternative herewith:
https://csrail.org

(I wonder why this torrified tech always sends my mind straight to the forestry plantation readily accessible from the route of the old Ratgoed Tramway?)

 

OK we're 3.5-4 years on with this thread, so a million may not cover your plans/ideas. What would I go for and it's already been mentioned, covered accommodation/maintenance facilities for all stock. What's more this is IIRC one of the few areas of new build, where the likes of the lottery will help finance, as it helps preserve/protect stock whilst out of service or awaiting restoration.

 

This, plus getting new generations trained up (as per @martin1656's post #118). Us lot won't last forever!

 

Well technically speaking though we've kinda revived this thread years later, it's been done so with the caveat that we're no longer just talking a million here.

As you say yourself a million doesn't necessarily get you too far theses days when it comes to big projects.

So the scope is now: what if you won multiple millions of pounds?

That said I'd totally agree with you there, covered accommodation for rollingstock should be a top priority and certainly would be a great cause to spend one's millions on.

 

Ok, I'm in.
My serious plan would be to establish a boiler shop somewhere in the UK with a good history of artisanal metal bashing, good transport links and decent affordable housing. Midlands? North East?
It would need to be able to do everything from a re-tube to new build. I imagine this would cost low £millions.
Assuming any money left the ability to offer a small range of new build engines in the range of Terriers up to 57XX size.
I think the boiler shop would work great, loco factory, probably less so.
If we are allowed 'fantasy island', I would establish a steam heritage line in Portugal and drive trains there. I plan to move to Portugal because, well reasons, but there's not much working old stuff to grice.
Just my daydreams...

 

Quite agree JMJR1000. What would I say cash wise, 4 million minimum with match funding to double that to say 8-10 million. On top of that I'd suggest a bi-annual [every 2 years] increase of say a 1/2 million +/-.

 

I would choose some projects that interest me and support them. I would not attach strings and nor would I attempt to start a new project that wasnt already something the railway had identified for itself that it needed, unless I could see it through from my own funds and without being a distraction to the railway.

Sent from my SM-A405FN using Tapatalk

 

Agree, get everything under cover

1. I'd like to own a farm - as a landlord/gentleman Farmer so a word with Exmoor Associates? They can have the trackbed, I will have the surrounding land.
2. I am worried about climate change so how about some solar panels on shed roofs, free leccy for the railways & reduced carbon emissions.
3. There are some interesting Electric units in preservation, securing their future and trying to find a way of operating them
4. For my own amusement, a Peak, 33 & 25.

 

I'd disagree with the first part. Too many of our heritage lines are subsiding comfortably into being 1950s clones of one another. Surely the great attraction for most of the steam era were the regional differences and the partisanship of their supporters, whether staff or enthusiasts. but nowadays wherever you go you'll find mostly BR gangwayed carriages, mucgh the same locos,and even the demonstration freights are made up of BR era wagons. We don't need any more railways, we need fewer, of better quality!

 

I think my £1 Million would go on resuscitating Crab No. 42859 to Main Line standard, although would a Million cover it?

Richard.

 

Is that the one which was the subject of some acrimonious litigation and now in need of a new boiler? I'd still reckon £1m would go most, if not all of the way.

 

The Bristol Harbour Railway operates 2 Bristol-built locomotives, an Avonside and a Peckett, but owns a third, much older example.



Fox, Walker & Co. no.242 was built in 1874 and has been in storage since 1962. I would fund a rebuild to original condition. There aren't enough operational Victorian steam engines and it would be lovely to have one working in the heart of Bristol.

 

Must say I do like the idea of building more terriers, being such compact yet capable and handsome engines, and a lot of the pre-existing ones have had major renewal work done already, whole new boilers I'm sure in a couple of cases.

Question is though, would there really be any demand for more terriers? For they have their limitations, maybe the IoWSR and K&ESR might like perhaps one extra terrier in their rosters but can't think where else they'd want new ones.

Ah I keep forgetting that poor engine... definitely would be one I'd add to my own list.

Though thinking further on this subject one thing I neglected to think about was carriages... think of all the pre-nationalisation coaches forevermore waiting to be restored, and how they'd enhance their railways so if they were to be at last. For instance I am aware that despite appearances, the Swanage Railway does actually have an impressive array of vintage carriages waiting to be restored, including a unique push-pull set that would be perfect to pair up with the resident M7. Assembling a LSWR period set of carriage would surely be the dream too, to match it with the T3 and perhaps the T9 as well.

Yes thinking it now, I'd add this agenda to my dream list.

Fund the restoration of all the carriages on the Swanage Railway, and crucial a building to store them away in too, as well as arrange a restore and loan agreement with other railways that have surviving LSWR carriages (looking at you Bluebell...)

Oh and have a private observation saloon carriage built (6 wheel based off LBSCR design with a mini bar at the rear) for myself to ride in on occasions or made available for private charters for people, with possibly a new build LSWR T1 usually chartered to pull it...

Thought WAY too much into this!

 

Yep, that's the one. I believe the frames and wheels are now at the ELR for storage. I'm sure useful patterns will not be far away, as 13065 is resident there.

Richard.

 

Heart ruling head: a LSWR C14 'Potato Can', as rebuilt to 0-4-0T. Nothing more than a self-propelled carriage warmer (but that hasn't stopped Piglet, has it?).
Head ruling heart: start reworking Class 2 and 4 tank designs to something more modern. Roller/needle bearings throughout (boxes and motion) - compensation between pony axle and adjacent coupled - welded round-top boilers. Customers can put the tin of their choice on for the cab and bunker, belpaire shaped cladding, whatever. One day most of our railways will depend far more on paid staff, so cutting down P&D time pays. Putting a stop to the trail of lube oil everywhere may become a necessity, who knows?
Pat

 

Heart ruling head: an LCDR Second Sondes class 2-4-0T, as latterly rebuilt by Kirtley and reboilered by Wainwright. Also an LCDR Kirtley 0-4-4T as a practical traffic loco.

Vaguely feasible if money could be found: complete the birdcage trio set. Also restore the six wheel LCDR brake 3rd No. 48 and the six wheel SECR birdcage van No. 719. Convert one of the railway cottages at Horsted Keynes into a 1930s house, which could be used for filming and for educational value eg for school parties as part of history curriculum.

The eminently sensible if money was no object: find a means to endow favourite railway with a revenue source that required relatively minimal management or capital input, entirely removed from the same business pressures / economic cycle of running a tourist attraction. Being Britain, that probably means a large rental property portfolio to provide a regular source of income.

Tom

 

Certainly like your idea for restoring those carriages you mentioned Tom, particularly the six wheel SECR Birdcage Van as I wasn't aware of it's existence until you mentioned it, presuming that would look good with a SECR matching carriages and loco right?

And endowing your favorite railway with a revenue source independent of them, good smart thinking that, out the box kind of thinking.

Can't imagine which railway exactly would be your favorite and so lucky to have such investment though...

 

Implausible dream: a Manifold Valley Light Railway that's actually feasible. It's a beautiful route.

Plausibility may vary: Main line steam excursions to St Ives (bonus points for using Tyseley's panniers), panniers in and around Bristol (double headed panniers on the Torbay Express, maybe?!), funding for that extension that my local's been wanting for years, overhauls paid for for Bellerophon, Dame Vera Lynn, 3205 and any number of 14xxs, the list goes on...