4920 Dumbleton Hall

or hiring much stock out. That stock not earning is still needing maintenance, the staff for the rail tours need paying, any product bought for rail tours still needs to have been paid for, insurance, rent, taxes, overheads etc still need to be spent.

 

As others have said, railtours and hiring of stock have been massively reduced over the last year while certain fixed costs will have remained.
Mr Smith maintains his fleet by running those tours, but I for one have no idea how much money he makes in a normal year - for all we know it could be enough to keep the wheels turning and no more. My point is that it's rather silly to announce that WCR has 'lots of money' without actually having any proof.

 

Two engines go into a shed at, for the sake of argument, Carnforth. One comes out with a lovely fresh coat of paint. The other comes out ready to mainline. If they are wearing the same plates and livery, who is to say which is which? Would any Potter fan, visiting the exhibition, know it was Dumbleton Castle, not Hogwarts Hall? I rather doubt it.

 

It'll be interesting to see if we end up with two Hogwarts Castles, one in the exhibition, and the other pulling trains full of HP fans around… or will one of the new paint jobs be green rather than red…?

Simon

 

Or even Dumbledore Manor...

 

Well if there's anyone who would take the "It's my engine and I'll paint it purple with yellow spots" route, it would be Mr Smith...

 

Sure, I guess I'm interested in the licensing shenanigans, as I expect HP IP is protected even more aggressively than Thomas, but there's much cash to be made with the right permissions. Perhaps we'll see a red Oldney Olton with BR emblem on the tender, as would be near as dammit without needing to pay Warner Bros anything… just speculating obvs.

Simon

 

If it appears in black livery surely it would be called Malfoy Manor!

 

You can always look at the WCRC accounts (https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/03066109/filing-history) and draw your own conclusions on whether the company has 'loads of money' or not. Although the accounts predate Covid and are not necessarily reperesentative of the current situation or even current thinking, one paragraph in the review of the business, is appropriate to the discussion:
"The level of trading activity has put huge demand on the companies stocks of operating locomotives and coaching stocks, and, as such, these have had to be hired in from other sources at considerable cost. The directors are continually looking at opportunities to expand the asset pools, to reduce the reliance on hire from third parties, and in so doing, improve profitability."
Looks like they are just following their Business Plan.

 

I'd be surprised if the level of trading activity has remained huge...

 

I did look at that @Steve , but there are so many different cross charges between his companies it's quite hard for a non accountant like myself to make much sense of it!

 

As I noted previously (again speculation only!) WB will have taken a financial hit in 2020 which probably makes that taken by WCR look small (in overall figure, I imagine proportionally it works the other way but who knows), therefore would seem a perfect opportunity for the rights holder and the TOC they have along standing relationship with to put their heads together and conclude that there is good cash to be made for both parties by running some niche trains, possibly even add visit Scotland into the mix!

Not sure who Oldney is, I assume you mean Olton ? Whoever you mean they need to remember their station, what ever shiny plate they will get they ain't a Castle!

P.S This photo (not mine and admittedly 14 years old) suggests that a Hall did at least then fit all the way to Mallaig!
https://www.alamy.com/former-great-...-in-mallaig-railway-station-image7842300.html

 

Pedantic mode - let's not forget that WCRC are purley a ToC, who to my knowledge don't actualy own any rolling stock!

Do we know for sure who has actualy bought 4920? A Trust, a private individual, a company? Sorry, I don't know anything about the previous ownership arangements which could otherwise dictate the result.

 

Forgetting - no doubt - that WCRC trades in railway areas other than locomotive / stock hires for railtours.

 

We tend to lump things together and just say West Coast but, as you say, it is just one of a number of linked companies under the ultimate control of William Smith (Wakefield) Ltd. I think the locos are generally owned by Steamtown Railway Museum Ltd but that is probably not exclusively. I could be miles out.

 

It should be easy to tell them apart as one has a fire iron tunnel and the other doesn't. (What's that about all GWR locos being the same...)

 

The fireman is oiling up that day..

 

One also has a three-row boiler and the other a two-row, not that such a difference ever stopped Swindon from trying to pass off one engine as another...

 

I wonder how many Harry Potter enthusiasts have asked the attendant at Leavesden "let me look inside the smokebox ... hang on a minute, this isn't the real Hogwarts Castle, it's a pastiche ..."

Tom

 

*looks awkwardly at shoes*