The Gwili Railway thread

Why will this get put in the new shed when it is the new shed job to cover up the carrages that get used and also the older ones like the gwr ones. It does not seem a good idea to leave them outside when this is inside. It is a big engine to have at the gwili railway it would be nicer putting something more interesting in a shed but is is also good one is saved to look at as they will be rare soon

 

Thats essentially whats going on over at Hosking Heights. And a mild look at the model railway world, you can see the shift to BR Blue/ Sectorisation as a larger number of products/ layouts over the BR steam era of 20 years ago.

 

No further comment required!

 

Hahaha its like 10 year olds train set

 

The first time in history there has been this pairing?

 

I disagree with that. Steam in regular (pre-preservation) use is already sufficiently distant that you have to be quite old to remember it, even though many people who can have no conceivable memory of steam nonetheless visit preserved railways. As such, I don't believe that people's interest in it is driven purely by nostalgia for their childhood. In the same way, I don't believe that the continued popularity of World War II aircraft at airshows can be in any way related to the vanishingly small number of people who remember them first time round; nor do people by the million continue to visit castles because of childhood memories of the medieval era.

So interest in heritage is independent of childhood memories - which is primarily a good thing for us as a movement, because it means we aren't necessarily custodians of an interest that is inevitably doomed to die out in a couple of generations. But it does also mean that there is no inherent reason why diesels will become popular with people of my age who remember them from the 1980s. A few people will be interested, for sure, but recreating childhood memories is - thankfully - only a small reason why heritage attractions are popular. The attraction has to stir the emotions for reasons other than childhood memory.

Tom

 

Whatever one's childhood memories (I grew up in undisputed 4DD & 2/4EPB territory) there's also the slight issue that even Whizzos and Deltics look and sound a lot better than they smell.

 

I largely agree with your analysis, and am reminded of how my other great interest - classical music - stays alive not because of memories of how great Beethoven/Furtwangler/whomever was, but because the performance forms part of a living tradition that transcends individuals' lifespans. Having the privilege of watching the King's College Cambridge choir rehearse at the weekend reminded me just how much that is a living tradition.

However, I do think, perhaps because they do nothing for you, that you under-estimate the role of memories in driving involvement in heritage organisations. I started to take a serious interest in railways at about the time sectorisation really took hold, and BR Blue began to disappear. This period saw some closures (e.g. Spa Valley, Churnet Valley, Dereham) large scale withdrawals of locomotives and units, and also significant numbers of purchases for preservation. Those groups formed, as did so many line and locomotive societies, around what was being lost; some have thrived, others withered. I remember returning from a Bescot open day in 1990, commenting to a fellow enthusiast on the then obsession with BR green that BR blue would soon be all important - and being poopooed. It wasn't long before the nostalgic power of that livery began to bite, and we're now seeing some sectorisation era liveries return.

I don't expect the same scale of effect as with steam, but I do think modern vehicles will have a power to draw people in - especially where, as with the HST, they have real popular reach (dare I say it, are iconic?).

 

I can’t see why they spend lots money building a shed to keep hst in but the picture there is all grass over the tracks and th hst won’t help keep the railway going

 

The permanent way has actually recently gone through large investment in both time and resources including a run of the tamper.

The shed will be utilised 90% by the railways carraiges. With a small section being used for the hst power car which is already proving very popular on social media.

As someone who makes regular monthly donations to the welsh railways Trust on the gwili I wholly approve of the preservation of such a key part of South Wales railway history over the last 50 years.

Tom

 

In my defence I literally didn't say people's interests are driven purely by nostalgia for their childhood. I said that we can often forget that nostalgia did play a role (in my experience as a child being traipsed round different lines so my Dad's railway club could see the locos they remembered taking them to school), and that therefore the locomotives or items of stock that some enthusiasts can be quite scathing about today will be nostalgic for some tomorrow. That's all. As a practitioner of European combat from the 12th to 17th centuries it's pretty obvious that nostalgia doesn't play a role in the attractiveness of our events to audiences

 

So much negativity here!! The Gwili is a lovely little railway and having a single HST power car is not going to change that! How about some positivity for a change?

 

It's NP. We've some who'd complain about the sun rising. IMO, The Gwili management could do worse than take a leaf from the annals of railway modelling and quote the Greenwich Gorilla (Brewer's 'Rule No.1) at naysayers.

 

Already posted.

 

All these people moaning about the HST power car... for me the industrial locos are waaaaaay more interesting than 1369 which I find quite boring really, but it has its place! So I'm not going to moan that 1369 is there because I understand that everyone's preferences are different.
The HST power car tells a story. It isn't going to run on the Gwili but it will make an impressive exhibit, especially for people who aren't enthusiasts - seeing the contrasts between a steam loco and a 125MPH diesel power car. One thing I always notice when I go to the National Railway Museum is how much bigger railway locomotives look when you're viewing them from the floor, rather than a platform. I'm sure the HST power car will be incredibly striking when you walk into the carriage shed and see it there alongside smaller, vintage GWR coaches.
And anyway, variety is the spice of life!

 

Evenin all. Now then. Who's going to explain this then? I don't care if some joker did put a '1' in front of the heritage railway speed limits rules - you are not doing that 'ere.
Or even:-
Due to unprecedented demand Gwili Railway now offering 8 minute round trips...

Maybe act as a generator to power the coach shed until mains is installed?

It's something different and if the Gwili doesn't do south Welsh railway heritage who will? Keep up the good work Matt & co. you are certainly getting people talking!
Alan

 

When is the rest of the HST due to arrive?

Maybe a Scotrail GTI version.

 

Perhaps the TRAWSLINK website may be of service?

 

First train of 2022