Bredgar & Wormshill Railway

Just seen this on Facebook. Railway needs £250,000 to survive.
https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfun...7zR0LUqU4l2LMQWvILtbk5a2UIHxplALWsntvUsMsnl9E

 

Unfortunately the crowdfunder page doesn't say much about what the money will be used for. It just says its to get the railway through the winter leaner times.

Will it have to do this every year?

Does it have a longer-term business plan to stay open, if its existing open days don't make enough money?

 

Since there is no mention of this on the BWLR website (at https://bwlr.co.uk/) I am wondering if this is an officially supported appeal by BWLR or just one of their supporters being (overly?) keen to help keep it going.
It's good to see that "The process of becoming a registered charity has been started" so that should help safeguard the railway for the future, but it is not clear what the just giving money would be used for and exactly why it is necessary now.

 

250K seems like a lot just to get through the winter, I would be surprised if the line's income exceeds that in a typical year. I would second the suggestion that an explanation of where the money will be spent would be helpful to the cause.

 

I'm on the B&WR mailing list, and have just received an email from them which includes a link to the crowdfunder. So it appears to be an official campaign. However, the email doesn't give any more information on what the money is needed for.

 

One could hope it isn't but might inheritance tax also figure in this?

 

Your assumption seems to be after the fact.
The Just Giving page says "Bill sadly passed away in early 2020 and his son, also Bill Best managed to acquire the site and railway from his four brothers. In order to prevent the whole place being sold and physically dismantled, a number of valuable items from the collection had to be sold, although the bulk of the collection remains intact. "
So, the railway is now in the ownership of 1 person and has already had some assets sold off to cover costs. Obviously they will be keen to avoid having to sell off any further items from the collection.

 

I've a feeling that one locomotive has already been sold (to the nearby Richmond Light Railway - Schwartzkopf 0-4-0T "Bronhilde"). Let's hope that the RLR doesn't follow down the same path any time soon.

 

Having been there 10 or so days ago, the Richmond Light Railway appears to be going great guns. As it only has one open day a year, for charity, it's safe to assume that profit is not it's reason for existing.

 

I think you could have said the same about the B & W but that still didn't stop it coming under threat when its creator passed away. Their descendants may not have quite the same passion.

 

I believe a few of the Diesels got sold too - on my last visit there I was told the Large Hudswell Clarke Diesel was going to go to the VOR (not sure if it did/has) and one of the Andrew Barclay Ex-MOD diesels had gone to Leighton Buzzard, I have a feeling one went to Richmond too.

 

Shades of Cadeby?

 

On a smaller scale, who remembers the Abbey Light Railway or Ashorne Hall or Higham Hall railways, for example. It's an unfortunate fact that private railways do have a habit of closing after the deaths of their founders/owners.

 

Indeed. Given the current Lord Gretton, at Stapleford Park, doesn't share one certain aspect of his late father's obsessions, we're fortunate indeed he's been as sympathetic as he has to the presence of the very fine 101/4" gauge miniature railway on his property.

Gratuitous url (to a recently revamped SMR website) herewith:
https://fsmr.co.uk/

 

Yes the Hudswell Clarke is at the Rheidol now.

Tim

 

I went to an open day on Saturday and was very impressed by the qualty of the engineering - in particular the coaches

https://flic.kr/p/2nD5GLx

There was what appears to a refurbished bogie on display - Or is it a new build

https://flic.kr/p/2nCJTwj
https://flic.kr/p/2nCHBeL

Is this built from scratch or is it a fine example of refurbishment?

 

Looks like a bog standard South African waggon bogie to me, but with white wall tyres.

Tim

 

Thank you.

 

I'll ask him, but that don't half look like a mate of mine on that last verandah...