7027 Thornbury Castle

Well, it doesn't seemed have convinced people that it was saving. The appeal closed with less than 1600 voters. Most probably assumed that someone else would stump up the money.

 

Meanwhile the boiler has been sitting outside rusting away. Where did the chimney go? Has it ever been inside at the GCR ? Maybe its time to accept that sadly the GWS plan is the only way forward, at least for part of it.

 

There is an in between for this whole solution, whereby she goes into storage while for the time being.

I'd love to think that there's someone with an open chequebook ready to snap her up- but I'm not convinced that's the case.

The fact that she hasn't immediately found another buyer, I don't believe justifies immediately breaking her up.

The reality is that the Night Owl is a LONG way off being ready for a boiler, let alone steaming, so is there any harm in 7027 resting a while longer- it's not like she hasn't waited some time already.

I really feel for the folk at the GCR who have put a substantial amount of time and effort into her, to potentially see it squandered.

I can't help but think (if I were a volunteer at the GC) I'd be very reluctant to spend any time working on 92214 when it's time for overhaul comes.......

Chris

 

Whilst it may possibly not have convinced various people to put their hands in their pockets regarding 7027, I genuinely wonder how many people who have seen those photos of @Flying Phil’s are questioning the journalistic qualifications of a few people and the media outlet they write for?
@Thomas Bright would you care to comment on this?

 

Perhaps we need to accept that neither the 47xx nor 7027 projects will be completed?

 

Throwing made up numbers around helps nobody. I’ve seen far worse albeit smaller locos restored for a fraction of that. A lot depends on how much of the grunt work needs to be paid for and how much can be done by volunteers.

What appeal? If you mean the change.org petition, that’s all it was, a petition. If people want to donate money to change.org that’s their business, I’m sure none of it went anywhere near Thornbury Castle.

 

There was no money changing hands: "Please email the following email address if you are willing to support this project financially. You do not have to mention how much or how often you are willing to give ... Once interest has been reviewed, we can start an official fundraiser and approach the current owners".

 

But . . . where do you store it and who pays for that storage? I can't see GCR wanting it to continue taking up workshop space if it there is no immediate prospect of being worked on. So. . . there's the 'harm'.

 

But if those 1600 people were each to invest £1000... Just saying.

 

Who knows what's going on behind the scenes, the last thing I saw publicly was that certain people were trying to negotiate a way froward with the GWS (who mysteriously seemed to be responsible for a locomotive they previously claimed they had no involvement with) and the process was very slow, who knows what's happened since then?

I would also be a little careful what you say about certain publications bearing in mind what appears to have happened at the end of October.

 

Given that the 4709 people wish to use the boiler (and ignoring for now whether they are right or wrong about that), it might as well be stored at Didcot until either someone makes them a sufficiently generous offer for it or they are ready to start work on overhauling it. That leaves the frames looking for a temporary home. If the GWS has decided against trying to use them to re-create a Star, their only possible uses are either to be reunited with the boiler at some future date or to be broken up for scrap or for spares for other Castles. How much harm will they come to if they are dumped in a siding under a tarpaulin for the time being?

 

Only time will tell ,that`s what I think

 

I think the evidence from other railways is that “dumped in a siding” - tarpaulin or not - is not a good means of preservation. There’s also the small matter that a tarpaulin is likely to cost several thousand pounds for a lifespan of probably only about ten - fifteen years.

I still lean towards, if Didcot is the home, setting it up in currently disassembled state within the shed and making an interpretive exhibit about how locos are constructed and overhauled; it would allow visual access to many features normally hidden.

That would not preclude any future restoration attempt, while also arresting any significant decay of the structure. If we don’t have the money to restore all the locos we have (and personally I don’t believe that we do) then let’s find other means by which they serve as valuable educational resources. The pejorative phrase “stuffed snd mounted” is often used for locos that won’t run in the future, but actually nothing in the future would be ruled out by such a display. Dumping under a tarpaulin would I’d suggest be a one way ticket to the scrapyard in about twenty years’ time.

Tom

 

If they have the required space in the locomotive shed. I'm not sure they have and it might mean that something complete is parked outside.

 

If I were on the board of the GWS, i would make a pragmatic decision over this, how long will it take to work up the components of 4709 to a point where its ready to accept a boiler, bearing in mind, there might be re working required if work was done at Llangollen, and at what cost, Then compare that to restoring 7027 in its own right, and what its earning capacity would be if put out for hire, if 4709 cant' be assembled with in 10 years, and 7027 can be finished and running in 5, I would restore 7027, first, and then tackle 4709, including an appeal to fund a new boiler, in that ten year period.

 

In which case - why did they (seemingly) buy it? Had they gone down their plan for 47xx + Star conversion from the frames, they end up with a net increase in two large locos to store. So the problem you outline is real, but one that was already apparent by virtue of choosing that plan.

If the GWS own it, I think it is unrealistic to expect it to continue to be stored on the GCR (effectively meaning a loco there has to go outside) without adequate compensation.

Tom

 

Don't ask me! I was against them buying it.

 

I don’t think that the earning capacity of the loco will be enough to do more than fund its most basic maintenance needs. There will certainly not be a net improvement in GWS funds overall. It isn’t an investment in that way.

 

But why does Didcot need three Castles? Two is too many! They don't really have enough work for one.

 

What happened the end of October?