SVR General Discussion

I can't really see why a smaller organisation"in the black". should envy a larger one posting substantial losses.

 

Agreed - there are stretches along the line that really could be better utilised for same.



For example, a silhouette on Botolph Bridge, anyone? Get some wooden/plastic arms on that signal gantry! (I remember when it still had real ones)

 

If you’re an engine owner on a daily hire fee, and like you say the railway are hiring your engine, you need to be earning 40-50k a year minimum (depends on how much volunteer input is then input into the overhaul to what the final cost is). The Svr have traditionally been a run and repair railway, but sadly, look where that has got the owners of 80079, 46443, 47383, 8233 etc. i suggest some of those owners are not likely to see there locos ever steam again in there lifetime. On the other hand, in the current situation the Svr sadly find themselves, they will not be wanting to pay the going rate per day that the groups require to meet there funding targets. Also, most of those groups on fixed daily fees will have contracts which state how many days use the engine will receive each year. I can see some changes ahead.

 

It's no secret there's been efforts for around a decade, at an AGM (2012? 2013? the one in the tent) a previous chair and GM optimistically hoped it would be a few months' work. I've no inside knowledge of what discussions have been/are being held.

 

Paul, has it ever occurred to you that not everything you do over the Solent might not work elsewhere?
I really would love to know how many Mainline support crew the IOWSR have had to provide for locomotives that have been overhauled at Haven Street for example?

 

Whatever their structure these bodies have to earn enough money to meet their costs. Ideally this needs to include accumulating some sort of reserve. IMHO a complicated arrangement of ownership makes matters more difficult than they need be. Not everywhere has had post COVID problems so far.

 

The SVR don't own 80079

 

Sounds like at least one person here gets my sense of humour.

 

The SVR structure is complex, but the majority of the loco owning groups were established specifically to own a loco or locos for use on the SVR. They are thus not so different from the company or the trust owning the loco in every day terms. However, I am not clear about exactly how the ownership works, whether these groups are companies or trusts in their own right.

The structure of the SVR is very top heavy. Three boards is too many. The size of the boards is also an issue I would suggest. Whilst there is no “right answer” consideration always needs to be given to getting a balance between representation and covering all the jobs that need doing on one hand, and being able to make decisions on the other. I can only imagine that three boards and 25+ people makes swift or decisive action a challenge. If you add to that all the various sub-groups I think you have a recipe for something which would be very hard to change. That would happily continue to do what it has always done, but struggle to adapt and evolve to new circumstances, particularly if those changes came from outside and quite quickly.

 

And therein lies the answer as to why it is a good idea to have a yard or two of clear blue water between the "Railway" & the ownership of some of the locos.
Any Railway has, as first priority on expenditure, a need to maintain its infrastructure. It cannot take on a number of overhauls of the financial scale of that needed on 4930. It can/must though pay reasonable amounts to be able to use locomotives to be able to run its services. Daily steaming fees enable that money to be paid over to owning groups effectively ring fencing it. This method also enables the railway to cost its timetable more accurately. Well run groups fund raise to support their loco(s) by whatever means to make sure there is sufficient funding for the next overhaul. Supportive folk are able to contribute towards "their" engine and see tangible results when they might be less likely to contribute to a larger, rather amorphous whole organisation. Accumulating a reserve can be problematic if done by the Railway as this reserve will be there to be raided the next time there is a crisis. Inflation is an enemy of accumulating funds long term. It is no surprise then to find that one of the best models is active, supportive properly constituted loco owning groups where several locos are owned by one organisation so that for example two locos can be out earning whilst a third is having a thorough overhaul using the fees earned by the first two.
Single loco owning groups are at some risk here and more amalgamations are inevitable.

The problems of funding locomotives are not something as recent as covid.

 

Moving on from who owns what loco, it is open house weekend on April 1st and 2nd, we are trialing an idea of running guided tours of the engine house, using operational staff as the guides to share some of our stories about the locos there as well as give a brief history of Highley, the SVR, and the locos.
Timings will be to suit the trains, (I'm aiming for about 15 minutes after a train arrives)
It's a free tour but there will be a donations bucket.
We are also hoping, subject to staff availability, to have the footplates of Gordon and 48773 open to visit.
I know the SVR management have displeased many of you lately, but this is a volunteer lead idea (ie Me) which I've been trying to get started for over a year now, so it would be absolutely fantastic to see some of you, meet in person, and hopefully raise a few quid to help the current situation.

 

Unfortunately the SVR is stuck in the dark ages and will either end up losing most of what they have or go bust.

 

Good idea. I think the engine house is great, but some of the exhibits seem a little under-explained (why is there a "Neasdon" sticker on the black 5, for example).

 

I’m guessing that’s a left over from ‘steam on the met’ (remember that?)

 

An excellent idea. Many years ago in the early days of the NRM they did something similar with volunteers from various railway societies manning the footplates. As a member of the Bahamas Loco Society I was ‘volunteered’ along with a few others who knew their way round a loco footplate. It was good fun and I believe they collected a lot of donations for charity. If I was still an SVR member I would have come along to help out with this.
One tip for you, it you are collecting for the charitable trust put the word charity on the collecting buckets. When we do the on train raffles for BLS we always tell people that we are a registered charity and we look after an engine for the National Trust ( Coal Tank), people feel good about donating to charities.

 

Thanks for the tip

 

Oooh I'd forgotten about the Neasdon sticker! Thanks!

 

Maybe even specify a specific use for the donation, as far as the SVR it will make no difference because they can just reallocate budget to compensate anyway. I suspect that a lot people prefer to donate to a particular project(s) rather than a general fund.

 

personally I think it makes most sense for at least the majority of locomotives to be owned by the railway. My reasoning for this is that it means the railway has to focus on maintaining and sustaining the whole system sand can do so with a degree of confidence in planning over the long term, free of changes in direction of third parties. (Note: I don’t think the latter is an issue with SVR owning groups, but there are other models of ownership where locos can suddenly disappear).

 

I'll have a think on that