Rolling Stock For Sale

They need to be based on a railway that appreciates them as an important part of their future, even if they are not operable now. The GCR is heavily BR-orientated now, but one hopes that once the coaches are restored they'll appreciate what an asset they will have become. It's a sad contrast to the NYMR, who have no appreciation of what a asset the restored LNER carriages based on the line are, and are happy to see them leave.

 

There are people on GCR-N who are more than happy that these coaches are being moved on - I don't see that as them being appreciated.

 

Nor were they when they were at the Southern end but the way is gradually opening up to the combined GC section to find themselves lacking any form of distinctives and that will be significant carriage loss.

 

The GCR (Leics.) was once home to Barnums 664 & 666; 664 was externally restored and operated a few times as an empty shell (I believe it even once housed a board meeting on the move); 666 the NRM example just sat around. They also saved suburban 693, and it was cosmetically restored but has sat outside deteriorating ever since. The two Barnums later moved up to Ruddington.
The GCRRST was, I think, heavily influenced by one individual who has since passed away, so it was always going to be interesting to see how they went forward, and the signs are not good really. In their entire existence they collected something like 8 or 9 carriages and restored one of them; that ought to have been the catalyst for a higher profile and some serious fundraising for the rest, but it doesn't seem to have happened.
The GCRN has never been the best home for these vehicles. They have limited space and what space they do have has vandal problems; what they need is working stock and secure undercover storage. With that, I sympathise, and understand why there are people there who are not sorry to see these go. But the bigger, longer-term vision of a GCR loco (be it the 567 replica, or 102 or even 506???) at the head of an authentic train of GCR stock, on its original line, is a compelling one, and there really ought to be some way to make that work. Even if in the shorter term the aim is simply to keep the vehicles safe in off-site storage somewhere.
What the latest is, I don't know. It has all gone very quiet.