Rolling stock maintenance funding

Hi,

Most preserved railways have different operating departments looking after things such as loco's and coaches. Do these groups tend to have separate funding e.g. fundraising events or do they get a certain percentage of the total ticket sales put into a fund to help with the maintenance. Just thought I'd ask as at the MRB we don't have a Carriage and Wagon Dept for our day to day coaches. How can you tell? Well look at the appalling exterior of our "Premier Dining Coaches". At our next operating meeting I intend to submit a thorough report detailing what needs doing to each coach. I have a fair Idea what I am looking for but was just wondering how other railways manage to keep their stock in such pristine order, do they have problems getting the money to keep their coaches fit for traffic?

 

It can depend on a number of reasons, ownership, running agreements, how desperate the operating department are or purely bad managers running the stock into the ground.

I know a number of owners who have an agrrement with the operating Railway on a care and maintenance order once they have restored their coaches. Others may be owned by the Society that they belong to and are way down the queue for a bit of TLC.Sadly though one does get a head of department with his or her own agenda who wants the world to see that they are doing a good job at the price of running a particular piece of rolling stock into the ground refusing to release it until it,s almost knackered wheras a "stitch in time" making it watertight and a re-paint would have paid dividends, very poor management really.

It looks as though you have an uphill struggle against those who like to show you who,s Boss.

Regards
Chris

 

At Middleton we have no real departments. Locos, stock etc all come under the CME and we all work on all sorts of different projects. I really enjoy working on wagons, and thats what I spend a fair bit of time doing. Money wise it comes from the railway. We only have two working carriages and these get a lot of use all year round. The same applies for wagons, along with donations to particular projects, such as sponser ship of paint etc.

Andy

 

We at the Mid-Hants work on the same principle.

Those who wish to retain ownership pay for the materials otherwise transfer ownership to the Societ and we do our own fundraising though the Ltd company will cough up some dosh if it is a vehicle they want restored , and in the last four years we have had no problems on the score.

There is also the regional groupswho although cannot for one reason of another get to the Railway ate always ready to give funds raised from their subs to worthy causes.

Thanks for your photo,s by the way , very good and a credit to your team.

Regards
Chris

 

Our normal day set isn't in bad nick to be honest, there is some bad body work here and there but not much. Now our other set, the dining set is another story. Our converted bar has got so much rot that it would be easier and more economical to scrap it, salvage parts and refit another coach. We've got another with a massive hole on the end. The pillar is rotten underneath and I can see the rest being to. The bodywork is bulging all over the set. It really has been run into the ground and management still insist on marketing it as ou premier dining set. Its aready known as "The Craplander" to some volunteers. The mechanical side of things are not brilliant, the whole dining set didn't have ANY working communication cords. I had to report them 6 times until something got done. Now that is a big operating issue. I now refuse to guard this set as I feel like a rip off merchant making people pay to sit in what are litterally blocks of rust that have more filler content than metal. I know that money is tight for eveybody at the moment but you have to speculate to accumulate, some of our MK1s are getting close to being beyond repair and its not going to be long before they are condemned!

I have to say on some days I get so wound up by either looking at the sheer state of the coaching stock or by management basically telling me to shut up that I feel like jacking it in with the place. Now I don't want to. I've already took a break from guarding our stock once. I feel it may be time for another, but longer. Concentrating on other things that want attention down there.


rant over ](*,)

 

Do you know who owns this dining coaches?, if so it may help who to pin down when tackling their repair.

Regards
Chris

 

As far as I know the dining set is entirely trust owned. I think that is one of the reasons why they have been run into the ground. No real incentive to do owt with them in managements eye's.

 

Well if they are Trust owned there must be funding available , even if it,s from the extra tax one gets back from the Taxman.

I suggest that you go to the Trust Chairman, as a charitable Truat they have a duty to a care and maintenance order at the very least.

It might also be advisable to look into the companies accounts and find out where the profits from the dining trains are being diverted?,perhaps even cornering your Finance Director for the detailed accounts from the Society and the PLC if you have one which must be published in detail by law, and not put into a "black hole".

I think you must also look at your society rule book, (another thing that must be published by law). I am not a Lawyer so I am suggesting that you might need legal advice or is it simply bad management. Either way neither is acceptable is it?.

Please keep us informed of developements.

Regards
Chris Willis

 

I will start investigating the money issue ASAP. I will report back what is said in this months operations meeting.

 

Hi,

Can't understand why some railways do not invest in their coaches, as without them, the railways obviously could not carry passengers.

Dave W

GH4 & others

 

Whilst we can understand and may share your concern, is it appropriate to raise serious safety concerns on here? This site is read by individuals who have significant powers. Your highlighting of what appears to be a serious proceedural problem could have far reaching consequences.

I assume you have already raised your concerns with senior management and given them the opportunity to respond.

 

I am not saying there is but has someone an axe to grind here?.

There are always two sides to everything.

Regards
Chris

 

The safety side of our coaches is now satifactory and they are fit for trafic in that sense. My main concern as a guard at the moment is the exterior condition of most of our stock is appalling and I find it increasingly hard to guard something that looks so bad, consequently I have cut down my roster availability dramatically. Some good news is that one of our dining coaches is going into the carriage workshop for investigation work on what needs doing to it. Its not looking good with the amount of rot. I have been informed that they will each go in one by one, but that could take years as contract work seems to take 99.9% priority to our own operating stock. I think that is one of the reasons it is so bad. With a change of management in the last few months, things are slowely changing, a few for the better but not all. Hopefully our coaches might get some money and tender loving care thrown in their direction. The operating commitee will et a shock when they see my report on whats wrong with these MK1's. I hope they don't want to get away in a hurry!!

 

You've got a new general manager at Butterley haven't you? Nothing like catching the ear of the new arrival, I believe one of the first things he wanted done was tackling some of the eyesores.

Dave

 

Yes we do, he's been tol about the coaches and consequently they are now waiting there turn to go into the yard for investigation work and possible restoration. Sadly the work load went up this morning. At some time around 4 am today, somebody decided to repaint two of our coaches for us. Graffiti all over the north side. AGAIN!! SK 26157 and BG 84020 were affected. The BG already being the victim of this sort of vadalism at new year. Luckily 8 bottles of graffiti desolver later theres only a little bit left on the SK. Just needs another going over tomorrow. I spent from midday till 5pm on it today. SK isn't looking to bad, a little rub down and some varnish in the bad areas should sort it but sadly the BG is a paint job right off. Wants a total repaint on one side. I think the only reason the paint is coming off ok is because the majority of the paint they have used is acrylic and it chucked it down in our area at about 4am.

If it happens again then I'm going for the night surveilance approach!

 

http://www.railwaysillustrated.com/blog/

 

It makes interesting reading, particularly if you think that the MRC is probably one of the leasding diesel sites.

 

It's funny how the railway with so much accommodation that other railways would dream for has got into this situation. Lets hope they climb out before the word spreads because the site is one of of my all time favourites, the trouble with alot of railways is that its just a ride. With the MRC you get lots to look at, even though it's not in the best of condition.
At least the new Syston building is nearly complete and makes the whole scene at Swanwick so much better.

 

I have been to The MRC at Swanwick a couple of times over the last 3 years for exhibition and course purposes for work.
On all occaisions I have not been impressed with the place, the facilities, the quality of the track or the air of dilapidation around the site.
On each visit we came over the hill along the dirt track to be greeted by a vista, spread before us of scrap or seemingly so.
I know you have to store it somewhere but surely not in full public view.
The state of the vehicles has been mentioned already, but has anyone watched the movement in the sleepers as a train passes.

 

Im glad its not just me who thinks they are an eyesore. I was the one who tried to gaffa tape the holes up. With the gutters not being much cop, the water just runs down th bodyside and into the gaping holes.I then got told "It just makes it worse" So consequently I have took it all off leaving the holes open to the elements. The insides are not much better than the exterior either. Had a table fall off the wall the other day. The interior panels are rotten damp and most need replacing. The converted bar would be easier to scrap and raid for spares than overhaul. The wole situation is crap at the moment. I presented a report at our July operating meeting. It got mixed reviews and nothing was actually said about doing anything at this moment in time. I will keep battling on but If we don't do anything within the next year then it will end up being cheaper to scrap and buy in another set of MK1's/MK2's. Its a shame that we don't have any money for doing up our roling stock but we do to pay our paid staff. Some of which are less use than chocolate fire guards! And yes Management know this!