WHAT IS TO BECOME OF ALL THE PRIVATELY OWNED NG STOCK WHEN THE OWNERS DIE ?

The other day I was discussing this issue with a small group of like minded narrow gauge railway enthusiasts and while we won’t be here to see what happens, I wonder if anyone has given this any thought as to when they die.

Not every railway site is going to open up there arms and say yes please we will have it and I just wondered that beside Amberley, Buzzard, Moseley and the Midland Railway Centre, there appears to be very little where large collections of narrow gauge equipment can be gather together.

I suspect that not every railway project will survive either so once again where will all that go?

Would it be possible to think in terms of a national narrow Gauge Railway Museum some where or do the above do the job for us? What is this lists thoughts on these matters.

 

Surely, that will depend on each individuals' wishes, as defined in their wills, the same as anything else they possess?

As for a National Narrow gauge museum - where? when? who will pay for it? This would need a massive amont of money to set up properly. If such a thing were ever to be required, then the logical place to start would probably be with the NRM, but I doubt even they are in a position to consider it at the moment. Besides, NG lines were very much local concerns, and very much more varied in standards, character and use than standard gauge lines and should, if at all possible, be preserved, displayed and operated in their own original locations, rather than a single, national museum.

Well that is what I think, at least!

 

It is going to be a problem for all railway preservation regardless of gauge. Actually the narrow gauge is better off in this respect than standard gauge with several lines, particularly in Wales, having unified ownership of stock, trackbed etc.

At the risk of deviating from the thread somewhat, apart from the Isle of Wight Steam Railway, the situation on the standard is greater cause for concern. (Significantly the IOWSR has benefitted from a small loco. group with similar concerns and conscious of anno domini donating their machines outright)

Unless other individual owners are similarly generous, then operating sites will need to raise considerable sums to buy out these small groups. That won't be easy.

 

Why has equipment from small private collections got to go to large collections? I think other small groups and private individuals will always surface to take it on. There are dozens and dozens of small and private collections of narrow gauge equipment scattered round the country, owned or run by every age group.

Narrow gauge is very good in this respect. It is perfectly practicable to have a couple of locos operating in your garden, or even just a narrow gauge tub doing service as a planter.

Unlike standard gauge, so far very little narrow gauge equipment has gone for scrap once it is in the hands of private preservation.

I don't see a problem.

Perhaps contentious but, in some ways I think large collections are not an especially good thing, they can become a sort of "black hole" sucking in and hoarding all available equipment.

 

Not forgetting there already is a Narrow Gauge Railway Musuem, run by the Narrow Gauge Railway Museum Trust.

Don't think they've got the space to start hoovering up large amounts of private collections though.

 

Part of the Moseley Railway Trust's objective for developing the Apedale site is to become the National Museum of Narrow Gauge Railways, but with a particular slant on the industrial stuff. In terms of privately owned equipment, clearly the owners have a responsibility to ensure that an appropriate provision is made for it in wills. As an owner of equipment myself, I believe it would be unfair on my surviving family to impose a "problem" on them with no guidance as to my wishes. I know it's a cliche, but it is true - you never really own this type of item; one simply looks after iot for the next generation.

 

For the standard gauge stuff I think more and more railways will own their own locomotives. The MHR for example has gone from owning none to owning 5 steam locomotives. (75079, 45379, 34007 (majority), 35005 and 80150) in a few years. As the smaller single loco societies in particular face up to ageing membership with few resources to attract new members they may well merge into the society running the line on which the loco is based. I would think smaller items will continue to find a willing private buyer market for a long time to come as they are easier to afford and house. I'd certainly think about acquiring a small motorail and a few wagons for the garden. Useful for the grass clippings

 

There are two main schools of thought on this one.

Firstly, the Anglo-Saxon approach is to build a huge earth mound, and incarcerate all the said artefacts within it, surrounding the body of the deceased. In time this will become part of local folklore and eventually, prove a huge delight to a future archaeologist.

The other is the Norse school of thought, where the train (if it is such) is set in motion laden with all the lesser items of the collection and the body of the deceased. Once underway, the train is then set on fire. If the stock is antique, wooden-bodied, and the artefacts similar such, there shouldn't be a problem, but in the event of modern steel-bodied stock and of course the locos themselves, then the Gypsy alternative is required, where the whole ensemble remains stationary, and in effect a blast furnace is built about it.

One further point, on the second point, all destination boards should read 'VALHALLA' (non-stop). For the first, 'Service temporarily suspended' should suffice.

I hope this clears things up.

 

... although it has been known for rolling stock to escape from these earth mounds.



Richard

 

Most Excellent Mr R !!

 

A third method is "Disposal at Sea", where the train is run off the end of a siding or breakwater and allowed to become part of a new marine habitat. Unfortunately, after the initial unsuccessful trials described by Rev W Awdry, this method has not become popular.



Richard

 

...although there are a few examples - here's one: http://njscuba.net/sites/site_locomotives.html

 

Might I suggest a pact, Martyn? You and I enter into an agreement, that whosoever dies first, that railway collection automatically goes to the other. So, if you die first, your entire collection of railwayana and railway shares etc., will automatically go to me. Likewise, should I predecease you, my entire collection of railwayana, railway shares etc., would go to you....Ok, so I don't have much in the way of railwayana or shares (actually I don't have any) but you can rest assured assured that in the event of your unfortunate predecession, your valued railway items would be going to a good home....eventually...via Kidlington.... But you get the drift.

Sounds a good idea, doesn't it?!

I await your reply with interest....

 

Not that I have much either, and certainly nothing of any historical significance (apart from a few OS maps), but it will probably all go to a good home somewhere in North Devon! - not that I intend "shuffling off this mortal coil" any time soon!

 

Shame! .... I had hoped you were 'worth a bit'.... never mind...