Disused Tracks in Surrey

Would love to see more of Collection X running

 

Hopefully one day Spud...

Cheers for your replies.

Have to say it seems to be fairly heavy weight rail they have used there, not no jubilee track!

Rob

 

Another thing: for a disused line, it isn't exactly overgrown. Apart from a little bit of ivy there are hardly any weeds to be seen, which suggests that when that photo was taken the line hadn't been out of use for very long.

 

The photo is dated August 2010. So only a year ago!

 

Anyone in the area who can take a look?

 

Whilst there are public footpaths through the land, please respect the privacy of the owner. The land, trackwork and buildings are all private property. Peter Rampton has invested over £15000 in security measures (money which could have better directed towards restoration work on his locomotives or rolling stock) and has had to call the police on a number of occasions to deal with enthusiasts "nosing about".

Charlie

 

Such a shame, but I`m afraid it`s a sign of the times Charlie. Back in the day, I remember my Dad telling me uninvited guests were always welcomed at Hascombe with a shotgun....

 

Mmm, I do wonder how much of that was spent to deter "enthusiasts" and how much was spent to deter itinerant scrap metal thieves.

And while I support Mr Rampton's right to privacy, and his right to do what he likes with his own property, I wonder if he would have less of a problem with enthusiasts if he adopted a slightly more .... shall we say .... understanding attitude?

 

Im not suggesting anyone break in or trespass, but the railway and shed in question are all easily viewable from public land - if the idea of people wanting to see such an important collection of loco's annoys Mr Rampton, i cant say i have much sympathy.

Chris

 

I dont know about that. I own several classic cars , all of which are one of a kind rarities and I would not take kindly to anyone wandering in to my property in the hope of seeing them, mainly for privacy reasons, but also because of security concerns.I would expect anyone with a genuine reason to want to see them to contact me for an appointment,I'm sure Mr Rampton feels the same, if you want to see more than you can from a public place, then contact him direct (he will probably say no though)

 

Golly, I wonder why no one has thought of trying that before?

 

TBH I expect he will have been contacted by trainspotter types who merely want to rubber neck or tick them off a list but I would imagine if he was contacted by someone with a genuine interest in some aspect of his locos (say, someone restoring a similar loco) he might be more sympathetic. Im emphasising that trespassing is not the way to get access.Sorry if its upset you

 

Blimey! I've driven along that road so many times and never knew there was a railway just the other side of the hedge. Quite an interesting thread this.

 

Of course he's been contacted by people with a genuine interest, and no doubt by many a railway magazine journalist too, but the fact remains that unless people are keeping it to themselves the answer (if a reply is received) over the past decades is always no whether just to poke around or to carry out genuine research.

I wish i could go into more detail but the very good and detailed discussion of this a few years back on the Narrow Gauge Heaven forum has gone AWOL unfortunately.

Chris

 

Should still be possible to see some of it from the public areas though, worth a look! Shame the collection is sorry closely guarded and secret. I know this has been mentioned before, but surely his charitable status must be called into question but keeping so much hidden away without even such a whisper of openess...

 

I think it was established that the collection isnt actually owned by the Trust, but by Peter Rampton.

Chris

 

The locomotives and rolling stock stored on Peter Rampton's property are the private property of Peter Rampton; they are not owned by a charitable trust. The Phyllis Rampton Narrow Gauge Railway Trust meets its charitable requirements by its involvement with the Vale of Rheidol Railway, which you are able to view at no cost and ride on in return for a reasonable fare.

It is quite common for private owners of locomotives/railways to refuse written requests for enthusiasts to visit - Peter Rampton is no different.

Rest assured that the collection is in good hands - it is being looked after, it is not rusting away and some of it is even being restored right now. With the proposed museum at Aberystwyth starting to edge towards being reality, the future for the collection looks quite bright. I am sure that many members of this forum will be able to visit the museum and view the collection within their lifetime - and perhaps see some of the locomotives operating on the Rheidol and elsewhere (remembering that Peter Rampton has close connections with both Brecon and Launceston).

In the meantime please respect Peter Rampton's wishes for privacy.


Charlie

 

This statement is no longer correct. The locos & rolling stock, which have been referred to as "Collection X" for about the last 40 years, were purchased by the Vale of Rheidol Railway some 2 or 3 years ago and now appear on the V of R's assets as museum stock. This, as I understand it, includes all the stock stored in Surrey and the non V of R original stock held in Wales. They appear to have been purchased with a loan from the PRNGRT which holds a charge on the V of R for the value of that loan and others. The PRNGT also holds 100% of the shares of the V of R. As it stands from the last sets of accounts Peter Rampton is not a trustee of the PRNGRT but is, unless the situation has changed, the chief executive of the Vale of Rheidol Railway.
There was a statement issued some time ago that it was the intention of the V of R to build a museum in which to house the collection, having restored the stock utilising the new workshop facility. However there must be little doubt that the existing original V of R operating stock will take precedence in that facility. With, I believe, over 50 stored items of steam, i/c and other rolling stock in need of considerable attention, even if only cosmetic restoration is undertaken, it is going to be a long time before the museum, when completed, will hold any significant numbers. (My list contains 36 steam and 6 i/c locos and there is a delightful 4w directors saloon from the Sabero Railway plus some vintage IOM coaching stock, I believe.)
I have been trying to keep tabs on this collectioin since the entire 600mm Sabero stock was imported in 1969 - yes! 42 years ago - and, apart from the Sabero items, there are some absolute gems amongst the rest.
Charlie is quite right in the fact that, up until its purchase by the V of R, the collection was privately owned (said to be by Peter Rampton & friends) and so had no charitable status. It was frequently stated that it was owned by the PRNGRT but that trust never had any locos or rolling stock amongst its assets. Now they are owned by a limited company with charitable status however, if you inspect the stated aims of either the V of R or the PRNGRT, you will find that there is no issue on which they could be challenged. You are quite at liberty to inspect the returns of both organisations online at the Charity Commissions website.
I am now at an age where I no longer expect to be able to see the collection unless I break the UK record age still with complete faculties and mobility and I could find that prospect quite depressing if I was of that type. I do hope that younger members of this forum have more luck.

Ian

 

I'm not sure that statement is correct - if only by a matter of degree.

Sure, it is not uncommon for locos to become "unavailable" for a few years or so, but they usually surface. Can you give any examples of locos in the UK (other than collection X) that have been completely unavailable for say more than a decade?

 

I know of a private "collection" in Hampshire where I have been made to feel very welcome! Seems strange to go to so much effort to save so much and then lock it all away. I thought passions were shared...