Flying Scotsman

Ah yes, I did see you several times, one day my two little girls will have an engine to play with too. Hope you enjoyed it as much as I did! I like 3" Burrells, used to rally Leicestershire Museums' one.

 

I really enjoyed it, hopefully we will be invited back next year. At the risk of taking this further off topic, was it you that kept going on about the strawberries and cream girl?

 

That sounds interesting..............What was she doing with the cream?!

 

Yes, and my mate Andrew in the box with us. Regular supplies kept coming, but the best was the three pints of beer that came from the Mid Hants guy after I plugged their steam gala..

 

Just had the latest SR through the door, states in there that the NRM has banned all photography of 4472 until the end of September. What is the world of preservation coming to?

 

Maybe they're planning a new secret livery or they are just totally brassed off with all the moaning.

Richard

 

I think "banned" is a strong word. I think it's reasonable for the NRM to want the locomotive to be worked on without the snappers bearing down their necks every five seconds - particularly when it was reportedly for several of the magazines which have been effectively stirring up the random livery and money debate again!

Reading said issue this morning, I felt overwhelming sympathetic to the NRM and in complete agreement of their so called ban, particularly when I read the mailbag and the vast amount of vitriol effectively calling for the NRM's head over Scotsman's livery/form debate.

How is that these people writing in to these magazines have missed the simple fact of the matter: there is not a single chimney casting nor a single blastpipe available for Scotsman at this time? They keep harping on about performance when in reality the biggest cost to single chimney condition would be to fabricate/cast these components from scratch. Surely the NRM cannot be held accountable for the mistakes of previous owners...?

Steve Davies was right not to rule it out entirely for the future, but it would have added a significant amount onto the total cost of the overhaul, I am sure, and in an age where everyone in preservation is trying to keep costs down, would it have been received so gladly? I can picture it now! "What was wrong with the double blastpipe and chimney?!"

And of course the obligatory "paint it in brunswick green" letter was printed, of course!

However in the spirit of fairness, there were several other letters rebutting the more negative opinions, and one stood out for me: David Slack's letter hit the nail on the head. Andrew Dow needs to get off his high horse and actually look at the facts of the matter, instead of yet another badly timed rant bemoaning the supposed authenticity of a locomotive with BR draughting arrangements but an LNER corridor tender...

 

Banned/banning is the quote in the article. Reading on there is more to it, a boiler lift is now required to enable replacement of a main frame stretcher which has found to have serious cracks.

 

Does this 'ban' only apply as of now or does it include all previous photography of 4472 in Riley's works?

 

Sadly this appears to be the approach from SR over the last 12 months, whilst it had problems in the past with facts it appears to have become totally tabloid in its approach, storys and headlines now - never let the story stand in the way of a good headline..... very poor

 

Getting worrisome, beginning to sound like 'dropped of a low loader, shhh say nowt and hope no one notices...'

 

I think the NRM now realise they did not have the experience or the facilities to overhaul Scotsman ,there facilities are equivalent to a running shed when it needed a full works job.

 

That is the biggest load of tripe I have ever read on this forum. Their facilities are excellent (ask the A1 Trust and anyone else who have prepared/repaired locomotives there over the years).

All those involved with Scotsman are excellent - Chris Beet? Ian Riley and his works? How on earth can these people be described as lacking experience?!

It's getting to the point where it becomes any excuse to downplay the hard work and dedication of the people behind the engine, because it's 4472, and damn the facts of the matter. I am thoroughly disgusted.

 

What I said is the NRM have only got the facilities of a running shed ,and the workshop is mainly for restoring things for display not overhauling locos.

Scotsman is in the the equivalent of a main works at Bury and will be right when it leaves there but if it had gone there from the start all the problems that it now as would have been dealt with a long time ago.

 

The NRM have come under a lot of flak over this overhaul - and I admit that I have been one of the critics, so my apologies if this smacks of hypocrisy - but I agree with others on here when they say that it is all getting a bit much. It is clear that 4472 was pretty much knackered when it came into the NRM's ownership and they've spent a phenomenal amount of money putting that right, which with an iconic loco such as this is how it should be.

Now is not the time for individuals, magazines and the movement as a whole to be jumping on the NRM - now is the time they need our support most, as they struggle over the final hurdles of this protracted and thorough overhaul. Questions about chimneys, smoke deflectors and cost can come later.

I am surprised about this 'photograph ban' - if it is that - however. We're a generally open lot and the NRM is usually commendably transparent. I wonder what the causes are behind it, but would not presume to speculate.

 

Hasn't the editor changed recently? Perhaps he should go back to classic cars....

 

Good luck to the NRM if you asked me. They have bought an 80 odd year old machine that has worked hard for nearly everyone of those years (no lay-off time in Barry and waiting to get restored) and done what they promised and returned it to the best condition it has been in for probably 50 years. All the other owners kept it running to maximise revenue and now the price has been paid. Its like an old car - its way past life expired and it would have been cheaper to stuff and mount it and replace with new, but this is Flying Scotsman and its the iconic soul of railway preservation just about across the whole world. That is why it has been brought back from the dead. Resurrection from the dead - maybe we should rename her Jesus of York workshop??

 

Yes, the editor changed earlier this year. The previous one left for a classic car mag and his deputy is now in change, though I think he's only "acting editor" at the moment. Editorial standards have never been very high at SR, but I too think they have slipped further under the new editor. However, that's for a different thread...

 

I've read some garbage on this forum but this really takes the biscuit. I think you are a buffoon Sir!
As one of the multitude who donated to the original Save Our Scotsman appeal, I have no qualms whatsoever about the NRM's competence nor that of the contractors to finish the overhaul to the highest standards.

 

Buffoon...now there's an underused word.