L&B Coach 001

Does anyone know if the NRM have any plans to restore this carriage? As far as I know, it has been in the great hall for years with little or no work done to it. Its at the back in like a weird garden section looking very forlorn. Surely now is the time to restore it. I say this because I think now that woody bay is up and running, and the fact that two rebuilt carriages will soon be in traffic, I think this would make a fine 3rd coach. Time for Coach 001 to go home!!

 

I couldn't disagree more if you paid me.

The NRM has a duty to tell the story of our railways - and out impact upon the world's railways - and to look after the artefacts with which it is entrusted. Many of these artefacts - locos and rolling stock especially - have been restored, with a great deal of time money and effort, and with the replacement of a great deal of expired material, to 'as built' or 'in service' condition, cosmetically at least. This is fine, to an extent, but it means that the numbers of rolling stock and locos 'conserved' - that is to say, maintained in the condition that they were in when they came into preservationists care, is very low. Consequently, it makes these few items as artefacts very valuable. I would assert that 001 is one of these. It is more valuable to railway heritage in the state it is in than restored, and tells the important 'after-story' that happened to so many carriages when their running days were over. A new-build 001 - and after all, how much, really, from the derelict carriage in the Great Hall could be used in a 'restoration' - would be a better option, in my opinion.

 

Isn't the point of the L&B coach to show how some coaches ended their days and it hadn't been modified much following withdrawal. Restoration would probably involve the replacement of a lot of it's original material.

 

Is it not no.2 (SR 6992)?

I can see no real point in it moving from it's current location even if the NRM were so minded. It is a few years since I last saw it but even though it is not pristine it's value as an artefact should ensure that it stays as is rather than being taken part and refurbished which would surely entail the loss of much original material. As a secondary thought in the short term I would doubt there is an operational need for the L&B to have three original coaches (nice though that may well be).

 

Is it not No.2? To be honest I cannot see the point of doing anything to it (even if the NRM were so minded). Any attempt to restore it would remove so much original material that it would lose status as a valuable artefact of the original L&B. Plus there is no immediate need for it on the new L&B (for now anyway).

 

Why? Unlike every other surviving L&B coach it contains a great deal of original material which would be lost if it was restored, it is perfectly safe and properly conserved where it is, it is (as far as I know) the National Collection's only representative of an English narrow gauge passenger railway, and it isn't as though replica L&B stock would be all that difficult to produce. I agree that the narrow gauge corner of the NRM is dingy and that interpretation materials are on the thin side, but this is one of the few cases where I honestly think that restoration would not be the best outcome.

 

There is a thread on this in the narrow gauge forum now, so I guess the mods can close this one here.