John Bunch & his locos currently based on the Mid Hants

One stumbling block will be, whilst any railway would welcome the Bunch collection of engines, would they want the politics that go with them, it would take a very strong willed engineering manager to be able to keep control when a person, or group of people enter your railway and because they have an interest in a large number of engines might expect to have have a lot of influence it can split your existing workforce
Can i add it was part of the out of court agreement that Mr Bunch agreed to stay away from the MHR and matters over his engines be dealt with by a third party if he was allowed back, it would re open wounds that have nearly healed now

 

The "politics" are mostly perpetuated by the likes of Chris Willis. Who wasn't even a MHR volunteer at the time that Snow, Gordon and Mr Personality (Holliday) took over MHR!

 

Wait and see what the next 12 months brings, His Loco's have to go somewhere - IF as rumoured the Standard Five And Bodmin are off to Carnforth, out of the three left only the U Boat is serviceable, so a railway would more than likely take that on and may not want "excess baggage", so that leaves two rusting hulks that HAVE to go somewhere that the owner seems either unwilling or unable to restore, and as the N is the worst of the two and will require very deep pockets for it to steam again - Who knows what might happen!....................................................................... placed on long term loan to the NRM perhaps?

 

Hardly rusting hulks if they are complete.

 

You are too kind and you are quite right that I was not a volunteer at the Mid-Hants when all this was going on with the three named above, and indeed when Phil Marsh got the 15 year agreement with JB.

At least I do not hide behind a false name

Kind regards
Chris:

 

Who was the Mr personality [holliday] person, only reason i ask is that at the time of the ongoing court case between the two parties i was chatting to a former
Mid-Hants volunteer at the Swanage railway and he said something like everything was fine on the Mid-Hants until holliday stuck his oar in he then walked off mumbling...

 

No it wasn't >I never heard of him but it was all brewing up when I was a member and thats a long time ago!

 

The man you are referring to is Clive Holliday who took over as manager of the old Ropley shed, (if manager is the right word), who in turn was succeeded by Bob Allen followed by the present guy ,Frank Boait.

Clive is still around as a volunteer driver and Bob Allen left to take over the reins at Southall

These good people WERE around when I came to the MHR to volunteer.

I hope this helps?

Kind regards
Chris:

 

From memory JB receives a hire fee every month regardless if the locos are in working order or not. So this is a kind of regular income for JB. If you were him would you remove any locos from the MHR? If he does remove the non working locos then the monthly hire fee would be reduced. Which would mean less monthly income for him. I was told he has been told he can remove the non working locos. But alas he hasn't taken up this offer. Maybe he wants to keep the locos on the MHR to get the maximum hire fee before the agreement ends.Once this agreement ends I would think the locos will leave for new homes. But will he sell them on or will he keep them?

You need to think of these locos has being an asset to him. By way of a monthly income.

Don't forget he still has 34073 in his ownership and I haven't heard any up to date news on this loco for some time now.

 

Thanks Lee, as ever you are a mind of information.

Regards
CW:

 

That would certainly explain the current situation - are the non-working engines stored outside? Wouldn't seem to be any incentive for the MHR to expend much TLC on them

 

I expect someone will direct John Bunch to this thread - if so I'd just like to wish him all the best. The Mid Hants would not really exist without him, and though it has grown and moved on I also remember when Bodmin, the N and Errol Lonsdale (remember that one?) were the only engines available to work the line from Alresford to Ropley. In those early days if there had been two or three more with JB's commitment (and John Taylor's vision) maybe the line could have pushed westwards back to Winchester Junction as well as eastwards.
I passed my firing test on the N and I still have a lot of affection for it. Of course those engines can all be restored - every restoration has its own challenges but just think of other restoration jobs performed successfully without the benefit of a full kit of parts or patterns!
Merry christmas to all and let's hope for one or two amazing and surprising success stories in 2013.

 

But why then expend so much on restoing the u boat, if there was no reason to ? wasnt it a condition that at the end of the agreement at least one engine has to be in workable condition ?
just an after thought, if an 8f cant find a buyer, what chance 3 mogols, an 5 and a w/c, he could find himself with out of ticket engines and no buyers

 

Time alone will tell but just because nobody wants an 8F, it doesn't automatically follow that nobody wants an N, U, WC or 5MT either.

 

I would think bobmin will find a buyer would be ideal for anyone in the mainline tour business goes anywhere and in reasonable condition think the 5 mt will also go that way maybe harder to find homes for the others as most preserved line struggling to overfall there own locos.
T

 

I have a theory, 34016 and 73096 could well be carnforth headed, with one engine as part payment for overhauling 35018, after all no one knows who purchased 35018 it could still be in Mr Bunch's ownership and be cover for when 34067 is in need of work, and be an earner for him, after all not many other MN,s on the main line right now , 31806 with 6 years left could sell easily enough if the price was right , that leaves the N and 31625 , my hunch is that he will keep either the 5MT or Bodmin and sell the rest to pay for the overhaul costs of 35018 and one other engine but then, i could be wide of the mark

 

Rusting hulk? The N was repainted in September, and now looks good in Southern Wartime Black!

 

Totally agreed, hardly the rusting basket case that some forum members seem to describe it as. Also the loco whilst not in great condition is certainly not un-restorable and is probably no worse than half the locomotives awaiting overhaul in preservation.

 

Well it was and still is!....................................... it was only given a cosmetic repaint, so that aint exactly going to stop the rot is it?

And if it looks so good in Southern Wartime Black, why isn't it sitting in the yard at Ropley where people can enjoy it rather than the Head Shunt where they can't?????????????????????????????

 

a rusting hulk is what the last few engines out of Barry were....a complete loco awaiting overhaul is a long way from that, it doesnt matter how much rust you can see, we came a long way since mere rust was a problem when re-building a loco. I agree with Swan Age here