GWSR to SELL BROADWAY GOODS SHED.

From the latest news on steaming to broadway website it looks as if the gwsr are to sell a major part of its future at broadway with the sale of the goods shed. If this doesnt show you how dire things are there now and inspire you to donate i dont know what will. Unlike selling a loco where at least it will be saved for other railways the goods shed will most likely become a house or part of the business at the caravan park. So will prob never see use on the railway again.

 

http://broadwaygwsr.blogspot.com/

 

Surely a case of selling the family silver. Very short sighted. One only needs to look at the Mid Hants transformation of their goods shed into a visitor centre, shop and museum to see how this asset could generate income for the line in the future as well as complete the authentic feel of the new Broadway station.

This is the decision of an accountant not an enthusiast.

Besides money can always be raised or earned, an authentic artifact like this would be lost for ever. I would suggest that GWSR members consider an immediate EGM to try and stop its sale if possible, and if not remove the idiot who thought of it.

Authentic railway or caravan site, the choice is theirs.

 

Hang on a minute!
What about leasing the shed for use as an engine build project, such as 72010-hengist which is looking for a home?
Would it be suitable, yes, seriously.

 

The position of the GWSR has been made clear on this forum and elsewhere
Put simply the GWSR need cash not just for the repairs but to ensure the future of the line
Heritage Railways are cash poor and asset rich- if money is required urgently then asset stripping will happen
Does anyone remember when Peak Rail sold the goods shed at Buxton? They were able to use the cash to establish a working railway, even though it caused a stirr at the time. In the long run it was the right decision for them.
The GWSR can't earn (as much) money from running trains becuase the line is truncated, similarly it would be a long shot to expect all the money for the repairs to be raised from shares and donations.
I would suggest that this was not a decision that was made lightly, but in the circumstances what choice do they have? I would expect that the shed was selected as an asset that would raise cash but have the least impact on future aspirations relativley speaking.
As a Director of a Heritage Railway myself I know that hard decisions have to be made sometimes.
Surley members efforts are better spent raising money than calling EGM's?
Now is not really the time for politics, is it?
If the sale of the shed help secures the future of the GWSR , then it is not a step to far but quite a sensible move...time will tell.

 

Why don't the members pony up and buy then ?
The railway needs money, and if this place is renting, there's an income stream, and at some point in the future they could sell it back to the railway ?

 

Well it is rented out to the caravan club at the moment, I'm sure they will buy it and keep it for a long time.

 

The comment about Peak Rail related to a decision made in 1989 which enabled them to set up the existing railway, so I don't think that this point bears any resemblence to any politics which may or may not be taking place 20 years later.

 

Thanks.Actually you have just made my point for me.

In 1989 both Peak Rail and GWSR were in their infancy. Peak Rail sold off an asset, which they can no longer use, whereas, in 1989, GWSR built Winchcombe stone by stone from the ground up. Which railway now has the better reputation as a Heritage Railway, the asset stripper or the Builder and Conserver.

That is the biirthright the present GWSR Board have been handed. It is the tradition they were entrusted to preserve, not to sell for a mess of pottage!

 

I wonder if this opportunism on the part of the Caravan Club? - knowing the railway is in trouble they are offering to buy the shed at a knock-down price in the hope that the railway are so desperate that they will accept a price well below the real value

 

Given the present situation it sounds like a perfectly reasonable idea especially if they can get first refusal on any future re-sale. The shed isnt neccesary for the railways current or future operations so while it would be a shame, desperate times call for desperate measures - besides, the caravan club seem to have looked after it very sympathetically.

Chris

 

Anyways, moving on from the 'GWSR v Peak Rail' debate...

Seems a sensible notion to me, if a fair price can be obtained for it. As has been said, desperate times call for desperate measures. If the shed was sold at a fraction of its value it would cover the investigations at Chicken Curve and go some way towards rectifying the problem there.

That being said, it is a shame to see a quintessential part of the railway being sold off. It would be wise to ensure that whoever buys it (the CC, I gather?) do not demolish or alter it, as it appears to be in excellent condition. First refusal on a resell would be wise also, as in the future it would make an excellent visitor centre/museum/shop, a la MHR.

 

How do you propose that the GWSR prevents it being sold, demolished or altered once they have no legal right to it, having sold it?

 

Ive replied to it via a PM, as an impartial moderator it is none of your business.