The Linear Scrapyard: Which locos/coaches/wagons in it would you most like to see get restored ?

There are many locos/coaches/wagons in sidings falling apart which could be real gems if restored. Which of these items would you most like to see get done. ? For example this loco at the Battlefield Line could be restored as this (Please post some pictures of the items as it makes the thread more interesting)

This


Could be ? restored like this in future



This is why I am supportive of keeping these items as I always think about what it could be like

 

45015, is an absolute basket case, stripped of most of its parts, problems with one of its axles, far kinder to put it out of its misery.

 

Indeed. Such comments were being made on the erstwhile Preserved Diesels forum over a decade ago, if I recall correctly. There is no 'could' about 45015, its total WIBN to dream that it's fit for anything other than tin cans. Total South Bedfordshire Railway territory...

 

Tell me - is there some rule that diesel locos can only be restored to working order, whereas plenty of steam locos are not in working order but are displayed in museums? There appears to be enough of 45 015 left to externally restore for display. Not that I am saying there would be an automatic home for it but 'preservationists' can sometimes seem very keen to cut up an object that doesn't appeal to their particular interest (whilst having a blindness to something they are interested in that is in a comparable situation) and, 'when its gone, its gone'!

Steven

 

From what I understand from another forum 45015 is for sale for 1 pound complete with free asbestos. So do you have the resources to pay for decontamination on site 10k+, transport 7-10 k, access to an undercover restoration facility and basically an open chequebook for the restoration? If the answer is "no" and it's just another WIBN then the kindest thing is to put the poor beast out of its misery. After all does the preservation world really need another 45 (or 08, 31, 37, or 47 for that matter)? There seems to be an idea within a certain section of the 'enthusiast' community that we should try to 'save' everything. My philosophy has always been that we should strive for quality rather than quantity and it has been the purchase of locos and rolling stock, by individuals and groups who do not have the resources to restore them, that have created these "linear scrapyards" in the first place. The time, effort and cash wasted on no-hopers such as this loco would be much better spent on building covered accommodation to prevent what is restorable from deteriorating past the point of no return.
Ray.

 

To me.the premier carriage candidate is the L.B.S.C.R. 12 wheeled Director's saloon. When it came into "preservation" it was a runner. I travelled in it myself. Now, judging from various bits of Youtube footage, it is in a sorry state.

PH

 

They (class 45 & 46) are probably too heavy for the trackwork & infrastructure on a lot of preserved lines.

Bob.

 

As long as anything reuseable has been recovered then bid the loco farewell.
We have done a similar thing with one of our Tampers, it became surplus to requirements and could not be upgraded to computer control.
So we took the decision to recover as many spare parts as possible then cut the machine into a number of big sections ready for loading to a scrap lorry when the price improves a bit.

 

A full rake of Ironclad coaches would be my dream.... there are enough remaining examples to make this happen but I am doubtful this will still be the case in 10 years time

 

So a static restoration for museum display to show the sheer size of early UK mainline diesels would seem even more appropriate!

I can't understand the desire to 'put the poor thing out of its misery' - it isn't really a living creature, so what harm is it doing and why is its continued existence such an affront to people? Oh, and who appointed them to decide what is cut up and what isn't?

I know there are plenty of people who think all non-Mark 1 coaches that aren't running (indeed some people include those that are, as well as compartment stock of any design) should be cut up because it is 'different' and 'difficult' - is that preservation or education?

Steven

 

Feel free to go and examine 45015 and report back!

There are a number of other Class 45s preserved by experienced diesel preservationists, 46010 is not far off a return and marshall 5 has summed up the loco's situation in a nutshell. It's been open to the elements for years and parts for diesels are rather more difficult to manufacture than for steam locos. And they're difficult enough. Kick it and it will probably disintegrate on the spot.

And as marshall 5 has highlighted, there is the small ker-ching matter of asbestos... Let us know how you get on ;-)

 

IMHO All pre MK1 coaching stock - including where they exist EMU's should be top priority

 

Where is this located?

 

In the new carriage shed at Horsted Keynes - this would get my vote as well.

Steve B

 

The Director's saloon is on my list as well, along with two other Bluebell carriages. The Maunsell restaurant car and LSWR corridor third 494. To avoid too much Southern bias, I would also add the only surviving Dreadnought at Didcot, the Barnums at Ruddington and the very important GSWR corridor coach 731 at the SRPS.

 

You mean this one then? Looks like its future is fairly safe now!

 

The danger of a thread like this is that it simply becomes another excuse for us all to list our favourites, without actually considering why some vehicles seem to languish and others get returned to use rapidly. Put simply, as we currently stand, there is insufficient resource (skills, people, money, space) to do much more than stand still. Only if we can change that state of affairs can we start to think about turning wish lists into serious inroads into the backlog. If we can't solve those, inevitably operational usefulness will hold all the aces when it comes to setting restoration priorities.

For preservationists of my generation (involved for a decade or so, but not 30/40/50 years), we have a lot to be thankful for to the pioneers. They created a hobby more or less out of thin air, and in the process saved large amounts of locomotives, rolling stock,infrastructure and so on. Without them, this debate would be "what do you wish had been saved?" rather than "what is most deserving of restoration?"

From that starting point, then, if we are to go beyond simply listing our own favourite item, we need to think about three separate, but related questions. The first is how do we attract more volunteers with the necessary skills, or aptitude to be trained, across a variety of disciplines. The second is how do we transform the commercial model so that, financially, lines are not only covering the basics of operation and maintenance, but returning a surplus that can be ploughed back into keeping more than the bare operational minimum serviceable. The third is how do we improve storage and maintenance facilities, firstly to ensure that what is currently stored at least stops deteriorating further; and secondly to ensure that productivity of paid and volunteer staff is maximised (dry working conditions; not having to pack up each day and set up the next etc). Only by solving those issues will there be the capacity to turn our own pet wishlist into operational vehicles.

Tom

 

Well its rate of deterioration will be slowed now but I reiterate that it was a runner when it arrived at its present location.

PH

 

+1 for Didcot's Dreadnought. Vintage Carriages Trust says:

'The only surviving "Dreadnought"... Revolutionised coach design nationally... Important vehicle.'

Here's a picture:

 

Here's another example of a unique vehicle that was a runner when first preserved and is, possibly, now beyond saving http://www.cs.vintagecarriagestrust.org/se/CarriageInfo.asp?Ref=209
How many non-corridor carriages from any of the Big 4 survive - I think you'd be surprised how few.
Ray.