Great Rail Restorations

[melmerby]

Liked the restoration of Eagle last night. 

 

Is this coach still part of the national collection, or have the NRM quietly passed it over to Tyseley? 

 

Cheers

Adrian

According to all the info I can find it still belongs to the NRM and Tyseley have it on loan until around 2021.

That only gives 3-4 seasons of use unless they get an extension.

Maybe they asked the NRM what to do with removed material, after all it is hardly a unique vehicle?

 

Keith

Edited June 22, 2018 by melmerby

[Steamport Southport]

Well they do state they wanted to create a "time train" from different eras.

 

It's probably also the fact that it is a Pullman which helped it. Much more interesting to the general public than yet another TSO.

 

 

 

 

Jason

[Compound2632]

Much more interesting to the general public than yet another TSO.

[Steamport Southport]

Yet they are vastly more useful than any of the carriages restored in this series. How often are any of them going to get used? It's the Pullman that will see the most use. The rest will be dragged out at occasional galas.

 

The average restored TSO will be running up and down, day in, day out, all through the season. Without them most heritage railways wouldn't survive.

 

 

 

Jason

[Compound2632]

Yet they are vastly more useful than any of the carriages restored in this series. How often are any of them going to get used? It's the Pullman that will see the most use. The rest will be dragged out at occasional galas.

 

The average restored TSO will be running up and down, day in, day out, all through the season. Without them most heritage railways wouldn't survive.

 

 

 

Jason

 

They're the principle reason I'm selective about the heritage railways I visit, much preferring narrow-gauge ones.

[Captain Kernow]

I guess the issue of which coaches to restore would have been down to a number of factors:

 

Cost - can it be done to an available budget

Other resources - are the skills and raw materials available

Timescale - can it be done in the 6 months allotted. 

 

The article in Steam Railway is very informative and gives all the background to the (very limited) choices of vehicles available for restoration and within the short timescale that the TV company asked for.

 

 

Plus there is perhaps a theme of trying to cover a time period from the dawn of railways (their description not mine) to relatively modern but still in preservation in the selection.

As I understand it, there's no 'perhaps' about it, a central theme of the programme is the ability to depict coaches from different eras of British railway history.

[Captain Kernow]

They're the principle reason I'm selective about the heritage railways I visit, much preferring narrow-gauge ones.

That's interesting.

 

Would you visit a heritage railway that actually saw the use of Mark 1 coaches during the BR era?

[Compound2632]

That's interesting.

 

Would you visit a heritage railway that actually saw the use of Mark 1 coaches during the BR era?

 

That would depend on the carriages now in use! I'm a carriage nerd so I like to ride in something rather more interesting than a Mk1. That certainly doesn't include a Mk2, which I still struggle to think of as a heritage object - showing my (middle) age I suppose. But I freely acknowledge that in this I'm an exception to the vast majority of heritage railway visitors.

 

Last time I rode the Severn Valley Railway, I was lucky enough to travel in an LMS-designed carriage one way and a GW one the other; on the Bluebell, their SECR 100-seater. But even these are all a bit to big and modern for my taste. The best heritage railway carriages I've travelled on in the last few years have to be those on the Lynton & Barnstaple - especially the first class end coupe compartment.

[sem34090]

Yet they are vastly more useful than any of the carriages restored in this series. How often are any of them going to get used? It's the Pullman that will see the most use. The rest will be dragged out at occasional galas.

 

The average restored TSO will be running up and down, day in, day out, all through the season. Without them most heritage railways wouldn't survive.

 

 

 

Jason

 

So the Isle of Wight runs MK1's constantly then?

 

4-Wheelers and heritage bogie stock is all they have so I hate to say it, but the IWCR Oldbury 4-Wheeler of 186x will probably see about as much use as the MK1 Pullman! Railtours aren't as common as heritage railway operating dates, and that pullman won't end up in every railtour! The fact that you stand no chance of being pulled by a big ugly diesel (unless you intend to) in a BR-designed coach on the Isle of Wight (Including on SWR metals... not NR metals there.) is one of its huge attractions for me.The other attraction being that an Ivatt 2MT 2-6-2T is the most modern piece of passenger railway equipment in use.

[gwalkeriow]

Yet they are vastly more useful than any of the carriages restored in this series. How often are any of them going to get used? It's the Pullman that will see the most use. The rest will be dragged out at occasional galas.

 

The average restored TSO will be running up and down, day in, day out, all through the season. Without them most heritage railways wouldn't survive.

 

 

 

Jason

 

I can assure you that the Isle of Wight coach IWR 10 will see much more use than the occasional Gala, we already use a coach of the same age in the 4 wheel set. Incidentally the next volunteer restoration project will be IWR 21. 

 

What's a TSO? is it one of those new fangled MK1 coaches? no coaches newer than 1924 at Havenstreet. :-)

[Steamport Southport]

Never mind. With the TV fees they might be able to buy something a bit newer.

 

 

I heard there are a few Pacers being withdrawn soon.

 

 

 

Jason

[sem34090]

Oh for a dislike button...

 

I don't know why, but I'm reluctant to press the 'funny' button for that one! Maybe it's the thought of pacers... maybe it's the thought of MK1's...

 

Maybe it's the thought that the Islanders may have to upgrade eventually!

[RJS1977]

Or Queen Victoria has died

 

Keith

 

I think the IoW knew about that before anybody else!

[RJS1977]

 The best heritage railway carriages I've travelled on in the last few years have to be those on the Lynton & Barnstaple - especially the first class end coupe compartment.

 

Next time I see my friend who rebuilt them, I'll let him know!

[RichardLong]

 

What's a TSO? is it one of those new fangled MK1 coaches? no coaches newer than 1924 at Havenstreet. :-)

No coaches newer than 1940 on the entire Isle of Wight

[Trog]

Or Queen Victoria has died

 

Keith

 

Ahh so that's why they have been going on about her Great great grand daughter so much recently.

[melmerby]

That would depend on the carriages now in use! I'm a carriage nerd so I like to ride in something rather more interesting than a Mk1. That certainly doesn't include a Mk2, which I still struggle to think of as a heritage object - showing my (middle) age I suppose. But I freely acknowledge that in this I'm an exception to the vast majority of heritage railway visitors.

 

 

DRS operate Mk2s on daily scheduled services for Northern.

 

Keith

Edited June 23, 2018 by melmerby

[Compound2632]

DRS operate Mk2s on daily scheduled services for Northern.

 

Keith

 

Are those the later sub-species with a/c or the manually ventilated ones that are now turning up on heritage lines?

[sharris]

What's a TSO? is it one of those new fangled MK1 coaches? 

 

Since they're almost everywhere, it probably stands for 'too sodding ordinary'. 

[melmerby]

Are those the later sub-species with a/c or the manually ventilated ones that are now turning up on heritage lines?

I think they are A/C, two sets of two open saloons and a DBSO with a class 37, although I travelled on one recently and it had top & tailed 68s

 

Keith

[melmerby]

If anybody's interested on PBS tonight @1800 (UK) are three episodes of Ulimate Restorations.

The series is about restoring icons of the mid-Victorian to mid 20th Century period including a Steam Loco, Yacht, Pipe organ etc.

 

The subject of the first episode is Badger #2 a Railroad car (Coach) originally belonging to the Wisconsin Fish Authority.

 

Might be nice to see how they approach the same theme.

 

Keith

[Captain Kernow]

I heard there are a few Pacers being withdrawn soon

Not so fast! There are better units being transferred away from GWR to Northern soon and because of the electrification debacle on the Western, the units that should have been cascaded to replace them aren't yet available, so people are predicting that Pacers will hang on a while down here. Four wheel coaches from 1864 starting to look even more attractive now!

[melmerby]

. Four wheel coaches from 1864 starting to look even more attractive now!

With a wooden underframe and possibly Mansell wheels the ride would be better than a Pacer!

 

Keith

[Torn-on-the-platform]

I've enjoyed the series so far. The drone footage is fantastic, particularly with the panning shots of the Ivatt and Terrier on the IoW. I'm not sure how interesting this program would be to non-enthusiasts, but I think its pretty good!

 

The over-exaggeration on display is a bit cringey, though Peter Snow comes across as a top bloke. A much better endeavour than Trainspotting Live.

 

I was very surprised to see the initial state of Eagle. It looked a bit tired in its Bluebell days but its condition made Snow's erroneous claim that it hadn't run in 20 years seem like an underestimate.

[Phil Parker]

I've enjoyed the series so far. The drone footage is fantastic, particularly with the panning shots of the Ivatt and Terrier on the IoW. I'm not sure how interesting this program would be to non-enthusiasts, but I think its pretty good!

 

The over-exaggeration on display is a bit cringey, though Peter Snow comes across as a top bloke. A much better endeavour than Trainspotting Live.

 

 

That's the difference between live and pre-recorded TV. The producers here had a chance to say, "Peter, once more but a bit calmer." They also had complete control of the situation rather than being at the whim of events. 

 

I still find Snow a bit like an excitable child, but then I suspect this helped sell the series to Ch4. A more serious presenter wouldn't have been so appealing to the person commissioning the show perhaps. This is entertainment, not Open University. That said the "I'm going to be a qualified engine driver" bit grates, but then I can see why it's there.

 

If nothing else, there are some preserved railways who have received a pile of cash to restore rolling stock and prime-time publicity. Perhaps they could run "Visit XXX railway and DON'T meet Peter Snow" days :-)