Work to rehome a unique collection of railway stock gets under way in Coventry today following the closure of the Electric Railway Museum (9th October 2017.)
Many of the trains have been saved from the scrapyard by enthusiasts, after developers earmarked the land for a technology park.
Museum volunteers now have a year to dismantle the 10-year-old exhibit and leave the site.
* I just picked up this story from the BBC Midlands Live news stream from yesterday evening. There was no more information posted other than what you see reproduced here. Can anyone expand on this? (Briggsy??)
I was at the final open day at the weekend. It certainly was busy and worth the trip - managed to take a fair few pictures (I'm yet to look through them), including quite a few in the 309 cab, should anyone wish to use them for a project.
The Blaenau Ffestiniog and Trawsfynydd Railway are trying to raise funds to buy the 2HP 4311 set, apparently they are planning to drag it as a carriage set, when they acquire a loco to drag it with, somewhat of a bizarre idea? Already had a failed fund raiser for one loco and I suspect this will go the same way. Fairly New Heritage set up, got the track from Blaenau to the Power Station which is still in relatively good condition but not a lot else.
I always thought the museum was on a bit of strange site, rather out of the way and cramped. Also what with everything being out in the open, it would make restoration rather difficult. It's a shame that it's closing but it doesn't surprise me.
Probably if they had looked a bit more of an organised set up, the decision may have been different, however when it looks like a junk yard.....
Preserved stuff or stuff that needs preserving really needs to be covered in some way, far too much stuff these days in many locations and awaiting some TLC just rusting away, I suspect caused by too many people acquiring stuff as scrap or in need of a rebuild and then doing nothing with them!
clam1952 wrote:Probably if they had looked a bit more of an organised set up, the decision may have been different, however when it looks like a junk yard.....
Preserved stuff or stuff that needs preserving really needs to be covered in some way, far too much stuff these days in many locations and awaiting some TLC just rusting away, I suspect caused by too many people acquiring stuff as scrap or in need of a rebuild and then doing nothing with them!
Malc
On that thought, I'm glad that much of the stuff on the site is looking at being rehomed elsewhere, as it'll mean it maybe potentially stored under cover or be in the hands of railways better equipped for long term restoration jobs that much of exhibits seem to be.
"Museum" has always been pushing it a bit in my opinion.
From speaking to a couple of the guys there last year when I took some photos of the 312 unit for Greeni's 310 WIP project, it's basically a plot of land that they could rent quite cheaply - and as such, it gave them a place to store the units that they'd bought.
I think most, if not all, are owned by individuals or small groups, rather than preservation groups.
My gut instinct (and this is purely my opinion, not a 'hint' or suggestion from any of the owners) is that they simply wanted to save them from going to a scrap yard. I suspect that if the right offer came in from a group that could restore them and give them some TLC, they'd part with them.
Knowing how long some of the units / locos have been there, and how little work or restoration has been done on them in the time they've been there, realistically, many of them will just rust away anyway. I know that one of the shunters has been there for around 20 years - because I was allowed into the cab back when I was into trains back in my mid-late teens (i'm now 39!) - and it looks the same now as it did then.
Its fab that they were saved from the scrap yard - but it's also a shame that I suspect many of the units will still look like they do now in 10+ years time. I think most of the owners simply lack the time / money / knowledge to carry out any serious work on them sadly.
