West Somerset Railway Prairie No. 4110

[HY_4273]

An appeal for £120,000 has been launched to save GWR Large Prairie 2-6-2T No. 4110 for the West Somerset Railway (WSR) by members of the line’s Mechanical Engineering Department. The group of WSR footplate crew and shed staff have only until mid-January to raise the funds and make the purchase.

Full story at: https://www.heritagerailway.co.uk/u...ve-prairie-no-4110-for-west-somerset-railway/

 

[DarloRich]

To he clear they have until January to come up with the cash to keep the loco on the wsr. That is not the same as having until January to "save" the loco.

The value of the loco to preservationists is much higher than scrap.

 

[CarltonA]

"Restoration is not necessarily part of the immediate plan – protecting the ownership is the primary aim".

Perhaps it would be better off sold to elsewhere. I doubt an external purchaser would pay £100,000 just to have it resting at the buffers for years.
.

 

[Shenandoah]

Elsewhere it is suggested, elsewhere, that offers in the region of £100,000 have been made from others outside of the WSR. There is haste to sell the loco so the end of January date is a firm date.

 

[tiptoptaff]

The loco was bought as part of the WSRs long term loco strategy. To own locos not hire them. It's restoration was always to be a long term volunteer led project. The WSR have decided to sell it. We the staff opposed the decision but short termism has ruled. So the shed staff and volunteers have decided to be the ones to buy it, so it remains at the WSR.

It's emotive. The loco was Taunton based and there are several contemporary photographs of it working the Minehead branch. There was a real sense and feeling of bringing it home when it was aquired. So, I strongly disagree it's better going elsewhere.

 

[broadgage]

On strictly financial grounds it might be better going elsewhere, if someone has offered as much as £100,000 for it.
I can certainly understand the emotional desire to keep it on the WSR in view of the historical connections.

Are there any reliable estimates as to the likely costs of restoration to running order ?

 

[randyrippley]

There are too many old items of rolling stock slowly deteriorating on preserved railways with a vague promise of preservation maybe in the future. They sit there slowly rotting away and converting value into rust. I'm amazed the charities commission allows it - its hardly effective use of charitable funds. In a case like this, where someone wants to pay hard cash for an out-of-use currently unusable asset, the seller should take the money and run

 

[AnthonyRail]

Seen it today.

 

[Cowley]

View attachment 57332 Seen it today.

It’s been there for a few years now hasn’t it?
I can see the sense in rescuing this for the line. Regardless of its historical connection with the WSR, 4110 will still probably work out cheaper to restore than creating an equivalent ‘new build from scratch - which is what a lot of the ‘premier league’ of preserved lines may well be faced with over the next twenty/thirty years.
It’s the correct size for a line like this, and once restored will provide solid reliable service for a good few years.

 

[Meole]

Bought for £85k in 2015.

 

[Shenandoah]

Presumably it is thought to be the right size for the others bidders that have put in their bids (with money rather than pledges). Photos on another Forum, showing WSR locos, suggest that tender locos seem to be the order of the day presently. I am not sure that 4110, even if fine for the WSR, would be used once restored as some of the present management are also loco owners and time will have passed on. I think it will be a few years yet before it might run on the WSR. Maybe somewhat sooner, presumably on other lines, if others increase their interest/bids.

 

[43096]

There are too many old items of rolling stock slowly deteriorating on preserved railways with a vague promise of preservation maybe in the future. They sit there slowly rotting away and converting value into rust. I'm amazed the charities commission allows it - its hardly effective use of charitable funds. In a case like this, where someone wants to pay hard cash for an out-of-use currently unusable asset, the seller should take the money and run

I couldn't agree more about the piles of junk littering preserved railways, although you may well find that a lot of them are privately owned and not by the railway/charity. That doesn't abdicate the railway of responsibility: they really ought to ask some hard questions of the owners as to their timescales for restoration and funding to do so. It is blatantly obvious that this is not being done.

 

[EbbwJunction1]

What would happen if someone broke into a railway's yard, climbed on a derelict loco that wasn't owned by the railway, fell off and suffered injury or even death?

Could the family of the person claim damages and, if so, who would be liable to pay if the case was proven? I know that the answer I would give is 'tough, they shouldn't have been there, no case to answer', but sadly the law doesn't always see it that way.

 

[broadgage]

What would happen if someone broke into a railway's yard, climbed on a derelict loco that wasn't owned by the railway, fell off and suffered injury or even death?

Could the family of the person claim damages and, if so, who would be liable to pay if the case was proven? I know that the answer I would give is 'tough, they shouldn't have been there, no case to answer', but sadly the law doesn't always see it that way.

They might be able to claim compensation (regrettably in my view) but only if the court found that the railway had been negligent. Trespassing and falling of an old engine, or anything else does not automatically give the trespasser a right to compensation.
Negligence has to be proved, for example by not taking reasonable steps to prevent trespass.

I think that the person or organisation in charge of the premises would be held liable for any negligence, and not any third party that owned the old engine or other property.

I recall a case of trespass into a freight yard that resulted in a trespasser being killed by electrification equipment whilst climbing atop freight wagons. AFAIR the owners of said wagons were not held liable, but the owner of the yard was.

 

[Shenandoah]

An appeal for £120,000 has been launched to save GWR Large Prairie 2-6-2T No. 4110 for the West Somerset Railway (WSR) by members of the line’s Mechanical Engineering Department. The group of WSR footplate crew and shed staff have only until mid-January to raise the funds and make the purchase.

Full story at: https://www.heritagerailway.co.uk/u...ve-prairie-no-4110-for-west-somerset-railway/

According to posts on another place this has turned out to be the usual West Somerset fiasco. The PLC want to sell to WSRA despite sufficient pledges being received by the new group. There are now two appeals, the original one still going on and another by the WSRA who, have woken up after a long sleep.