Flying Scotsman Railways Go Bust.

BruceB · Post by **BruceB** » Sun Feb 15, 2004 12:44 pm

This morning on central news, I saw that the end has come for Flying Scotsman Railways. The company are now officially receiving offers for 4472. Fears the locomotive may be sold aboard are currently circulating.

So whoâ€™s next to play the Flying Scotsman how-to-bankrupt-yourself in 4 years game?

Personally, I think enough is enough. Scotsman is clearly not a profitable business proposition and it is time the locomotive is â€œperseveredâ€

Timcourt1 · Post by **Timcourt1** » Sun Feb 15, 2004 3:30 pm

Probably also means the ned for the 6 or so metro Cammel pullmans they own which are in need of preservation, these are in original condition and will prbably end up round the back of some pub somewhere like most of them have so far - very sad really.

eddief · Post by **eddief** » Sun Feb 15, 2004 7:18 pm

BruceB wrote:A suitable home would be for example in the care of NELPG at the NYMR.

The problem with Scotsman and her owners is (especially Marchington) he had the thoughts "its Flying Scotsman people WILL pay Â£250 a head to ride on it and VSOE won't take us off the contract if we go to a traction engine rally as its so famous", what it needs is someone who has the money and will be able to keep it right (Bill McAlpine was probably the best owner).

I don't think NELPG would take it on, we have enough problems looking after 1 big pacific (tried looking after 2 in Blue Peter and Bittern and we couldn't).

Timcourt1 wrote:Probably also means the ned for the 6 or so metro Cammel pullmans they own which are in need of preservation.

They already sold them, they went to Tyseley but some have been sold on to West Coast Railway Company at Carnforth (including the Hadrian Bar).

johncas · Post by **johncas** » Sun Feb 15, 2004 8:31 pm

Yeh it was once based at Leicester Central shed so we know where the best place to send it is and it would get mainline running there i am talking about the GCR will better buy my lottery ticket if I win the amercains wont get it and cant see why the amercains want it to put it in a shopping centre or theme park

Cuchulain · Post by **Cuchulain** » Mon Feb 16, 2004 6:40 pm

Well its no secret to be honest. Like Eddie said, they were too cocky when it came to running the loco.
Theres too many mainline certified locos for Flying Scotsman railways to pick and choose which events 4472 went to.

sootyxfd · Post by **sootyxfd** » Mon Feb 16, 2004 6:55 pm

From what i understand she already IS a national treasure and can not be sold abroad

cheer

GavinW · Post by **GavinW** » Mon Feb 16, 2004 7:49 pm

johncas wrote:Yeh it was once based at Leicester Central shed so we know where the best place to send it is and it would get mainline running there i am talking about the GCR will better buy my lottery ticket if I win the amercains wont get it and cant see why the amercains want it to put it in a shopping centre or theme park

No puncuation on your computer then?

saddletank · Post by **saddletank** » Mon Feb 16, 2004 11:17 pm

Or a spellchecker.

Speedbird083 · Post by **Speedbird083** » Tue Feb 17, 2004 12:49 am

sootyxfd wrote:From what i understand she already IS a national treasure and can not be sold abroad

cheer

So there's already an export ban on it

?
I do hope so.
If a embargo is sanctioned and then millions of Â£s are given to the Duke of Northumberland (as if he's short of a bob

) in order to stop a painting being sold across the Atlantic, then it's only fair the Scotsman gets similar treatment.

sootyxfd · Post by **sootyxfd** » Tue Feb 17, 2004 8:48 am

Im sorry for my post being like that i typed it in a rush and at college I would have got into trouble.

Thanks,

BR7MT · Post by **BR7MT** » Tue Feb 17, 2004 8:58 am

sootyxfd wrote:Im sorry for my post being like that i typed it in a rush and at college I would have got into trouble.

Know the feeling!

I think that it is time for Scotsman to have its own Preservation group that owns it and looks after it. It would probably mean basing it on a preserved railway though as I expect that shed at Southall costs a lot to lease from Network Rail (I assume Network Rail own the site...)

Dan Hamblin

pgmetcalf · Post by **pgmetcalf** » Tue Feb 17, 2004 5:31 pm

The yanks are bidding like nutters for it.

eddief · Post by **eddief** » Tue Feb 17, 2004 6:33 pm

Scotsman IS for sale, its on the BBC news site. I'm sad to say I think she will go abroad

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/3495733.stm

Speedbird083 · Post by **Speedbird083** » Tue Feb 17, 2004 9:38 pm

It'll be a bloody sin if it does.
If the yanks do get it, and they stick a bell and/or cow catcher on it, they should be slapped pink

.
And then shot.

GavinW · Post by **GavinW** » Tue Feb 17, 2004 10:11 pm

The Yanks can't even look after their own engines or the LNER A4 they already have so what chance (if it does go abroad) is there of seeing Scotsman kept running. The Yanks fight shy of running steam for numerous reasons (and there are notable exceptions such as the UP steam programme with their VERY big engines) not the least of which is insurance.

Steam has been gone from the big US railroads for nearly fifty years and for a country the size that America is they don't have a lot of operating locomotives compared with Britain.

http://www.steamlocomotive.com/cgi-bin/ ... perational

for a list of all the operational locomotives in the US. (note that some are diesel conversions, replicas or run on gas. Historical accuracy isn't always a strong point!)