Re: Tassie Garret & Penndennis Castle

[James Brook <ajmbrook@ozemail.com.au>]

chris@enet21.com.au wrote:

> Yes, I quoted this example  to when writing to a  number of people and
> groups  about the Penndennis Castle,
> The response  was "we didn't know that" and "we will investigate it further"
>
> Maybe when claimed  by some people on this newsgroup that it was offered to
> other groups in Australia Rio did not speak to the right people.(at govt
> level).
> Hopefully a sudden rush of enquiries from these people may cause Rio to
> think that something is going on.

What Australian groups would be in a position to look after the Pendennis Castle
in running conditon?

> Anybody  critical of the number of locomotives in parks  or rusting in
> museums should write to the relevent government people. If  100 of you wrote
> asking  for more funding for the NSWTM or a similar group  you might achieve
> something.

I am not critical of the number of locomotives rusting in parks because we would
never have the resources to return them all to service. All I would ever like to
see is one example of each type of locomotive stuffed and mounted in the museums
and several examples of the most appropriate classes of locomotives restored to
running condition. We don't even have enough resources to cosmetically restore
all the locomotives that are left in Australia so why should we even be thinking
of looking after a foreign loco, especially when it will be going to an
operating museum in its original country? It is also more complicated than a
one-off grant. If the government provides funds to get a steam locomotive back
into service then the group would have to maintain it without much additional
money from the government. Could you imagine the cost if the government had to
subsidise most of the steam train operations in Australia? It is no point
getting a locomotive back into service if the operation of it isn't viable. Let
the Pendennis Castle go to where we all know it will be looked after properly
and try to concentrate on maintaining our own railway heritage.

--
- James Brook -

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