Re: Dorrigo 19th Century Treasures

[Peter Homann <phomann@optushome.com.DOT.au>]

John Kerley wrote:

> James Brook <ajmbrook@ozemail.com.au> wrote in message
> 3A13C1CE.B7D4C75F@ozemail.com.au">news:3A13C1CE.B7D4C75F@ozemail.com.au...
>
> > John Kerley wrote:
> James, my irritation is with those who try tell preservationists who have
> put in the hard yakka and money how to run their railway, museum etc.and in
> particular, the manner in which they express this opinion.  As you correctly
> say I am a Puff volunteer (score 10 out of 10 on my test on Australian
> Preserved Railways!).  Indeed I spent today guarding up there having been
> disturbed from my slumbers at 8am with an SOS phone call saying the guard of
> the 10.30 pass had phoned in sick (actually it was his wife), can you help
> out? (no clever clog comments about slumbering at 8am please!)
>
> The point of this is that when you put in the hard yards, you are entitled
> to decide how your assetts are deployed.
>
> Your comment about PB only collecting narrow gauge stuff is not strictly
> correct.  The museum at Menzies Creek was established as a "Steam Museum"
> i.e. the operative word being steam and hence a variety of steam objects
> were collected in the early days, at the same time as every conceivable bit
> of narrow gaugeanna.  Later on there was an intense debate about whether
> this general steam theme should be continued with most of the museum workers
> who had put in the hard yakka wanting to keep  the exhibits while the
> railway's leadership wanting to divest some of them.  This resulted in the W
> class being sent to Pichi Richi on the understanding, if I recall correctly,
> that restoration be started in 5 years  It would be interesting to know what
> in fact has happened.  The point here is that the democratically elected
> leadership's view prevailed, even if some of us did not like it. But they
> also have put in the hard yards, they are not outsiders.

I'm not sure of the details of the agreement, but I seem to recall a review at
10 years.
Restoration of W22 is well underway, although strictly it is not W22 being
restored.
Due mainly to severe wasting on the boiler of W22, it was agreed that it could
not reasonably be restored, so WAGR W916 is being restored cosmetically as W22.

I don't think it would be unreasonable to see that loco back in traffic in
2001.

> Your comment about Britain having more resourses that Australia, misses my
> point altogether.  I am simply saying Britain today has a magnificient
> collection of steam engines  today because one particular scrap merchant
> decided to keep the locos in the sixties instead of scrapping them for an
> immediate return as the others did.  Furthermore he still resisted scrapping
> them later on even though some so called preservationists called for him to
> do so.  No doubt he gained a very good return because of his forsight.
> Because there was this reservoir of locos, as groups through the seventies
> and eighties raised the resources, they had a place where they could obtain
> them.  If they had not been saved in the first place, no amount of resources
> would have resurrected them.
>
> Ironically, if those who believe Dorrigo is unviable are proved correct, and
> it does go belly up, it will then become NSW's Barry. All those other groups
> who allegedly have their envious eyes on the collection will be able to put
> their money where their mouths are and be able to then thank the Dorrigo
> pioneers for their forsight in saving the collection in the first place.
> Somehow, given what they have been through already, I think this is an
> unlikely scenario.
>
> Cheers,
>
> John Kerley

Three cheers,

--
Peter Homann
Steam Fireman, Pichi Richi Railway
Administrator: http://www.prr.org.au
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