Re: Stored trams at Newport
Barry Campbell (campblbm@ozemail.com.au)
Mon, 9 Feb 1998 22:48:25 +1000
Bob wrote in message <34DECBDF.6BA96EBB@fastlink.com.au>...
>
>
>Bob wrote:
>
>> Goodwin Alco wrote:
>>
>> > Bob wrote:
>> > >
>> > > I heard a story this week that "something" will soon happen with all
the
>> > > stored W cars at Newport Workshops. Considering that some of these
cars
>> > > have been in storage for several years I wonder what is being done
>> > > towards their disposal. Is the National Trust still insisting that
all
>> > > cars are to be kept. In the past the Kennet Government has shown no
>> > > mercy towards minority groups so what do the Trust have over them?
Also
>> > > can anyone confirm the story that a US dealer has made an offer to
buy
>> > > all the stored cars for export?
>> > > Bob
>> >
>> > I heard recently that a lot of these trams suffered damage while
being
>> > put into storage at Newport, some being quite bad.
>> > Brad
>>
>> This would not surprise me. I was there one day as a tram was being
unloaded
>> and they were rather rough with it. What surprised me the most was that
they
>> put a standard gauge tram onto one rail of the broad gauge track. They
then
>> pushed the half derailed tram into the shed and let it run into the one
in
>> front. It seemed to me at the time that these trams were a nusence to the
MET
>> and they wanted rid of them. I hope we dont see a Paddington Depot
repeat.
>> Bob
>
> What I forgot to mention was that my source also said that one of the
potential
>companies bidding to take over part of the system was interested in 50
stored
>cars. I wonder if this may be as a cheap source of spare parts for the W
cars that
>remain in traffic?
> Bob
>
And lots of other people wrote lots of other stuff but I'm still confused.
Why would anyone bother to keep a stack of 1930's vintage vehicles. I'm sure
there are sufficient preserved for historical reasons. Who cares about scrap
metal?
Barry Campbell