It has been annouced this morning that the National Railway Museums bid for the locomotive has been accepted by Flying Scotsman PLC. The bid was about £2.5 million. This was made up from £365,000 public contributions, the same amount from Sir Richard Branson and £1.8 million from the National Heritage Memorial Fund.
For a local (Yorkshire) point of view, please see the link.

http://www.ypn.co.uk/ViewArticle2.aspx?SectionID=55&ArticleID=768855
jimlivesey@btopenworld.com

There's something I don't understand about this engine. Why does it seem to cost significantly more money to operate/overhaul, than the other express passenger engines in the UK. There was an interesting article in the flimsies last week about how everyone who has owned this engine has run into financial difficulties as a result and yet there are other large express passenger locomotives operating such as the LMS Princesses, Southern Merchant Navies etc. that never seem to be such financial albatross (though I'm sure they drain their owner's wallets quickly enough!). Is it just that Flying Scotsman gets the press' attention or do the other large engines actually cost less to operate?

> There's something I don't understand about
> this engine. Why does it seem to cost
> significantly more money to
> operate/overhaul, than the other express
> passenger engines in the UK. There was an
> interesting article in the flimsies last
> week about how everyone who has owned this
> engine has run into financial difficulties
> as a result and yet there are other large
> express passenger locomotives operating such
> as the LMS Princesses, Southern Merchant
> Navies etc. that never seem to be such
> financial albatross (though I'm sure they
> drain their owner's wallets quickly
> enough!). Is it just that Flying Scotsman
> gets the press' attention or do the other
> large engines actually cost less to operate?

The overly-generalized answer to this is twofold:

1) 4472 has been run very hard for a lot of its life, even after retirement in 1963. For many years (1968-1974 or 1975), she was the ONLY steam locomotive permitted to operate on BR. As the SR or Ross Rowland can tell you, run an engine a lot, especially a "smaller" loco like a 4-6-2 rather than a 4-8-4, and you're going to wear her out more. Remember also that for part of its life it's made long overseas forays--to North America and Australia. And yes, to be honest, the celebrity of the locomotive outweighs the real practicality of restoration to service, to some extent--if one were looking for a steam loco to sink £2.5 million into for operation, there are far more suitable candidates in storage or even for sale, including a Peppercorn A2 and a Gresley A4; it's just somewhat doubtful that your return would come as quickly (I have heard allegations that, properly marketed, a run behind 4472 could garner an extra £5 per ticket).

2) A lot of the other British mainline locomotives have the good fortune to have larger nonprofits behind them, such as the National Railway Museum (LNER 4771 and LMS 6201) or locomotive foundations started specifically for the locomotive, such as the Merchant Navy Locomotive Preservation Group or the (diesel) Deltic Preservation Society. (The DPS, as yet another example, bailed out the individual owner of 55.015 "Tulyar", buying it from him about five years after he bought it from BR.) Although not necessarily strictly a for-profit enterprise, the private-individual ownership of a locomotive/car/railroad tends to discourage both financial and logistical support from the general public, from foundations or government, and even charitably-minded railfans. We can observe many parallel situations here in the United States with the privately-owned Paulsen Spence collection (30+ steamers to scrap), Chessie 614, early Steamtown, B&LE 2-10-4 643, Showalter's CP G5's, Reading 2100, Reading 2102 and GM&N 425, and even the entire East Broad Top. About the only private-individual owned locos that have been a success so far have been the Ohio Central's fleet and Levin's PRR E8s--and even there, 1) I believe we attribute a lot to J.J. when there is still some level of corporate operation involved; and 2) the OC and Juniata Terminal stories so far has been far too short--we can't as yet rule out another Paulsen Spence-style disaster or bankruptcy (although I have no reason to believe either will happen, stranger things have).

In short, owning a real full-sized steam locomotive should be regarded as being in the same category as owning a yacht. Picture the chap getting into the car, driving down to the pier, getting out, hurling a bucketful of cash into the water, and then driving back home, and repeating the process weekly or monthly. It's the same mentality with a steam locomotive; you should get into it realizing it's going to eat up all your money.


LNER4472-NOSPAM-@bcpl.net

Sorry this is off-topic from a serious and interesting discussion, but bear with me in recalling as a 17 year old watching a pacific-hauled express roll to a stop in the station at York one summer evening in 1962. The loco's number, 60103, was visible at a distance. The moment became magical as the name over the center driver came into view. There was something about that locomotive, even way back then. Even to unschooled American kids.


http://www.steamvalley.com
coniglio.john@comcast.net