OCTOBER 1968

There is an old saying: "There's many a slip twixt cup and lip", which certainly turned out to true In the case of 31618. When our last progress newsletter, was sent out, we were confident that not only had the engine been secured, but that a home for it had also been found. Unfortunately, at the last moment, arrangements fell through as a result of the unforeseen problem which no amount of care could take account of. We had arranged with the owners of a private siding at Paddock Wood to store the engine there, and went ahead with paying a £700 deposit to Woodham Brothers of Barry, thinking that once the deposit was paid, the engine would soon be down in Kent, where work could start on it.

You can therefore imagine the consternation when your committee were informed, only a matter of days after the deposit had been paid, that the Imperial Tobacco company, who own a tobacco warehouse alongside "our" siding, had unexpectedly objected strongly, to the siding owners that they thought the presence of the engine would encourage "undesirable" elements to visit the site, and they considered this to be a security risk. In view of this, the. siding owners, most reluctantly, withdrew their agreement to house the engine for us.

Having been recommended by Woodhams, to move the engine from Barry as soon as possible due to the constant danger that parts would be stolen from it, we had to embark on a desperate search for alternative accommodation, only to find that many private sidings in the, area are now closed to traffic, end are about to be disconnected from the main line. Fortunately, in the nick of time, we were able to persuade the Reed Paper Group to come to our rescue, and agreement has at last been reached for the storage 31618 in the Aylesford Paper Mills sidings at Larkfield, near Maidstone.

Arrangements are now being made for the movement of the engine to Larkfield, and although, we cannot yet be certain, we are hoping the move will take place during the first week in November. Naturally, many members will be anxious to know the exact date, and anyone who would like to be notified of the arrival time and date of the engine should send a postcard to Mr Doust, at, 11 Cottingham Road, LONDON S.E.20. It is suggested that a 5d. stamp be fixed on the card for the return postage, as we do not know at present how much notice there will be before the arrival date is known.

It is very much hoped that we shall be able to start carrying out restoration work on the engine when it arrives at Larkfield. However, we must emphasise most strongly that we are guests or the Reed Paper Group, and that we shall be relying on members to co-operate in ensuring that no inconvenience is caused to the Mill operations, and that any instructions issued by Reeds are strictly obeyed. It is possible that a pass system will have to be operated for access to the site which is on private ground, and it is essential that any member wishing to visit the engine, either to work on it, or just to photograph or look at it, make prior arrangement with the secretary, Mr. Doust, at the address given above. Once the engine has arrived, we shall circulate a further newsletter giving full details of the arrangements which have been made to enable members to visit the engine, but until then it is most essential that members should not be tempted to pester Reeds with requests to visit the engine, or worse still, trespass on Reeds property without proper authority.

In the meantime, while arrangements for the delivery of the engine are going ahead, it would be helpful if members who would like to put in regular working visits on the engine would notify the secretary so that some idea can be gauged as to the numbers likely to be available. It may prove necessary to operate a rota system, and advance indication of the number of volunteers for working parties and the frequency with which individuals feel they will be available, will be very helpful in organising work on the engine.

(bottom of side one of newssheet, about ¾ of A4 size!)

SECRETARY NEEDED

For personal reasons, the present Hon. Secretary feels he should resign the post as from the society's A.G.M., which will be held during December this year. Any member who would like to help by shouldering this aspect of the Society's work should let the present secretary know as soon as possible.

S.R. PACIFIC PRESERVATION

It Is always pleasant to be able to record help and cooperation from other societies, and we would like to take this opportunity of thanking the Merchant Navy Preservation Society and the Bulleid Pacific Preservation Society for the publicity which they recently gave us in their respective magazines. In each case we have received several very welcome new members who are obviously keen Southern supporters.

We very much hope that any of our own members who do not belong to either of the two Pacific groups will consider doing so. Both projects, although now successful in saving their engines, which are at present stored at Longmoor, still need help with funds to meet the high cost of restoring their locomotives and keeping them in running order. The addresses of the two organisations are given below, and the respective secretaries will be pleased to hear from my Mogul members who might like to help with a Pacific as well:

FINANCE

Concerning our own engine, the position at present is that we still owe a total of £1,300 to Woodhams, we shall shortly have to meet the cost of transporting the engine the Aylesford, and we shall then have the expense of purchasing equipment and items such as paint to enable work to be carried out on the engine. To meet all these expenses we have at present some £450 in hand, and it is obvious that there is still an urgent need for more financial help if the engine is to be made presentable and the outstanding debt on her liquidated. Please help, if you can, with recruiting new members to the Society - if you belong to my form of railway club, let the secretary know, and he will be pleased to send you a supply of publicity leaflets to help with recruiting.

FILMS AND SALES

Mention must be made of the Film Show, put on by the Society in Bromley, Kent, during September. It was not possible to notify members of this, but local publicity produced a very good audience of over 80, and despite a few minor technical hitches, the function produced a total profit of about £5 for Society funds. The films shown included "The Wrecker", "The Flying Scotsman", "A Lost Highway" (the story of the Hawkhurst branch line), "Services Will Resume" (the K.&E.S.R. saga), and "Driving Force" (a B.R film). Special thanks must be made to the ladies who so generously provided us with a splendid collection of homemade cakes to accompany the gallons of tea which they dispensed during interval. We hope it may prove possible to put on another film show, possibly in another area, at a later date. While on the subject of fund raising, we would like to remind members that we have available attractive "Mogul" lapel badges at 3/6d. each, and a very large selection of postcard views of Moguls at work on the S.R., including some very interesting shots of engines fitted with various items of experimental equipment. The postcards are 9d. each, and together with the badges, are available from the sales officer: Mr. M.Jenner, 331 Stanstead Road, LONDON S.E.6.

back to the top of the page