Crowdfunding to save the prototype CDA

T

Toffee

Active Member
Appoligies up front and if the Mods want it removed or moved please go ahead.

The prototype CDA converted from a HAA has just been put on the market by DBC

Saving British Rail Engineering History 353224

A crowdfunded appeal has been launched to try and save this historic vehicle. I have no connection to the group behind this but do hope they manage to get it. A start has been made on preserving modern air braked wagons but many early ones have gone or are going fast. If you want to do some reasearch on the wagon in the future you need to save it now. I guess any amount would help, i'm chipping in a few quid.

Thanks
John
 
T

Toffee

Active Member
5 days to go and just a few hundred short, please if you can just promise a tenner it will help save railway history.
 
adrian

adrian

Flying Squad
I do think a little better sales pitch would have helped this project.

I have supported a number of crowd funded projects over the years so I'm not averse to this style of funding but I do think they are missing something. First there is no mention of where this wagon is located, the crowd funding page indicates a location of Crewe, Cheshire but the activity page says that this will be stored at Chasewater Railway - which is it? Does this mean it's part of the Crewe heritage centre or Chasewater Railway? Secondly the information page says that 14 examples of this wagon have been preserved so what makes this one special and worthy of preservation if we already have 14 preserved examples? The text seems to imply that this specific example was a prototype. Finally what does NWPG stand for (National Wagon Preservation Group?) and who are the team behind it, it's not exactly clear on the website.

So I've no problem with you trying to drum up support for this project but just feel more could have been done to sell the project.

All my best for the project.

Adrian
 
T

Toffee

Active Member
Good news this morning is that the fund has passed its target. However they are hoping to get a bit more to cover 6% fees. The bid ( and its only a bid, it could be outbid by the scrapers ) is in with the wagons owners DB-C. I believe they get no favours and can be and have been outbid on other targets by the scrap firms.

As I originally said I have no connection with the group involved www.nwpg.co.uk Apart from seeing their request for help on Wnxx and meeting one of the group at Chasewater at one of their 'Coal train ' days. They seem to me to be in the early days of trying to get some of the remaining early airbraked stock preserved. Chasewater has been helpful to them I believe because of its coal history and allows the 5/6 HAAs owned by the group/individuals who are in the group to be kept there in safety. There is a bit of confusion probably because they are a small group. The target HSA was a HAA which became the first China clay HSA it was followed by a production batch of 124 and then a top up batch of 14 conversions from HAAs again. The prototype is the last of these conversions left and is in store at St Blazey DB-C depot. Due to the downturn in clay traffic about half of the production batch have been scrapped so this is the best chance to get one and the last conversion left and is the prototype to boot. The number of wagons remaining being 14 is I think a reference to the number of HAAs left in existence from the 11,000 odd thousand built, some are privately owned, the group has a couple, one I believe is preserved outside Knottingly depot with a couple still on isolated sidings, these will probably be scrapped.
where this one will go if this appeal is successful I don't know, I'll try and find out and report back.
Well done to all who contributed !
 
T

Toffee

Active Member
Sorry for the 'senior ' moment, the above references to HSA ought to be of course CDA, doh !

DBC = DBS as was and before that EWS.
HAA, The standard airbraked coal hopper from the 60s now nearly all scrapped.
CDA, A design adapted from the HAA to carry China Clay in Cornwall. A few still in service for a much reduced business.
 
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