The Inter City 125 in Preservation

[West_Stanley]

Some of those sets are already in storage (i.e. unused) and the rest are due to be withdrawn in 2018, a mere two years away. Those are train sets though, not mere locomotives, which poses a problem to preservationists, both in expense in buying and storage. Do any preservation groups have any plans for acquiring a 125 set? I have dark visions of a set being bought, only for it to go into outside storage for 15 years; 15 years of destruction from both the weather and vandals. Even worse, they could all go for scrap, with perhaps the odd power car surviving.

For me (and I know that this is WAY beyond the realms of possibility), I would like to see someone like the Great Central Railway build a shed long enough for two locomotives and nine Mk3 coaches. The locomotives should be refitted with their original Paxman Valenta engines, the coaches refitted with 1976 style seating (and other fittings) and the original livery restored. Did anyone have the money and foresight to store any of those irreplaceable items whilst the Class 43's and their coaches were being upgraded? Whilst the Blue Pullmans didn't stand a chance, due to the preservation movement being in its infancy, you'd have thought that this might have been done for the 125's, but the negativity in me suggests that everything that became surplus to requirement during refurbishments would have been scrapped

[manna]

G'day gents

I can see a set being preserved, but not as 9+2, I can see a 5+2 being far more useful to a preserved line, but it may be possible to keep a 9+2 set for mainline running !!

manna

[sawdust]

I happened by chance to come across this on Saturday.

http://www.125group.org.uk/

Sawdust.