Volunteer shortages cost heritage dearly

Published: 01:19PM Jan 19th, 2012
By: Web Editor

I AGREE with the question posed by John Jolly: How safe are ‘preserved’ items of stock?

I beg to suggest that there is a direct correlation between dwindling volunteer numbers and neglected items of rolling stock.

Many railways now have fewer volunteers than 10 years ago, and sidings full of mouldering rolling stock and locomotives. I am also connected with the bus preservation sector of our transport heritage, and some real gems of antiquity have been lost forever. Too much to preserve and too few to do it.

David Harris,
Hawkinge, Kent

1 Response to “Volunteer shortages cost heritage dearly”

#1

Daylight4449  Says:

February, 5th 2012 at 07:25 pm

This is a true to an incredible degree. Over here in the US there are similar volunteer issues, but being involved with a small preservation group that is still working to establish itself, I can't be sure of the extent. I do know that community support is difficult to come by. In our case, there is enough people who supported (and I mean die-hard believers) our campaign to save the Richardson style depot in East Brookfield, MA that I can count them one one hand!

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