Website Owner Statement:

 

Thanks for reading this webpage which focuses on preservation - I look forward to hearing from interested persons / or parties which could include other preservation groups - any tips etc would be most welcome.

 

If we are to go down the route of preservation and take the matter seriously, then action really needs to start as soon as possible. This will need to take into account all of the things noted below under the various headings - if we do not go for it, then there might come a point in the future where people might be saying “shouldn’t we have done something years ago before it was too late”, therefore time is of the essence.

 

Introduction:

 

Welcome to the Class 90 Electric Loco Group Preservation page. My overall arching aim now that the class 90s have entered their 23rd year of operations, is to give serious consideration to preservation. It was hoped the creation of this website would stimulate interest in this area, but progress on the preservation front at present is somewhat stagnated. Possible reasons for this slow progress could be attributed to the following:

 

• Lack of publicity of the Class 90 Electric Loco Group;
• Little interest in modern traction notably class 90s etc;
• How to tackle and proceed with a project of this magnitude;

 

Once a decision has been made to go ahead with preservation, this can go in many directions, but the main focus should be to make it work and not to default at the first hurdle - got to give this idea a go and see where it leads (assuming that is what people want to happen).

 

Preservation Aim:

 

The overall arching aim on a personal level would be to see at least one class 90 locomotive preserved - the one that I have in mind at present is 90050 as this was the last one of the fleet to exit Crewe Works therefore leaving a lasting legendary - ironically was the first one to be stored back in 2004 following fire damage due to poor maintenance.

 

If 90050 could be obtained, then this could become a static display locomotive somewhere for short/medium term, but ideally get the engine back to full working order for mainline traffic and use.

 

What are the key questions:

 

The key questions we need to ask ourselves in moving forward with the idea of preservation are:

 

• Do we wish to preserve our heritage for future generations;
• Do we aim to bring a locomotive back into mainline traffic;
• Do we go for a static display as a short-term option;
• What expertise can we obtain in electric traction;
• What price would we get for a class 90 from DB;
• Has anybody else purchased a class 90 that we don’t know about.

 

The main question and thought we need to consider with any preservation project is funding. I have done some initial investigation. It would seem that we could get some sort of funding from the National Lottery - the key selling point that may go in our favour here derives from the fact that the class 90s were one of the last engines to have been manufactured at Crewe BREL under the BR Umbrella.

 

As I understand it 90050 was the last electric locomotive to have come out of Crewe Works, therefore this will be the unique selling point of getting any funding from the National Lottery - this does need any further investigation (more updates to follow under the “latest preservation news” below).

 

A further thought (although not considered at this stage in any depth) is to setup a trust and a link on this website where donations can be made. It must be noted that no action has been taken in this area yet, but the idea is on the back burner awaiting further consideration.

 

How to get involved:

 

I would like to hear from anyone who would like to get involved or who can make suggestions or even confirm their commitment to this massive project - you can contact me at this stage via email and a list of interested parties shall be developed.

 

As soon as I have got a sufficient number of names and a keen interest for this idea, then I will create a members area whereby people can interact and bounce ideas around. The members could also have other interactive functionality. In addition, a donations page will be setup, but at the time of writing this has not been created, but hopefully will be if there is sufficient interest.

 

FAQ:

 

Please visit the forums area of the website should you have any questions, suggestions or comments on how to take the idea of preservation forward into the future or you could send me an email.

 

How to make a donation:

 

This subject matter is still under consideration and once I have confirmation that this has been setup, then a link will be created on this part of the website - please revisit us on a regular basis for any updates.

 

Latest Preservation News:

 

There is nothing to report on the preservation front at present, but I shall update this section of the webpage if anything new should arise.

 

In addition, as time progresses forward from hereon, this part of the website will be developed further which will include better features, functionality and more detailed information etc.

 

Other Information Sources:

 

To be added to webpage in due course - thanks for your patience.

Page last updated 1/11/11